To get to work, I walked to the city centre from Harold’s Cross (a forty-minute walk) and took the Luas train from Jervis Street (a twenty-minute journey).  To get home, my husband graciously came to pick me up from work and it would take about fifteen minutes.  The work typically started at 3:30 in the afternoon and lasted until about 10:15 at night.  There was one 45-minute break in the middle. 

The work consisted of either sorting post or sorting parcels.  Trucks brought in loads of parcels and letters into the building to be sorted by some two-hundred temporary workers.  There were some twenty full-time postal employees who supervised the temporary workers and answered their questions.  

Parcel Sorting   

Parcels arrived in a blue sac that is tied around at the tip.  These sacs were brought in and are piled into a tall mound at one corner of the building.  A few men were designated to empty these sacs one at a time into carts.  These carts filled with parcels, both small and big, were taken to sorting stations.  Each station consisted of a hug rectangle that is divided into many small quares.  Each square is labeled with a name of a specific place and has a bag to catch parcels.  When the bag for a square is filled up, a worker has to unfasten the bag from the square, tie it with a string and a correct label, and carry it over to the correct section going to a set destination.  I had to do this duty.  Many of the parcels were destined to go to places I have never even heard of.  I had to ask many people, both casual as well as full-time employees, to help me.  Towards the end of the work season, I became much more knowledgeable about the names of places in Ireland and asked far fewer questions.

A billboard sign that sends a powerful message

A few days ago, as I went out to buy milk from a corner shop nearby, I came across a very powerful billboard sign that captures the current climate in Ireland. The Irish economy is in trouble.  Many say that it is in a worse position than other countries in the western world. Many people are out of work and those who are working are facing paycuts. I have been looking for work for the last eight months and have never experienced such a difficult time finding a job.  It doesn’t make sense for so many well-educated, young, and healthy individuals to be out of work.  Twelve percent of people in Ireland are currently out of work and there are not enough jobs available.

Every time I read the newspaper or hear the news, there is so much finger pointing going on.  Headlines in newpapers constantly target various groups of population such as the elderly receiving government pensions, children receiving childare benefits, and civil servants making too much money.  The Irish media including RTE and The Irish Independent target different groups of people with one headline at a time.  One day, I found an article in Irish Independent about how retired teachers are taking precious jobs away from newly qualified teachers by working as part time substitute teachers.  Another article targetted public doctors who are paid too much money.   I have heard so much radio coverage targetting families with children for getting too much child allowances and unemployed people receiving unemployment assistance.

I think that there is so much negativity going on in this country right now.  It is difficult, but I think that Ireland should think about how to revitalize this country and its economy.  This is a crucial time for decision-makers to not just come up with bandaid solutions, but long-term solutions for their economy to become stronger.

Just like people in most countries, the Irish eat three meals a day. The meals consist of a simple breakfast of cereal and/or toast glazed with butter and marmelade, a typical lunch of a sandwich  (with ham, turkey, or chicken) or soup with brown bread, and a dinner with meat, vegetables, and potatoes.  There is a traditional Irish breakfast, which consists of fried eggs, sausages, rashers (bacons), black pudding, fried half of a tomato and a cup of tea.  People eat this less often because it is too heavy.   Brian, my husband, would make it for me on a Saturday or Sunday morning and I regard it as a special treat. 

Having tea is a very important part of their lifestyle.  People finish up their meals with a small dessert (after dinner), a cup of tea and a few biscuits.  People take tea breaks in mid-morning and mid-afternoon which consist of black tea  and biscuits or cake.  They also have tea and sweets for supper about three hours after their evening meal, at around 9 p.m.   Few people have told me that having coffee instead of tea is a relatively new and a more fashionable alternative.  Therefore, shops sell coffee for a few more cents than tea.  I prefer to drink tea over coffee because it is better for one’s health and in Ireland, it is cheaper.  Nothing beats a cup of tea and a small scone spread with butter.

What I find fascinating is that this pattern is followed by Irish people of all ages.  Coming from California, I am not used to seeing so many elderly buying and eating so many biscuits and cakes filled with rich cream, sugar, and butter.  But they are generally more slim than Americans because they walk more and lead an active lifestyle.  There are dieters here too, but this often means having a bite instead of the whole of a biscuit.  Here in Ireland, people of all ages enjoy sweet biscuits and hot tea whether it’s rain or shine.  It was around 25 degrees Celsius yesterday and I was snacking at Boyers.  It was very hot and stuffy inside the cafeteria, but yet, most people were enjoying hot tea with their lunch and dessert.

I admire the people for following a definite pattern, living an organized lifestyle and sticking with it because it is deeply engrained in their tradition.  I, on the other hand, drink tea with biscuits if I feel like it.  Sometimes, I get tired of sandwiches and have a bowl of Korean ramen noodles.  If I get tired of that for lunch, then I dream about eating beef tacos with finely chopped onions, cilantro, and salsa picante.

While living in Ireland, I have been observing the culinary habits of Irish people and my conclusion is that they eat much less than Americans.  The most noticeable thing is that Irish people often eat a sandwich, a plate of salad, or a bowl of soup for lunch and a nice big meal in the evening.  If they eat a big meal or “dinner” at 1:00 p.m., then they eat a light meal called “tea” that constitutes one of the above mentioned options for dinner. 

This is in contrast to how I used to eat in the U.S.  I would have a nice plate of spaghetti for lunch and a nice plate of half of rotisserie chicken for dinner.  This amount of food would constitute as eating two dinners per day and would not be approved by most Irish people.  Since I have moved to Ireland, I think that my lunch portions have decreased.  Whereas I never ate a sandwich back home, I now eat a simple sandwich with ham and cheese or eat a bowl of salad for lunch.

One of the first things that I have noticed in the Irish pronunciation of words is pronouncing the “th” as “t”. For example, “things” is pronounced as “tings”, “Thursday” is “Tursday” and “third” is pronounced as “turd”.  Once, I heard someone say “I have tree houses in the countryside.”  I responded by saying, “Really, do you really have tree houses like those in Swiss Family Anderson’s”.  “No”.  The gentleman replied and showed three fingers, “I have tree houses”.  So, as you see, slight differences in pronunciation could cause some confusion.  Likewise, when an Irish co-worker told me he had just eaten his third sandwich, well, I’ll leave my reaction to your imagination. 

As you see, these differences in pronunciation can add a few chuckles here and there.

As you see here, the Irish weather is conducive to growing delicate flowers like tulips.

Many Irish people have asked me this question:  “How do you find the weather in Ireland”? 

I usually reply by saying that it is the best weather for working and studying.  I think this is so true.  Sitting at home on a July afternoon, I enjoy the coolness and a mild drizzle outside.  It motivates me to drink a cup of tea while I sit and read.  Sometimes, I read a book for leisure and at other times, a textbook from an M.A. program that I just finished.

The answer that I will give from now on is that I appreciate some things about the weather. 

I find that vased flowers live much longer here than in Los Angeles.  The moist cool weather keeps them from getting dry and wilting from hot temperature as they often do in Los Angeles during summer time.

The cold temperatures in winter time make it conducive to wearing thick woolen coats.  In Los Angeles, it never gets cold enough to be wearing a full length wool coat.  Prior to immigrating, I had bought three coats to wear in Ireland.  It was enjoyable wearing them last winter.

But do I ever miss the sunshine of Los Angeles?

I guess I do miss a bit of the sunshine.  But summer time in Los Angeles is just too hot!  I have had to wear a lot of sunscreen (SPF 30) everyday on my face, neck, chest, and arms to keep my face  young and healthy.  Also, I have had to wear long sleeved shirts and wear a wide-brimmed hat while being outside or while driving a car.  The best place to be in the summer is inside a shopping mall complex because you can enjoy free air-conditioning!

But the LA climate during the rest of the year is lovely.  It’s usually warm and sunny everyday.  A few weeks winter months between January and March would receive some badly needed rain to keep Los Angelenos from resorting to drinking recycled water.  It also clears the smoggy skies to help people realize that there are beautiful snow-capped mountains surrounding the city.

In conclusion, I would rather spend my cool summer days in Ireland and enjoy mild winter days in L.A.

O'Connell Street in Dublin on a Sunny Day

Hi.  I am a Korean-American woman living in Ireland. 

How did I end up here? 

To make the long story short, I met  an Irishman on an intercity bus traveling from Mexico City to Oaxaca  back in 2003.  We fell in love as we traveled together around Mexico for a little more than two weeks.  Since then, we kept the romance alive and burning.  We got married in Los Angeles in September of 2008.  Then I left L.A. early this year to join my husband in Dublin, Ireland.

In this blog, I would like to post my thoughts and insightful observations o

n  topics about Ireland such as its climate, places, people, plants, and culture.