Sorrrrry I'm Here

I've been absent for awhile and I'm so sorry!  I kept waiting for Drew to post, and every night he said he was "uninspired" but I felt like he had to write cause I told everyone he was going to!  And he wanted to!  So he has finally posted and now I'm back to fill y'all in on the deets.


I realized after rereading several posts that I might appear to be an agoraphobic to some of you.  I've talked so much about my stress and social anxiety and I need to quit it.  After a loving but firm email from my dad, basically telling me to shape up and have some confidence in myself and my abilities, I have decided to do so.  I think Eleanor Roosevelt said something like "Do one thing every day that scares you."  And I am.  I think for me, that just means doing something every day outside of my comfort zone that I'm not used to.  Walking into a coffee shop alone and making a choice about hot caffeinated drinks I know nothing about is outside of my comfort zone.  Attempting to walk into a museum and not knowing where the entrance is outside of my comfort zone.  Asking questions to random strangers and not knowing ANYTHING about this country is outside of my comfort zone.  But that's ok!  I can do it and it's all just part of the process.  (Also, the key to finding your way around touristy things is to find one person/couple/group that looks like they know what they're doing and follow them.)


Drew made some observations about Ireland in his last post and I have some that I've been thinking too.

• On crowded sidewalks when no more than 2-3 people can pass, I find myself always stepping aside to let the two people walking side by side pass.  But why do I always have to be the one to step aside?  What would happen if I didn't?  Would we run into each other or just stand there and stare at each other?  I think I'm going to find out because I don't think I should ALWAYS have to move, just out of principle.  
• Drew said this, but no one drinks liquor or much wine here.  It's all beer, all the time.  Guinness is obviously much better here than in the States, but the Irish love them some Carlsberg too.  Good thing I'm walking about 6 miles a day to aid the beer consumption.
• "Cheers" means thanks here.  I haven't used it yet because I don't want Irish people to think I'm trying to be a poser and be like them when I'm an American.  I'll try it one of these days.  I do say "tanks" though, when it's the only word I say to people (like in stores or restaurants) and hope that maybe they'll think I'm Irish.  Ha.
• Many people say "You're very welcome", meaning...welcome to our city/pub.
• I am not only a lover of Fish and Chips, but I am now REALLY LOVING malt vinegar!  I pour it all over everything and it's become my new choice of condiment with french fries.  Who am I?
• Speaking of fish and chips...Drew eats fish now!  (Deep fried and battered but who cares?)  I never thought I'd see the day!  Woohoo!
• Speaking of chips (fries)...they serve them with EVERYTHING here.  You order a sandwich and you get a side of chips.  You order PIZZA or PASTA and you get a side of chips.  So bizarre!  (Not that I'm complaining too much.)  I bet if you got a baked potato they'd serve it with a side of chips.  
• I'm also addicted to Milk Chocolate Digestive Biscuits/Cookies.  Some of you may not know what these are but they sell them at Central Market and I had an addiction in Spain and it's back.  I have been known to eat whole sleeves of them at a time.  HELP!
• The four previous posts have been about food.  Whooops.
• Speaking of food, it's hard not knowing where to eat here!  Drew and I love trying new places and eating good meals but we're also kinda cheap right now...so we don't want to try a new place and have it be crap!  #firstworldproblems
• I will most likely have to go to 3 grocery stores to get everything I need because they're all so small and different ones are spread out in different neighborhoods. I'll explore my grocery options this week once we're settled.
• Living abroad is like freshman year of college. You so desperately want to have friends and understand everything going on and wander why you don't. And then you remember that it took MONTHS to make really good friends in college and get used to anything and everything.  And so it goes here.

We've had a busy weekend and we're headed to bed...but I'll post more tomorrow about our week, the apartment, and anything else I can think of.  Night!