Ninth Week in Ireland

This past week we had a rugby/softball tournament, traveled to Waterford, and went to Tom Keith’s house for a barbecue.  Throughout our time here in Ireland, we have been fortunate enough to experience Irish culture thanks to the people we have met.  However, several of our encounters have led to misunderstandings with the Irish people.  Similar to Maire and Yolland in Translations, we wanted to understand their culture, language, or mannerisms, but it was difficult. 

Beginnings of a Hershey's Kiss

A prime example of miscommunication or cultural barriers happened during our rugby/softball tournament.  Although we had about four times to practice and learn the rules of rugby, it seemed like every time we played, there was a new rule.  It reminded me of when our neighborhood used to make up a game and the rules would not be clearly communicated until something happened to break the rules.  Almost like they were just made up on the spot.  Obviously, there are clear rugby rules, but they were definitely foreign to us Americans.  Nonetheless, the Irish rugby players felt the same way about softball.  We attempted to explain all the rules to them, but while we were playing different situations would arise with a rule we had forgotten to mention.  Additionally, it was extremely difficult to explain the rules when they did not really know softball lingo.  While they tried to explain what ‘knock ons’ and ‘tries’ were during rugby, we had a hard time explaining runs, strikes, balls, and player fouls.  Even so, they did pretty well on the softball field, considering a few of our outfielders were multi-tasking with their gloves in one hand, their ‘fags’ in the other.  Regardless, we were able to have a great time learning and teaching one another the games.

JFK memorial

On Friday, we went to the Waterford Crystal Factory, the Kennedy homestead, and a famine replica ship.  It was really neat being able to see the crystal being made, especially the actual blowing of it.  While we were there, they were working on designing a piece for the upcoming Olympic games and the Hershey factory (woohoo Pennsylvania!).  Next, we went to the Kennedy homestead where some of JFK’s distant relatives actually live and hold tours.  Also, JFK visited there just a few months before he was killed.  Then, we toured a replica famine ship, where we were each given a name of a passenger traveling to America.  The famine is a huge part of Irish history, because it led to the loss of almost half of Ireland’s population due to starvation and emigration. 

Less than nine days left in Europe.  On Thursday, my roommates and I will begin our journey to Munich, Germany and Salzburg, Austria for five days.  I’m very excited and lucky to have this opportunity! Also, I’m happy to return home to see family and friends on May 10^th.