Tuesday August 9th, 2005

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Culture Shock Current mood: torn I know I'm supposed to come back from my holiday and settle into the little world I've made for myself, but I'm sorry, this time it's not so easy. I'm still feeling the effects of culture shock. I want to walk on the beach and watch the sunset at ten o'clock at night. I want to eat burgers with smokey bacon and pineapple (yes, it really is good) and chips with curry sauce. I want to drive on the wrong side of the road, on really bad, bouncy, narrow roads accompanied by drivers as crazy as me. I want to drink in locked hotels after hours and sing Bruce Springsteen songs with strange boys from Tralee. I want to walk down the streets of a tiny town and know everyone I meet. I want my draft Guinness to actually taste good. I want to bathe with seaweed every day. I want prawn sangwiches with brown bread washed down with the aforementioned Guinness. I want freezing rain in July! I went to Ireland for a family reunion - specifically my Great-Grandmother on my mother's side's family. I met people whom I never knew existed. Apparently I have relatives all over the U.S. I think that connecting with that many blood relatives grounded me. I felt at home in my Grandma's little town. I felt like I could stay there forever and be quite happy. I always thought I needed to be somewhere near a big city in order to survive, but now I know that's total bollocks. All you need is somewhere you feel comfortable. I can't imagine feeling like I fit in here that way, ever. It's not because of a lack of friends, boyfriend etc... I think it's a culture thing. I really like the lifestyle over there. I love that when you go out, there are eighty-year old men having the craic with people your own age, your parents' age and people the same age as your younger cousins. The craic is universal in Ireland. Here, everything is so trendy, so forced and so segregated. I'm saying this like I'm down on Nashville. I'm really not. I think Nashville is an excellent place to live. It just may not ultimately be for me. I do spend a lot of my time in Nashville in a certain Irish bar anyway. What does that say? Currently listening : Final Straw By Snow Patrol Release date: 30 March, 2004 3:31 AM -