DIFFERENCES BETWEEN IRELAND AND THE U.S.: I wanted to keep a running list of differences I have noticed:

1. Tipping at restaurants isn't common- waiters/waitresses are paid differently than they are at home

2. "To Let" means For Rent

3. Eggs are stored on a regular shelf in the grocery store, not in a refrigerated section- they are supposed to be a lot fresher than at home

4. You have to pay for grocery bags at the store- everyone uses reuseable backs- the Irish are much more conservative

5. There are barely any trash bins anywhere, yet the streets are very clean

6. "Cheers" is used a lot- mostly for thank you and goodbye

7. They say "You're all very welcome" to just say Hello, welcome to class

8. Peanut butter isn't common- the store sells a specific "American type" but it's apparently still not as good

9. Even Special K is different- it's not light and fluffy, it's more heavy

10. They call raisins "sultanas" so Raisin-Bran is Sultana-Bran

11. Even pancakes are crepes, not the thick pancakes we are used to

12. You walk basically everywhere; I also have yet to see anyone obese here so I guess that makes sense

13. You have to bring a towel to the gym in order to be let in; they are more into cleanliness

14. A lot of the car brands are the same, except more of a stripped down model; the majority of cars are pretty tiny (I haven't seen a giant suburban or mini van anywhere)

15. It's been two weeks and I have yet to see a police car or a police officer (I'm not sure if that's good or bad); apparently they look like taxis and are labeled "Garda" to mean Guardians of the Peace in Ireland

16. Mattress pads are not a thing (apparently the Irish like rock beds?); no one knew what I was talking about whenever I asked about a mattress pad

17. Clothes and Food don't have an extra tax on the receipt; the price listed is the price to be paid

18. Chip cards- I stand out even more as a foreigner when I hand the cashier a card that doesn't have a chip- or my one card with a chip is American Express, just incase they couldn't already tell by my accent/ probably confused expression

19. Nail salons aren't as big of a deal- at home there are probably five nail places in a two mile radius; here I've only seen one place in a shopping plaza

20. Irish don't wear rain boots- especially surprising for how much it rains here; when us Americans wear our rain boots we get the longest stares just at our feet, just in case we didn't stand out enough

21. TJ Maxx is TK Maxx here; I'm still not sure what the K stands for

22. French Fries are called "chips"

23. "Take Away" or "For Collection" means Take-Out

24. Irish drive on the left side of the road

25. Breads/bakery items are unwrapped in the store and you pick your own out

26. "Craic" (pronounced crack) means fun or a good time- not what we think

27. At a lot of restaurants, a bill isn't delivered to your table. When you are all done, you are supposed to walk up to the register and pay for your meal.

28. "Chipsy Kings" is like Burger King, except I have seen a Burger King and a Subway chain

29. Restrooms are called the "Toilets"

30. Houses are so close together, they don't have a lawn; some have gardens that are usually fenced in

31. There aren't any parking lots; only some garages and some street spots that you must go inside of a store to pay for a parking disc; Also, people drive really fast and very close to the sidewalks

32. Sidewalks are called "The Footpath"

33. Gas was 1.30 Euro the other day; a lot less expensive than home

34. Irish students go home every weekend; on Friday's we can see them all getting on the bus with their suitcases. I was told this was because they have an Irish mom at home to cook for them and do their laundry

35. Time is always referred to as half past 6, never 6:30. That's not a thing either.

36. Also, military time is used. Even on the gym schedule, classes are posted as being from 13:10-14:00.

37. There are religious relics in so many places; most Irish are Catholic; statues are very common around, and the churches look more like Cathedrals

38. Tesco is the big supermarket here; it's like our Stop and Shop, and the Tesco brand items are a lot less expensive than others

39. Our brand names are a lot less common- I've been on the hunt for chocolate brands I know and have yet to find any

40. Pedestrian signs consist of a green or red man- walk when you see the green man; while at home, our signs are a white man and just say "Don't Walk"

41. There's a decent number of phone booths along the streets

42. Most things in general, just the cost of living is definitely more expensive, and not just because of the exchange rate (which is currently at 1.16, the best it's been for the U.S. in 11 years), but because Ireland is an island and things have to be shipped over here