Obviously, they drive on the other side of the road. I know I have mentioned that before, due to Jeremy's driving record. So, not only is it all backwards, but they are also very quick. I personally believe that the speed limit is just a suggestion. I don't believe I have seen one Garda (police) pull someone over for speeding. Naturally, you would assume that with such quick and close-knit driving, the Garda would have a tight handle on pedestrian cross walks to make sure people didn't get hurt. But, as the Irish would say (at least the ones I have talked to), they're there for the tourists- no worries.
I can understand why they would want them, but it is a lot easier to cross in the middle because the cars will slow down for you there. They won't, however, slow down at a pedestrian cross-walk, (because they know that those people have to be tourists). Nevertheless, the jay-walking and having no Garda enforcing those laws is interesting. I guess the Garda has bigger fish to fry.
So, what else could you think would be different? Money, obviously. That's a big one. They use the euros here. It has been fun trying to get all my money converted into euros. Having about 1.3 conversion rate (better than normal), but it still sucks. Things are more expensive here, and really more expensive when you try to convert it into US dollars. An example, today, I went to the Spar (market) and picked up a few items, food and what not just to tie me over. Now, I got a half a loaf of Brown Bread (soda wheat bread- but not, it's different). It was about €1.50, okay. Not, bad right? Well, let's do the conversion; mind you this is for a half a loaf bread. So, multiply and you get 1.5*1.3=1.95. Almost €2 for a half a loaf of bread. Don't get me wrong, that is still a good price. However, once you do that with everything... it adds up. I am learning to just not do the conversions. I don't look at the fact that if I need to pull €100 out of my account, that it actually is pulling out $120. :-/ Oh, and the money looks like monopoly money. It's so colorful, and all different sizes, a bigger bill=a bigger note. In the coins there are 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, €1, €2. (yes, there $1 and $2 equivalent are actually coins). It is interesting to note that even though they have a 1c and a 2c, no one has really used them. Much like our pennies, you get them as change and thats it. Going on from the coins comes the very colorful banknotes. Again no €1, or €2 (those are coins). You start out with the €5, then €10, €20, €50, €100 (I am sure it goes further but I haven't have an opportunity to see that large of bill; looking at the picture I found I see that there is a €200).
It was interesting, today, again at the Spar, I was getting my change and it was €4.75. You think I got any bills back? Nope. All coins. I had to do a double take because it was so shocking. There are no bills that would cover that much change. And I just got used to confusing the clerks by giving them an amount that would get even bills back in American dollars. I have to learn how to do that here.
Have you ever just got online to your favorite sites and had no problem? Ya, can't do that here. Trying to listen to Pandora in Ireland is, literally, impossible. I did not know that some sites have area priority. Or nation priority.. Or whatever. The fact that they determine where you are getting your internet and that depicts what you can see and can't, amazing to me. Sites like hulu and pandora (just to name a couple) simply don't work in Ireland. Apparently, the internet is not global. At least, some websites are not worldwide.
Now, lets talk about the electricity. I had to get converters- that was expected. I didn't know that the outlets looked so weird though. I guess it's not weird. It would be normal if I was around it all the time but still, it makes me nervous just the same. I watched Leap Year- I am afraid that that may happen to me... That I am going to plug something in and it is going to short-circuit the whole village. I know it won't be that extreme, but it makes me very cautious about what I plug in. For example, I have not blow dried my hair at all because I am afraid of what might happen. My blow dryer made my lights dim at my old apartment, and even blew the breaker at my parents house, a number of times! Thus, I pull up my hair and let it dry throughout the day.
Going throughout the day, I have noticed that I don't recognize any brand names. Maybe a few here and there (like the really popular stuff), but nothing else. When you're shopping, you know how there are some brands you just don't get and there are some you do? Ya, well, I am not sure which brands are good and which are bad. Obviously, I will learn this in time.
Finally, and mind you, this isn't the last thing, I am just done typing for tonight, it's hard to believe but the light switches are something that I noticed. Of all the things, light switches. How could a light switch be different, you may ask. Well, you know how in the states if you want to switch the light on you flick it up and to turn it off you flick it down? Here you do the opposite-its a little toggle switch (looks like a teeter-totter), and if you want to turn it on you have to push it down on the bottom and if you want to turn it off you have to push it down on the top. It feels backwards just like everything else.
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