Sep
I really want to get a feel for the culture and I don't want to represent too much “American-ness”. Any Ideas on what I should or shouldn't do?
Answer:
I wouldn't worry about it so much - the Irish dress just like Americans, right down to the converse lowtops. Just be normal and polite - you'll be fine. Don't be loud and pushy - good advice no matter what the nationality. You’re who you’re, anyone who has an issue with you due to the land mass you happen to live on …well, that is their own bias.
Answer:
Trust me, you’re NOT going to blend in. It really doesn't matter how much you know before you go, how much effort you put into acting Irish, how much money you spend buying clothes once you get there (styles are basically the same as American styles but there are some slight differences). The minute you open your mouth you're going to be pegged as American, or at least not Irish. But seriously, this isn't a problem. Sure, there are occasional jerks who are going to treat you poorly, but it's because that's how they treat everyone, not because you're American. The majority of Irish people are friendly, helpful people, and if you happen to sit next to them in the pub or on the bus they're not going to shun you for being American.
If you really want to get a feel for the culture, I recommend you worry less about blending in and worry more about things like where you're going and how you're getting there. Dublin is awesome but it's not all of Ireland, so if you have the time get out of Dublin and visit some other places too. Don't rely on prepackaged bus tours to get you around — many of them are more interested in showing tourists what they want to see than in showing tourists modern Ireland, which (in my view at least) is far more interesting than the preconceptions the companies are trying to cater to. Plus, you wind up spending a lot of time with your fellow tourists and not as much time with actual Irish people. And speaking of preconceptions, try to leave as many of them at home as you can. For example, don't expect to see thatched-roof cottages all over the landscape, don't anticipate to see sheep crowding the streets of Dublin, etc. You'll be a lot more open to seeing the reality of modern Ireland that way. Also, see if you can read some Irish newspapers before you go. Borders (even small branches!) often stocks the Irish Times, and many of the massive Irish papers are available online. That’ll give you a good idea of what the big issues are now, and even if you never get into conversations about them, you at least won't be blindsided by any of them when you arrive.
Answer:
To be honest i don't see why you want to blend in, we have nothing against any tourist as lon as you are respectable and quite (the Spanish students tend to come here for the summer to learn english and people don't really like them, they go around in very big groups and are extremely loud and obnoxious!)
As long as your polite your going to be fine!
Have fun!
Answer:
Just turn down the volume,lol.Americans tend to speak louder than Europeans.That's about it.Enjoy your stay. Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList