Ireland Pride

A few key differences so far in Ireland

• You have to look right when crossing the road and not left... that'll getcha
• Coins are really important, so don't throw them all in the tip jar, you'll need'm later!
• Waiters will not bring you anything you don't ask for... including refills on water
• No one carries guns, not even the police
• If you look lost, someone will always try to help you
• There's a lot of national pride

I just got back from an incredibly crazy and crowded pup in downtown Ireland called "The Living Room."  There were tons of cheers that everyone knew, and everyone was decked out in green and orange.  It reminded me a little of some situations I face at UNC, but people with me from other colleges had never experienced anything even remotely similar to it.  I have a lot of pride in UNC, but as far as American pride... I guess that's a little different.

I had never really thought much about it until the head internship coordinator said that Americans were the only people in the world that were embarrassed or ashamed to say where they're from.  When he asked us what words we would use to describe americans, we all said things like, "fat, lazy, entitled, uneducated, etc." No one said things like hardworking, curious, ambitious or anything along those lines.

When you ride the bus around Ireland, poor places, rich places, businesses, churches, offices, everywhere has the country's flag hanging from one of the windows.  It's really cool, and it makes you feel really good about being in a country like this.  But when you think about the reputation you pin to a person who has an American flag hanging in the united states, it's totally different.  

A guy in a pub last night told me that the Irish are notoriously bad at soccer, but that they consistently win best fans every year.  That, to me, is awesome.  It's funny, because we have more freedoms in America, it's almost like we have a lot more to be proud of, but we like to focus on the problems we have in America and we let them define us.  Ever since this realization, I've tried to hold up my head when I say that I'm an American, because I've decided it's something that I am proud of.

Finally, I'll leave you with a funny story.

In a pub a few nights ago, a guy asked me where I was from.  When I said America, he laughed and said, well could'ja be just a li'le more specific? I said North Carolina and he responded with a nod and an, ahhhh yes, of course.  I asked him if he knew where that was and he replied that of course he knew where North Carolina was!  Well... where? I asked.  

Everyone knows North Carolina is in California, he said.  To which I replied, well... just as much as Ireland is in Germany!

Slàinte! (Cheers!)

Sophie