I came to Ireland for the
first time in 2015, after graduating from secondary school. I stayed in Dublin
for almost a year working as an au pair. Before
coming to Ireland, I didn’t know much about it. I knew it was an
English-speaking country, their currency is Euro and the capital is Dublin.
Little did I know that I would absolutely fall in love with the country, and
the amazing city of Dublin.
Now, four years later I got to return to this green island to do my internship. It is not so easy to think about my first impressions about the country, as it was already four years ago when I first came here.
Before coming to Ireland I heard so many comments about the rainy weather, and people were surprised I wanted to come here for a year. The day I landed to Dublin Airport was exactly what most people think about Ireland - it was raining heavier than I had ever seen. Everything was just gray, and I remember I couldn't really see out of the car when my host mum tried to point me landmarks and shops that we drove past.
Luckily, it wasn't like that the whole year but I learnt that it's very wise to always carry an umberella with you. You can never know when it will rain. Never. Trust me on this. But when the sun is out the Irish will stop everything they are doing and go out to enjoy the good weather as long as it lasts. This is one of my favourite things abour Irish people - they know how to live in the moment.
One of the first things I learnt was that Irish people are very welcoming and lovely. I remember being a shy 19-year-old standing at the bus stop trying to go to Dublin city centre without any clue how much the bus journey costs or where to take off. There was a lovely older woman at the bus stop who started to chat with me, and even before I noticed I sat on the bus next to her, listening to her life story. The warmth of the people here is something that still, after being here for more than a year, surprises me.
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| Howth Cliff walk |
Another thing that caught my attention straight away was the accent. It was nothing like in English books in school. I learnt to understand south Dublin accent quite fast, because my host dad spoke with that accent. It surprised me how much the accent changes when you pass the river Liffey in the centre of Dublin and go to the north side of the city.
The accents across the island vary a lot. There are places in the country where the accents is so strong that it doesn't even sound English any more. For example, County Kerry in the South-West is a good example of a very strong Irish accent.
There are some funny words and phrases Irish people use a lot. Here are a few examples
Having a craic = having fun, having laugh
What's the story? = how are you
Banjaxed = broken
Deadly = cool, great
I will yeah = I definitely won't
The Big Smoke = Dublin
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