Hey as I'm in Ireland since May 1st, I'll may say a few words about my trip and the town I stay in, Kilkenny. Not history or else, you know, just briefly, to sum up the essentials points.
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| No you won't! |
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Basically:
1: totally scared about take the plane alone and for the first time of my life, awake (likely taken it when I was a baby, well)
2: everyone is speaking TOO FAST, or muttering in one's beard
3: I missed my bus. Sucks.
4: roommate with H., a very special and messy girl, and since this month, with A., a French girl, quite the opposite of H., but both nice
5: first day of internship = splitting headache
6: rest of the internship = alternation of moments of madness and mortal boredom, with a clear predominance of the last
7: a lot of meetings & memories, of course.
And I'm happy to be here, at least, I couldn't imagine doing my internship anywhere else than here. It was fated to. Thanks so much Alee.
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| Kilkenny Cafe |
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And people are so nice, that seems cliché to say but this is so true, the Irish mentality is kinda different than French one. We sound so rude near Irish people. I mean, when you ask something to a stranger, whatsoever ordering a sandwich or asking the hour/your way in the street,
anything, this stranger will be warming and welcoming and smiling, and when I'm answering the phone (as today for the first time) and I don't get a bloody word, I apologize but they keep cool, there's no problem, never. The co-producer R. tries to speak French with me, I really appreciate it (and it's always funny to listen an Englishspeaker talk French, as well as the opposite, I guess). People try to make you belong in the city and with us, thus I've been inviting to a birthday in a house I still don't even know whose it was, or my collegues talk me about little events in the pubs, asking me if I want to go. Yeah, so deeply different than French corporate world, isnt it... In France, most of the people are not that cool and some just send you packing. Though we're more tactile doing the cheek-to-cheek thing to say hello, here you just shake one's hand the first time you meet and this is it. Jesus, I don't wanna leave, in a way!
Geez, I will likely have more things to say about Kilkenny, I think, although this blog is not dedicated to this purpose.
One thing's certain: I will come back to this city.
Since I feel welcome in your blog, I'm here again. I like to read your clear english and, as you are french, you could forgive better my mistakes.
ReplyDeleteIn my work there's an Irish man and he is exactly how you define. I try to talk with him in english but he wants to speak to me... In catalan! Incredible!
Hey Txeiks, I'm glad you like read me :). And there's absolutely no problem regarding mistakes, I'm likely the worse between us!
ReplyDeleteYep. That's cool to see that my 'definition' is true with your Irish colleague too. English-speakers often feel like strangers have to conform with the most spoken language in the world, and don't try to speak other language, even in France, but it seems to me that it's less the case with Irish people (but I might be mistaken, I speak generally). Nevertheless, as I'm here to improve my English, I think it's natural to bend to the local language. Here maybe is the difference between French and English-speakers mentality.
Yesterday I had an experience that reminded me of this post. I was in the supermarket and a little boy, while his mother were shopping, picked up a pack of gum and gave it to me, I smiled thanked him (and I returned the package on its site). Again the boy gave me a cutout of a snowman and offered me to play with him. His mother, a French-accented Catalan from Perpignan, told us that her son, when it comes to Catalonia, becomes more outgoing and engaging with the people.
ReplyDeleteI thought in my french-blog-friend and that maybe not only the Irish people are very friendly, maybe the French ones too when you are away from home...
Hé oui comme je te l'avais dit !
ReplyDeleteOn laisse un petit bout de son coeur dans ce pays! (Sans doute parce qu'il bat... xD)
Je suis ravie de constater que tu te plais là bas malgré les circonstances du temps et de la solitude parfois!
Je trouve ça chouette que tes collègues soient aussi cools et aussi enjoués. C'est vrai qu'on imagine pas ce type d'ambiance en France, aussi bien au travail mais aussi dans la vie quotidienne!
Sinon indépendamment de ce que tu as l'air de dire, j'admire ton anglais! Tu t'exprimes trop bien, et en plus t'as un max de vocabulaire! Je me prosterne devant toi !
Again, I agree with Txeiks and Liline and I really appreciate the way you're both chatting like that in sharing your different experiences. ;-) You have both a very good English too.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing what you enjoyed or disliked there ! Liline told me that Irish people were like that and, after that, I just feel like meeting them and going in their country. Hi hi. I also love you pun with Kilkenny and the two photos. =}
Sunny kisses my friend ! ~ * ~ Keep enjoying yourself there !
Txeiks your little story is so cute ^^ and you're probably right, as when we are in another country, its culture helps us to be more outgoing and open-minded. I hope this will not disappear when I'll be back to France, it seems to me that it's so easy to reach out people here!
ReplyDeleteYeah Charline I can feel the heart of the earth beatting! Haha
The weather is fine to me, and I'm not that lonely ;) (although I was at the start)
Regarding my English, thanks ^^ this is thanks to my stay in Ireland, I wouldn't have been able to express myself this way two months ago. But remember I also use a dictionnary for a couple of words! XD And writing is easier than speaking.
Nia, as much as I know you, you must have Irish blood, definitely XD I know what I mean... The pun about Kilkenny is not from me of course, but love it too ^^