When I announced that I was moving to Ireland for my dad’s job, many joked: “Have fun chasing rainbows and leprechauns!” To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect of my new life.
The stereotypical image of Ireland is rolling green hills and sheep pastures. Others believe that it is a smaller version of America. Some think you can’t get culture shock. I mean, they speak the same language, right?
What I learned is that a common language does not guarantee a flawless cultural transition. In fact, even if the language is “common” between two places, there will be cultural differences that can feel completely foreign to a newcomer. Being an American abroad was a challenge.
First of all, there are a ton of small language differences between Irish English and American English. For example, the word “pants.”
“I like your pants,” I said to a girl at my new school. She seemed to panic for a second, and quickly looked down at the lower half of her body.
“Uh, thank you,” she said a little hesitantly. She seemed confused.
What had I done wrong? I was bewildered. How had I offended her with this compliment? It wasn’t long before a friend explained that in Ireland the word “pants” means “underwear.”
Here’s another time when the common language was not so common.
“Do you want to go to the toilet with us?” Thankfully, I was prepared for this one.
“Sure.” In this case, I already knew that Europeans refer to the bathroom as the “toilet.”
These small differences shocked me at first and took a while to get used to. I knew that there were some language differences, but I did not think that they were going to present communication barriers. Though none of the consequences were dire, the minor embarrassments I experienced taught me an important lesson about cultural transition: you may go through some awkward situations to really learn another culture.
In time, I adapted to the language differences, but I still clung to some American phrases and spellings. Even after a year of living there, I still went on “vacations” not “holidays,” and hung out with my friends at the “mall” instead of the “shopping centre.” These were a security blanket for me, keeping my American identity as I immersed myself in the Irish culture.
At the height of the One Direction craze, I heard many American comments about the “adorable accent” of the Irish. Living in Dublin and going to an international school, nobody was very difficult to understand. My friends spoke with very light accents, if any. In fact, to them, I was the one with the accent.
One day, I was standing in line at the grocery store with a liter of milk in one hand and five euros in the other. Irish people, being quite friendly and open, tend to talk to each other in line. The man in front of me started a conversation.
“Hello.”
“Hello,” I replied.
“Oh, what part of America are you from?”
This question took me aback; I often forgot about my heavy American brogue.
I also learned that just as we have stereotypes of people in other countries, they have preconceived notions about Americans. I received many comments along the lines of “You’re not fat!” or “You’re smart for an American.” I tried not to take these comments to heart, but it was hard not to be a bit offended.
When I returned the U.S. after two years, many people asked me how the soda bread and potatoes were. I realized that both countries have preconceived ideas, even though some may be completely untrue.
Stereotypes are ingrained in people’s minds. What I discovered, though, is the best way to defeat them is to explore and dig into the other culture, even if it leads to some awkward moments.