“You’re so American, it’s unbelievable…” (Ireland) By Erin Riordan

…aka How to (Unintentionally) Live-Up to American Stereotypes in a Foreign Country.

Any traveler’s guide will tell you that, when venturing to a foreign country, you really have two choices:
1) Be the tourist. This includes carrying around a large bag, camera around your neck, and snapping pictures of random people’s babies.
2) Integrate. This could also be the “subtle tourist” approach. You carry only a small purse and camera, hide your valuables under your clothing, and take pictures of the landscape quietly and discreetly.

However, what no one tells you in all the traveling books you collected and memorized, is how to avoid internationally recognized Americanisms, and how people can instantly know you’re American (and not maybe just a visiting Canadian). I’m not talking about wearing flipflops and American Eagle apparel and asking for a Miller at the local pub. I’m talking about things you would never notice because it’s so normal for us.

The word “awesome.”

Crazy, isn’t it? You could put on your best Irish brogue and they might buy it until you slip and say “awesome.” I had no idea that this word was such a dead give-away. I mean, I say it all the time, don’t you?! Well, thankfully, I made friends with a local to Letterkenny, Ireland who has shown me the way… Her name is Aoife (pronounced ee-fah) and when I first said “That’s so awesome” she literally cringed.

Aoife informed me that American television shows are really popular in Ireland. Irish teenagers grow up watching shows like Desperate Housewives and The Hills (yikes!). These shows have made the American accent and the word “awesome” a huge sensation for the younger Irish.(Globalization or Americanization? A debate for another time…)

Apparently, Irish youth love talking in American accents. They do it so much to be “cool” that they end up annoying all the older teenagers and adults. One popular phrase is “Oh my god, that’s soooo awesome!” Which totally explains why a bunch of kids at the Errigal Arts Festival’s Carnival Parade were asking us to say the word “awesome” and then giggling for an hour afterwards.

After talking with her a while, Aoife (who is my age) sighed and exclaimed, “You’re so American, it’s unbelievable.” So now, I seriously watch how I speak. Whenever people ask me how I am liking Ireland, I say “It’s so aweso–beautiful.” It’s so hard not to use that word! That forbidden word…

Well, I’m going to go retrain my vocabulary and further explore just how the Irish feels about Americanisms.

Until then,
Erin R.

PS. Oh my god, Ireland is soooo AWESOME!

Ireland is an English-speaking Country… Right? by Erin Riordan

…Well, yes and no. Turns out, English is spoken by the majority of the Irish people, but Co. Donegal is home to many families who speak the native language of their ancestors. Irish Gaelic is actually listed as the constitutional national language of the Republic of Ireland. Technically, it’s Irish Gaelic, but the locals refer to the language as simply “Irish.”

It’s a fascinating language to listen to. I’ve only ever seen it in writing; I’ve never heard it spoken. When I first heard it on the airplane to Dublin, it really shocked me! It sounds a lot like German…which makes sense given that it is a Germanic language (meaning that it came Indo-European descent like English and German.)

To be honest, I never thought I would have a communication issue in Ireland (at least not a language issue), but one bus driver spoke Irish as his first language and English as his very far second… When I tried to inquire about a book I had left on the bus, he didn’t know what “book” was. Finally, I tried “something you read?” and he understood. I think he thought I meant something like a laptop. Either way, I got my book back and had my first in person encounter with an Irish speaker!

When I went to the local store, I would hear mothers speaking to other adults in English, then speak Irish to their children. It was a fascinating experience in bilingualism teaching methods. It really sparked my interest in learning more about the language and gave me a potentially exciting documentary topic for class!

I can already tell this is going to be a fascinating trip and experience! More to come!

Slán agat!
Erin R.

“In the b-r-i-t I say British Isles” By Kristen Spicker

I’ve been back in the United States for nearly a week, and yet it already feels like London was ages ago, or even a dream.

The entire trip I joked with my flat mate that it still hadn’t hit me that I was in London. Even though I could see the London Eye in the skyline on my walk to class and I was surrounded with accents, I didn’t feel like I had ever crossed the Atlantic.

Unfortunately, the day I realized I was actually living in London was the same one when I realized I had to leave.

It didn’t help that this happened while I was walking to my flat without anyone to distract me from becoming an emotional mess, which took all of five seconds for me to complete. All I could think of was how lovely everything was in London. The weather was light-years better than Ohio (London only rained a handful of days), the people were polite and nearly everyday I was either at a concert, play, museum or just exploring. There was no such thing as downtime or boredom.

Even now, I cannot believe half the things I did or half the people I met. My biggest fear I had in regards to studying in London was that I had built the city up way too high in my mind, and that I’d be completely disappointed. I do not know if I experienced disappointment the entire two months.

If anyone asked me whether or not they should study abroad, I’d definitely tell them yes. This is easily the best decision I’ve ever made and the most fun I’ve ever had. I seriously never thought that I’d be able to do something like study abroad, so the fact that I just lived in the one city I’ve always wanted to see for nine weeks completely blows my mind. I’ve already decided I want to return after graduation, and have been bookmarking flats online. If I was able to wait twenty years before my first time leaving the country, then I’m sure these next two years will simply fly by.

To go to theatre in London or not to go? by Kristen Spicker

The simple answer is yes.

While in London I’ve never a) seen so many plays and b) never seen so many amazing plays, just in general.

Of course, I’ve seen well done performances in America, but I’ve also seen some horribly done ones as well. However, in London, I’ve only seen one play I didn’t like, and I’ve been to a performance a week at least. In that past month and a half, I’ve probably seen around twenty productions (and the one that wasn’t good had an amazing set and fabulous costumes – so it wasn’t even horrible).

Obviously I was expecting high-caliber performances because London is the New York City of Europe, and Shakespeare lived in Stratford-upon-Avon and London, but I have been blown away by the quantity and quality of theater in this city. After walking down the street in any direction for ten minutes, I know I’ll probably pass a theatre in Central Londo. The Tube is packed with fliers for everything, from Betty Blue Eyes to As You Like It to The Lion King. London has it all.

Another aspect of theater in London that surprised me was the attendance. Fine arts in London is not just for the wealthy or the elderly. I’ll see teenagers dressed in jeans or dresses at a performance on a Wednesday night – and not just to see the major productions, but to see the small ones as well. Maybe it’s because theater is so accessible and affordable, but it appears that it’s basically integrated into the Londoner’s life to appreciate theater and art.

Another thing that surprised me was how common it is for movie and television stars to go back to the stage. Keira Knightley, Elisabeth Moss, Ellen Burtsyn and Lisa Backwell from the UK television program Skins all preformed in The Children’s Hour and Harry Melling, better known as Dudley Dursley from the Harry Potter films, was in School for Scandal at the Barbican. Not only was I shocked to see these well-known actors perform live, but I also was able to meet or get a brief glimpse of them as they walked past me to hurry into a cab.

Though the theater in London is absolutely spectacular, if I had to recommend any performances I’d definitely say go to Shakespeare’s Globe. Though the building is just a reproduction of the original Globe, it was constructed to be as close to identical as possible. And if you go to the globe, don’t pay for actual seats. It’s only £5 for a yard ticket, which, if you’re a Shakespeare fan, you should be geeking out over. For those not familiar, the Globe had a yard surrounding the stage where common people would stand to watch the performance, and by standing in the yard at Shakespeare’s Globe, you are as close to experiencing an authentic Shakespeare performance as possible. Plus, the yard tickets are right against the stage, with no barriers, so you can end up with the best seat in the house if you get there early enough.

The Royal Wedding: A Modern Fairytale by Kristen Spicker

I can hardly believe that it’s already almost been a week since Prince William and Kate Middleton’s big day. The world finally got to see Middleton’s stunning dress and the details of their modern, yet still traditional wedding.

Depending on what part of London you were in at the time, the city was either completely dead or absolutely packed. The main venues for wedding watchers were Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square, which both had free screenings of the wedding, or Westminster Abbey and the Mall. Westminster Abbey is the Church where Prince William and Middleton exchanged vows, and the Mall is the road which led to Buckingham Palace where the couple stood out on a balcony to greet the crowds. Although the majority of Londoners were either safely out of town or at home watching the wedding, tourists from all over the world flooded the city so that they could say they witnessed such a monumental wedding.

The first thing I noticed was the overwhelming pride and love that the English have for their royal family. Even though I was thrilled to be in the city at the time, it was hard for me as an American to grasp how connected they were to the royalty. Everywhere I went, people were decked in red, white and blue, waving flags or wearing the slightly disturbing William and Kate facemasks. People were singing the national anthem “God Save the Queen” or asserting how proud they were to be British. It got to the point that I was actually disappointed that I’m not British.

The second thing I noticed was how respectful everyone was. People everywhere were “queuing” (English for standing in line) and waiting patiently just to get a glimpse of the Royal Wedding. No one was pushing or shoving past others, which I thought would almost be a given. It was almost as though everyone wanted to be on their best behavior for the wedding, no matter where they were or how close they were to the couple.

Somehow, the day also managed to be very educational. The first thing I learned is that technically, Prince William does not have a last name because he is royalty, although on official documents he’s Prince William Mountbatten-Windsor. Also, just because Kate Middleton married into the royal family, she doesn’t become a princess. Instead, the prince is now also Duke of Cambridge, making her Duchess of Cambridge. The couple are Earl and Countess of Strathearn and Baron and Baroness Carrickergus as well. Another fun fact is that the national anthem changes depending on which gender carries royal blood. For example, right now, the actual royal is female – Queen Elizabeth II – so the national anthem is “God Save the Queen”. However, once the Queen dies and her body is buried, Prince Charles will become King and the anthem will change to “God Save the King”.

As for the actual wedding, the main things that surprised me were the clothes. First, Kate Middleton’s wedding dress. It definitely was suitable for a queen, and I loved that the dress remained somewhat modern with the strapless appearance, while keeping in mind the taste level by having the lace long-sleeves. The bigger shock was that the maid of honour, Pippa Middleton, wore ivory as well. Although I will admit I liked the younger Middleton’s dress better, both women looked absolutely flawless. Of course, both Prince William and Prince Harry looked dapper, and like the rest of the world, I’m still hoping to bump into the younger prince at a pub sometime and hopefully have someone else writing an overview of my own royal wedding.