Before going back home, I have to...

First steps in Ireland

There are less than 2h flight from Paris to Cork, so no huge cultural gap is to be expected. And yet... when France meets Ireland, some unexpected events and misunderstandings due to cultural differences and language barrier are likely to arise.



Photo credits : http://kane.elim-moz.org/cartoons/cartoons.htm




Opening hours

Before coming in Cork, a friend of mine who spent several months here told me that Cork was a city which never sleeps. « Whenever you go out, there is always a lively place to go to », he told me. Indeed, he was quite right. I tested out each day of the week, and I ended up having fun almost everytime. Try to go out on a Tuesday night in Brittany and you will feel very lonely!

But paradoxically, whereas you can dance until 5 or 6 am in French nightclubs - and even have breakfast in some of them - everything is closed at 2 am here. I learned it « the hard way ». One night, I went to a pub with 2 French friends. We went to the bathroom and stayed there quite a long time because, believe me or not, it was really a nice place! Very clean, better music than in the pub, pretty decoration, perfect temperature. Heaven on earth. When we came back in the pub, it was dark and empty. All the people were gone, except the manager : « What the hell are you still doing here?! »

 

Looking for a post box

You know what? Some people still send postcards when they travel. I am one of them. I love postcards, even if postcards don 't love me. They always remain hidden in the very bottom of my bag so as I don't remember to send them. I feel a bit stupid when I send a postcard saying that I arrived safe and sound 2 months after my arrival... Some are still waiting to be sent by the way... I suppose the addressees were clever enough to deduce that my plane didn't crash. Or that I survived the crash.

Anyway, I managed to send some postcards, but finding a post box was a bit like the quest for the Holy Grail. Maybe even harder. Because nobody had told me that Irish post boxes were GREEN. What a strange idea to give the same color to post boxes and bins! As a French, here is what I was looking for :

Yes, it's ugly, it hurts the eyes, but you can locate French post boxes even if they are 1km far from you.

How're you doing?

This phrase is a mystery to me and to some French friends of mine, especially when we hear it said by a cashier. French cashiers don't ask questions. You're already lucky if they say Hello. I've been here for almost 3 months and I still feel ill-at-ease when I'm asked « how I am doing » at the cash desk. Am I supposed to answer or is it a rhethorical question from which nobody is expecting an answer? What am I supposed to answer?

« I'm a bit homesick today, I miss my dog sooo much. It's a dalmaton. Awh, I wish you could see it, it's so cute... Wanna see a picture? ».

Ok, maybe it's a bit too much. The provisory solution I have adopted is to mutter something under my breath so as the cashier doesn't really understand. I feel less ridiculous.

Somebody please tell me what to say...

Welcome to my place

I'm Noëmie, I come from Brittany, in France, and I'll be here with you until June. Through this blog, I will share my feelings and thoughts about Cork, my likes and dislikes, but also some other pieces of me.


I'm in love with words, i like writing, but I'm afraid blogging in a foreign language is going to be a huge challenge! I hope I will enjoy it anyway, and you either!