I'm a little behind on starting this blog, I've been in Ireland for two weeks now so in lieu of describing everything that's happened so far, I'm just going to make a list of things I have learned:

1. Craic means fun, so if anyone were to say to you in Ireland "Hey, come to this party, it's good craic" don't be expecting the white stuff.
2. Children with Irish accents sound a lot more cultured, and it makes them cuter too.
3. If you would like Bulmer's hard cider in a pub, do not call it "hard cider." It's just cider. The bartender will look at you funny.
4. The walk from my apartment to campus is not, as noted in the literature, 15-20 minutes. It is 30 minutes. And 2.25 miles. So I'm expecting to be pretty fit by the time I get back in December.
5. Eating nutella and peanut butter sandwiches all the time might seem like a good idea, but after three days you will realize that they are not a good substitute for a balanced diet and you should probably learn how to cook real food.
6. Fruit is expensive here. Actually, everything is expensive here, when you're used to the dollar and the American culture of constant sale prices.
7. There is such a thing as a combined washer and dryer, and it's infuriating.
8. It rains. A lot. This may seem obvious, but really, every day, without fail. And umbrellas really do blow inside out. So you always have to plan your clothes around the fact that they'll get soaked.
9. Every Irish student learns the Irish language from elementary school on, and Irish is on all of the signs in the country.

I'll think of a really insightful number 10 later.
Cheers,
Alex