McDonough Worldwide: Ireland

Typical American

2009-03-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

(St. Paddy's Day crowd outside of Trinity College)

I can't believe I'm able to say I experienced St. Patrick's Day in Dublin, Ireland! It was brilliant, chaotic, jam-packed, messy...and I never want to be in this city for it again! Haha. I had so much fun but it was also a huge hassle just trying to get anywhere in the city at any point during the day or night. My roommate and I headed to the city center before 10 to meet up with Alyssa Hanley, another MC student studying at a different university in Dublin. There were so many people in the city center it was insane! On certain streets you just came to a standstill because there were so many people trying to move and no one could get by. Because I didn't wait for hours for a spot to watch the parade, I couldn't see a thing--there were about 10 rows of people in front of me, many of whom had very large hats and some of whom kept lifting their kids onto their shoulders. I was talking to one of my Irish friends and he said the Dublin parade is very Americanized--most of the music is from American high school marching bands; he said the parade in New York is more "Irish" than the one in Dublin, which surprised me. Also, most of the locals avoid the city center on Paddy's Day and just stay in to try to avoid the chaos. Luckily for me two of my Irish friends ventured out and helped the non-natives in my group navigate around the city--with so many people everywhere I definitely wouldn't have been able to find my way around if it weren't for them! Locals view Paddy's Day as an excuse for tourists to come crowd the city and get drunk, and I must say that's a pretty accurate representation of what I saw on the 17th. There really isn't anything to do in town on that day except watch the parade; once that is over everyone heads to the pubs. Like I said, I was glad to have been here for it, but since it's such a touristy event I don't feel the need to ever experience it again.

I've been trying to stay away from doing the terribly "American" touristy things while I'm over here and instead trying to assimilate with the Irish culture (Paddy's Day being the exception). I find this to be way more satisfying. Hanging out with Irish and not just Americans, as I wrote previously, is one American trait I'm breaking away from. However, whenever I hang out with the Irish I always get loads of slagging (teasing, poking fun at) for being an American--it's just their way of having fun and making me a part of the group. I really don't mind it too much; I'm very proud to be an American. It's ironic, I'm only coming to terms with what it means to be an American now that I am living outside its borders. I am also learning way more about American foreign policy than I ever did living in the US; I can't attribute this solely or even mainly to my US Foreign Policy class, but instead think the real reason for this is the DCU Model UN and the students in the club. Most of my friends here are in MUN and studying International Relations, but I feel like the general awareness of what's going on in the rest of the world is much higher here. I love studying about foreign countries and international situations for our MUN simulations, and I love the discussions we get into about international politics outside of MUN meetings even more. It's tough, sometimes, to be the American that is expected to defend all American foreign policy; I definitely don't fit the bill because the more I learn the more I realize I do not support certain policies America has in place. I get teased whenever I say anything remotely forceful about being a "typical American" that just invades a country and exploits its resources. (Just in case I need to add the disclaimer: the Irish do not really believe all Americans are warmongers, they just like teasing me about the stereotype.) At any rate, I really enjoy the banter that often includes intl politics references. I'm a politics junkie!

I think it's amusing that because I've been hanging out with the Irish so much I've also started picking up their prejudices as well. I think most Americans have a generally positive attitude about Great Britain, but it's hard to have such a positive attitude about the British when you're living in a country that was oppressed by them for over 700 years. Somehow I've also picked up a Nordie (Northern Ireland) accent when I say certain things or the inflection I use in certain sentences. None of my friends are from NI, so I don't really know how this happened! Of course I've picked up some slang as well, and I'm much better at understanding accents now (although the Dublin accent is much softer than Western accents, for example). I also LOVE rugby. I'd never watched it until I got over here and I think it's brilliant, I wish it were bigger in the states! Ireland won the Grand Slam over the weekend, meaning they're champions of the 6 Nations League. It hasn't happened in 61 years, and the match was such a nailbiter! It was deadly, everyone watching was really into it (we watched at the bar on campus). I'm going to the DCU women's rugby championship on Wednesday, I can't wait!

I mentioned in an earlier post that I have to give a group presentation with two Irish girls, a Hungarian girl and a Swedish girl. Well, the Hungarian girl dropped the class, so it's just the four of us now. I wish I could tell you some distinctive characteristics I've noticed when working with the other girls, but I really don't think I have much to point out. Anna (the Swedish girl) pretty much stays on topic and has a more dedicated work ethic than the Irish girls who seem more laidback. We're all working on separate parts of our presentation, so there's very little chance of conflict or confrontation. It seems that Irish, Swedish, and Americans can all work together harmoniously!

One of the topics I've recently started discussing with some Irish friends here is religion. Generally the US is thought to be a pretty religious country but it can't hold a torch to Ireland, where birth control was illegal til the 1980s and the ban on divorce was only lifted in 1995. The Catholic Church had major influence over the Irish government until the past few decades. I'm definitely noticing that the youth aren't very religious; some of my friends go to Mass only because their family wants them to, some don't go at all. Since this is a city it's safe to guess that the population is more secular than in the country, but I'm still surprised by the high amount of young people who I've talked to who claim no religion as their own. A couple people have told me that their parents or grandparents are very devout but that you can definitely see the changes in attitude about religion as you go down through the generations. What constitutes the "youth" in Ireland now is by far the most secular generation the country has ever seen.

As always, I welcome your comments!
Peace 'n love,
Melissa

Falling in love with Ireland

2009-03-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

Last week was the best week I spent in Ireland so far. I spent a lot of it hanging out with the people I met in Vienna, but I also met some new friends. I’ve realized I enjoy hanging out with people from other cultures more than I enjoy hanging out with most of the Americans here, save only a few. Most of the Americans who are studying abroad here this semester hang out in one big group and rarely interact with the Irish or people from other cultures unless it’s their roommates. That seems so silly to me, why would you come to a foreign country just to hang out with more Americans? The Irish think it’s pretty silly too, they laugh when they see groups of “Yanks” all hanging out together in pubs. One of the people I was introduced to this week was a Frenchman whose name I can’t recall because the friend who introduced him to me just kept calling him “the weird French guy,” a title he seemed to enjoy more than take offense to. He would randomly burst into song when we were walking through Dublin, including La Marseilles (thank goodness Ireland played Scotland that afternoon and not France, or else he would have been in for it!) and any other French song he could think of. He enjoyed making fun of my American accent, saying when I said “France” it sounded like a duck quacking or someone hitting a buzzer, haha. At the end of the night when we were saying goodbye I gave him a hug before I thought about it. He had such a funny look on his face! He said with a grimace that hugging “is such a lovely way of saying goodbye.” It wasn’t until after I hugged him that I remembered the French don’t hug, they kiss on the cheek; I guess I’ll have to remember that next time, although I think I feel the same way about kissing on the cheek as he does about hugging!

Up until recently, interaction between Tiffany and I and our two Spanish roommates has been a bit chilly. They seemed very friendly when we first met them, but we never really talked to them much because we never saw them. Then last Thursday, Marina (one of my roommates) had a bunch of friends fly in from Spain for the weekend. They pounded on my door late Thursday night and asked if I wanted to go out to the bars with them. They were very insistent (started chanting Mel-ee-sa! Mel-ee-sa!) until I finally gave in. Marina insisted that I should go with them, and she asked why I’d never gone out with them before, nor joined in any of the parties they had in the living room. I told her I didn’t think I was invited, since it was always Marina and Rose (my other roommate) and their friends. Marina told me there was an open invitation to me anytime—she seemed to think this was obvious, so apparently this was a cultural difference I was not aware of. She also told me that since I never went out with them that she thought I didn’t like them! I’m not sure how she made that connection, but I told her that definitely wasn’t the case, so she told me I would have to go out with them more often (“Every time!” some of the Spanish boys cried, but I told them most of the time would have to suffice, haha). It was grand, going out with the Spanish and dancing until early in the morning. I’m glad that things are no longer tense between my roommates and I and that all our miscommunications are worked out.

Just in time for St. Patty’s Day, here are a few Irish myths I’ll debunk for you: Firstly, the Irish don’t pinch people if they’re not wearing green on St. Patty’s Day—that must have been something Americans came up with. Also, the Irish don’t say “Top of the mornin’ to ya!” ever. Most Dubliners don’t drink Guinness—it’s an old man drink, for the most part, and if they do drink it they don’t call it “the black stuff,” at least in Dublin. If you guys have any other questions for me about life in Dublin, just ask!

Peace ‘n love,
Melissa

[Pictures are from Howth, a small village and harbor a short train ride from Dublin]

*****EDIT******
There was a great article in the NYTimes a few days ago about the relationship between Ireland and the US; here's the link if you didn't get to see it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/16/world/europe/16irish.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Vienna...why not?

2009-03-04T04:28:00.000-08:00

(Picture 1: Amy, Nasir, Me, Stephen, Dave, and Anshu outside Schoenbrunn Palace)
(Picture 1: The whole group outside the UN Building in Vienna)

I just got back from an amazing four day trip to Vienna, Austria with some of the most wonderful people ever! I managed to get one of the last spots for the trip with the DCU Model UN group. It was the most fun I’ve had while studying abroad so far; the city itself was grand, but spending it with 14 other crazy brilliant people couldn’t be topped. The majority of people in the group were Irish, so I got a crash course in Irish culture, slang, politics, and some history (plus I learned the quickest way to irk the Irish is to claim they spell words like “color” and “realize” wrong. We argued about that a lot!). Keri and I were the only Americans on the trip. One of the people I talked with the most was Anshu, who was born in India, raised in Dubai, but currently lives in Dublin. What a life! It was so interesting to talk to him about where he’s lived, his extreme dislike for Pakistan, and the differences both of us notice in the Irish educational system compared to the ones we are used to back home. At the beginning of the weekend, Anshu really had trouble telling when I was being sarcastic and when I wasn’t. It seems no one understands American sarcasm except for Americans! I guess the delivery is too deadpan for them to differentiate when we’re being sincere and when we’re being sarcastic. Irish sarcasm is more over the top, but they usually say it in a pretty matter of fact way, so sometimes it’s hard for me to understand when they’re being sarcastic or when they’re saying really outlandish things. At any rate, after spending 4 days hanging out together, Anshu was definitely better at understanding American sarcasm, much to my amusement.

I also really loved talking with Nasir, who was from Afghanistan. He actually worked as a translator for American soldiers who were staying in his village, and had a summer internship with the UN before coming to study in Dublin. It was fascinating to talk with someone who’d experienced American foreign policy from the opposite point of view of me—instead of being a citizen of the country that sent troops into another place, he is a citizen of the country that had troops sent there. He said that he’d made friends with some of the Americans who were staying in his town, and he was really grateful that they were there in Afghanistan to get rid of the Taliban. Nasir is a happy person generally, and the only time I ever heard him sound really upset was when he was talking about the Taliban and how they tried to destroy the rich culture of his country. Northern Afghanistan, where Nasir is from, is relatively at peace compared to the south, where drug lords and the Taliban are still the major players.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a brief conversation I had with Keri while we were on the trip that reminded me of my leadership class last year. Stefan, who is of Korean descent but was raised in Germany (and therefore, thankfully, fluent in German), was the main navigator of the group on our trip. When we were trying to figure out where we were going one time, someone asked Dave (one of the amazing Irishmen) why he didn’t have a strategic plan for navigating around the city. Dave said “We have a German with a map, what more do we need?!” Everyone, even Stefan, laughed at that. Stefan was incredible at helping us find our way around (since most of us couldn’t come close to reading even the street signs) and making us be on time—as much as a group of mainly Irish can be on time, that is. Anyway, I was talking to Keri about how Stefan was probably going to be glad to get rid of us once the weekend was over since we weren’t as good as sticking to a plan as he was. She brought up the point that Stefan was incredibly efficient, punctual, and organized, which are German characteristics, but since he’s also Korean he doesn’t like confrontation so if the group decided we wanted to do something else he would go along with it without much of a fuss. It definitely made me think about our discussions of cultural characteristics in leadership last year, which you guys are studying right now!

As always, I’ve probably written too much. I can’t help it, there’s just so much I want to share with all of you about the things I’m learning and experiencing here!

Peace!

Lessons Learned from Dublin, Part 1

2009-02-10T09:37:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Dublin! Sorry it's been so long since an update, but I wanted to get here and start classes before I added another entry. I certainly have a lot to share with all of you! I'm going to try to elaborate on some of the points I brought up in my last post, and answer any questions you asked me in your comments.

Maybe I should start by saying Dublin is fantastic. The first few days were pretty rough, but I absolutely adore the city (DCU is in the more residential area on the outskirts of the city, unfortunately), and the more people I meet the more I love this country.

Some big differences I noticed right away when I arrived: they really care about the environment and energy efficiency here. All the lightbulbs, even in our little apartment, are the energy-saving kind, and they recycle everywhere. Also, there are trashcans everywhere in the city, at least 10 per street, that say "Litter is Disgusting; So Are the People Responsible" which make me smile. I can't imagine them having something like that in America--we'd be too worried about offending someone. The Irish joke a lot, and certainly aren't concerned about being politically correct all the time. They also have a far more relaxed idea of time than Americans. Check this in your one leadership text and see what it says! I had my first two classes today and the professors were late for both of them! Also, the bus system is not like any bus system we have in the states, at least that I've seen. Americans would be mad if they had to wait an extra few minutes for the bus, but in Dublin the bus times are more like guidelines; they just sort of show up whenever. The first time my roommate and I tried to take a bus anywhere we waited 40 minutes past when the time indicated, and then when it finally showed up it didn't take us where we wanted! While I'm on the topic of the busses, they definitely have a lot of them here, but they're not cheap. I have to take a bus if I want to get into the city, but it's a 1.60E trip each way, which makes a roundtrip cost about $4 without me buying anything else. Yikes! We definitely do a lot of walking here!

There are tons of American stores and restaurants here. Lots of McDonalds, Burger Kings, and even a KFC! I had to laugh when I saw that. There's also a TGIFridays and Starbucks in the city center. Of course, there are plenty of Irish businesses and restaurants (and pubs!) as well. The most visible "business" in the city center is alcohol--there are signs for Guinness everywhere, and so many pubs I couldn't go to them all even if I tried. Even though they recently had a financial crisis, there are plenty of banks around as well. I haven't seen very many other big businesses, but I haven't seen all of Dublin yet. It's hard to tell too because there aren't as many skyscapers as you'd think a capital city would have; oftentimes offices are in the top stories of buildings above pubs, restaurants or little shops.

As for technology, I don't think they've quite caught up with America yet, but they're working on it. We passed by plenty of cell phone shops on our walk downtown yesterday, and you'll always see someone walking on campus with earphones, listening to their ipods (although they could all be international students, I dont' know). Both of the professors I've had told us to friend them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. DCU also has something like Marietta's Web CT, called a Moodle (don't ask me why it's called that, I have no clue), and teachers here seem better overall at using it than profs at MC--nothing against those at MC!

A few more things I'd like to mention...during orientation, the priest at the school's Interfaith Center came and talked to us and told us to visit, but stressed the center was for all students, of any faiths and no faith. He seemed to think it was really important to reach out to those who believe and make them feel welcome. So, they have an Interfaith Centre on campus, which seems like they recognize faith is an important part of Irish life, but the priest was stressing how the center was really even for those who didn't have any beliefs as well. Also, in my English class today the professor said the revelation of the Magdalene Asylums "brought about the downfall of religion in Ireland today." I haven't had much time or opportunity to feel out the religious climate here, but these two incidences I think point to Ireland becoming more secular, or at least more accepting of other religions than Catholicism and the Church of Ireland.

I wish all of you could meet my U.S. Foreign Policy professor, he's a riot. He sort of reminds me of Dr. Schaefer from back home, which is always a good thing. The first thing he asked us in class was "Okay, are there any Americans in here? Well, you're sort of at a disadvantge, because most Americans don't know anything about American foreign policy," which is unfortunately true. Most Americans don't really know much at all about our foreign policy. He made fun of the Americans for the last eight years, but really seemed to like Obama (saying "Of course, everyone loves President Obama!"). We had to pick groups for our presentations, and he made all the Americans stand in front and had the rest of the class (probably close to 40 people) run to an American in order to be in their group. It was pretty funny, being swarmed by all these people of different backgrounds speaking in different accents, asking if they can be in your group. I'm working with two Irish girls, a girl from Sweden and a girl from Hungary. It's great being able to meet people from so many different cultures.

I have so much more I could tell you, but I think I should probably save it for another post, this is getting pretty lengthy. Plus, my roomie and I are going to grab some free pizza at the bar on campus tonight (yes, they have a BAR on CAMPUS! Crazy!). I can't wait to hear back from you guys, I hope all is going well in Marietta!

Peace 'n love!

Oh...if you'd like to see some of my pictures, here's a link to my Picasa album with pictures of the city center: http://picasaweb.google.com/GreenEyedLiberal/Dublin?authkey=huDdMZFg-hQ&feat=directlink

Countdown: 21 days to Dublin!

2009-01-14T13:26:00.000-08:00

"When I die, Dublin will be written in my heart." James Joyce

In three weeks, I'll be in Ireland! It's hard to believe...I feel like February 4th will never arrive. I've never been to Ireland before, and I've never spent a significant period of time in a foreign country before, so this semester is certainly going to be an interesting and exciting experience for me.

First, some facts. Dublin, Ireland has been in a state of economic growth for the past twenty years or so, although it has slowed recently because of the recession. It is also one of the most expensive cities in Europe (yikes). Close to half of the population of Dublin is younger than 25, which means it is definitely an up and coming city. All of these things have huge impacts on the culture of the city, the repercussions of which are spreading outwards to the other lesser cities of the state (and even slowly reaching the smaller, more rural areas).

Although I haven't actually arrived in Dublin yet, I've already been talking to a few students studying at Dublin City University. I've been trying to get a feel for the culture of Ireland so it's not such a huge shock when I get over there. Here are some things I've heard about Irish culture, particularly in Dublin, that I'll have to confirm for myself once I'm over there.

Because of the economic boom of the 1990s and early 2000s, Ireland definitely isn't the wild and uncivilized cousin of Great Britain that it once may have been considered. I've heard Dublin is a very multicultural city, just as much if not more than many of our state capitals are. I feel like people in America, or at least my family and friends that know I'm going abroad, underestimate Dublin. They keep asking silly questions like "Are you going to have internet?" "Do they use cell phones there?" and my favorite, "What are you going to eat?!" When I expressed concern about finding vegetarian fare in what I assumed was a very meat and potatoes cuisine, my DCU friend told me there were more Polish, Czech, Thai, Chinese and every other type of eateries than I would know what to do with, so getting whatever type of food I wanted would not be a problem. From everything I've read and everyone I've talked to, Dublin is definitely a city of the 21st century.

Something I am particularly interested to see for myself is the supposed secularization of Irish society. The younger Irish are increasingly secular and more tolerant with different religious views, I've heard, than the older more avidly religious generations. Since I've always thought of Ireland as a very religious place (which has caused quite a bit of trouble there, no pun intended), I was pretty surprised to hear that most young people don't consider going to church or going to Confession a big deal. Although I don't think 4 months is enough time for me to fully grasp what this means for past and future generations of Ireland and how it is affecting society, it is something I'd really like to at least talk to a few people about when I'm over there.

I cannot wait to get over there and just experience everything for myself instead of hearing about what other people say about the place. I've been using guidebooks and websites and Irish newspapers, reading and watching some Irish literature and movies, and I'm anxious to get over there and experience it for myself! Peace and love!