Oh...
Food isn't really any different from what you eat in the US (if you are in the US). If you're from Asian countries, there's asian food markets around and you can always get rice and stuff at the local store. The food is just..what you can cook
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Weather. Okay, it kind of sucks. On a few rare days, it's quite sunny and gorgeous. While I've been here, it's been rainy most the time. And I know it's known for being rainy, but I can't quite remember it being so much so . I think it's got something to do with the fact that they had a brilliant summer and actually was in danger of being in a drought, and so now the weather is making up for it
. The thing is, it can get quite windy as well, but that's not really different from Cleveland (where I did undergrad). I don't mind the rain, and grey skies don't really affect me. What often happens is that it's dry/slightly sunny in the morning, then rainy in the afternoon...the weather changes very quickly.
An odd phenomenon is that quite frequently, it will get colder throughout the day, even if the sun's out. It's kind of weird. Right now, it gets dark around 5, 5:30 pm. A little early. But then in the spring/summer, it won't get dark until 11 pm!
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It's pretty chilly now, but I still don't need a winter coat or thick gloves. I've heard in some parts of the states, it's already started snowing. The thing is, the cold here is not the same as the cold in the US. This kind of cold is the kind of chill that just soaks through you and settles deep in your bones. IN the US, the cold tends to be more on the surface. I'm not sure if I explained that right.
Life for me here is wonderful
. It's everything I wanted it to be. ONe of my big reasons for coming back to ireland besides liking their educational system, is because I wanted to have a life, not stuck constantly worried about studies and things. And I really am. I get to be back with my old friends whom I love to death, plus make new friendships which are turning out to be so much fun. I'm rowing, something I really didn't want to give up during med school, and playing rugby - something I'd always wanted to try. I'm exploring everything I want to and turning out to be quite successful at it.
Also, here ...the medical field as a whole (students, faculty, etc) are soooo much more in the community, more intune to needs of those less fortunate than ourselves, so giving! I find that incredible, and I really love that humanistic aspect of what we're doing. The US has sooo much money and luxuries, but here's a small country like Ireland that is on average not as prosperous as the US, and they're bending over backwards to help third world nations, fight for good causes, etc. They're not apathetic. I find that very refreshing. In short, I love being here.