Midway Through Galway

I leave for New York in two days time and I still can’t believe I’ll be back in the US and in New York, no less. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone and being in NY as a tourist, but at the same time already feel like I’ll be missing out here in Galway and can’t wait to get back. I’m torn like that. I feel like my time left here is so limited and fleeting.

Since my last entry, nearly a month ago, my wee sister has joined the Galway community and I’ve been carded at nearly every bar ever since. Under 21, maybe, but there’s no way I look under 18. C’mon! It’s been great craic though and we’ve given Smirnoff and Absolut a run for their money. If that makes any sense. Anyway, the nights out have been priceless and I’m looking forward to hitting the road with her and exploring more of the Isle once I’m back. She’s living right around the corner from me out of sheer coincidence and completely handy, and she’s even started work at my shop so she’s pretty hooked up. Nice to have your big sis come and lay out the ground work for you before moving to a foreign country. This year is really going to be the time of her life. She’s very popular among the Paddys I must say, so she’s at least in for some confidence building attention. So long as it doesn’t get to her head or I’ll have to knock her down a notch or two.

Some of the things I’ve observed, learned, and reaffirmed since arriving in Galway:

-Galway is much more ethnically diverse than I ever dreamed. I swear there are as many foreign-born people from all walks as there are local Irish. It’s also full of too many Americans, both tourists and students. My limited interaction with/exposure to them has reaffirmed how little I identify with my US nationality and that I take no pride in being an American. Shudder.

-Americans have a very bad rep among the Irish (and other Europeans in general) and are generally not regarded with much esteem or enthusiasm.

-Girls here are much more “normal” in terms of size and body weight and the perpetual fixation on dieting and weight loss is nowhere near as prominent as it is in the US, the UK, or even Asia. It’s absolutely fantastic and promotes a much healthier body image among women. Even the television personalities and some of the models are more realistic in size. This is the first place I’ve ever lived where I’ve felt actually below average in size. It’s nearly enough reason alone to never want to leave!

-I really do love the Irish and appreciate and enjoy them so much more than my American compatriots. Even the minor and limited day to day interactions like drivers waving you on to cross the street and friendly cashiers at the checkout counters has such a huge impact on my overall satisfaction and quality of life. This stands in stark contrast to my experience in Manhattan, where I was probably the most miserable I’ve ever been, next to maybe living in Beijing.

So despite the miserable weather and exceedingly limited culinary options, all in all, I definitely stand by my original high opinion of Ireland as a place to live and live happily. I still can’t get over the luck I’ve had here and could seriously consider settling here, ultimately. If only all my friends and family were here it‘d be nearly perfect. But one can’t have everything so we’ll just have to wait and see where life takes us.

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