Foreign observations...

I know this is my second blog of the day... second within two hours, in fact. But I've been sitting here thinking some things I feel are worth sharing. If these do not interest you, I do have a normal post for today.

You know, it's funny. I've been in Ireland for almost two weeks (!) and still, as I sit here in the bar of the hotel down the street where I pirate the internet, my immediate reaction as I eavesdrop on my surrounding conversations is, why is he doing a fake British (Irish, French...take your pick) accent? It still takes me a few moments to realize that they are, in fact, British, and their accent is not meant to be comical (which it is) or snooty (which it is) or to stand out (which it does, to me). I may be the last person left who does a fake accent for fun, or for emphasis in certain situations. I have not employed my perfectly honed British accent, however, for fear of being spotted as a sassenach (outsider). Because really, who am I kidding? My British accent can't even pass in New Jersey.

Another interesting Irish observation: "Hen Nights." These are the Irish equivalent to American bachelorette parties. In two weeks I've been witness to two of these phenomena, the first of which I thought merely a very entertaining singular event. Apparently, though, this is a very common occurence in Ireland. Gaggles of women (or chicks, or hens) gather together, don pink, sparkly, outrageous accessories (some with t-shirts that say things like Drunk and Dangerous, or Girls Night Out, or tiaras that light up), and go out on the town. They cause a major disturbance in each bar they visit, stay for about thirty minutes, and move on. I've never seen anything like this with any frequency in the States. Extremely entertaining.

My final observance of note for this evening: in Ireland, a "shop" is a store, and a "store" is a warehouse. In Dingle, these "shops" often double as other things: Dick Mack's, the most well-known pub in Dingle, doubles as a shoe-shine shop. Another bar is a pub/hardware store/bike rental and repair shop. The Crystal Showroom is also a cafe which prides itself on its homemade quiche. These are all very interesting to me.

It's amazing what one notices in a foreign country.