Come Out Ye Black and Tans

It's 2 P.M. as I sit in my apartment blasting The Dubliners' "The Lord of the Dance." I had promised to create a blog at some point to commemorate my experience in the Emerald Isle, but I'm realizing with every letter that this will be much harder to do than originally thought. Today marks my 2 week anniversary in Ireland, and I'm already dreading that 2 weeks have flown by.

I guess I should begin with the blog title. While here in Ireland, I promised myself I would do everything I could to acclimate myself with the culture and heritage. In an effort to do so, I decided that learning the Irish language would help me bridge gaps (and look really learned/awesome compared to most other Americans). Next week, I will begin my 4-hour-a-week class on Irish for beginners, and I cannot wait to get started! Having the language in mind, I looked up classic Gaelic phrases and settled for the simplistic, yet utterly beautiful phrase, "Sláinte," meaning "Cheers." It's actually really fitting that I settled for this because the word "Cheers" has been on my mind since I first landed in Galway. Whenever I would buy something at a store or thank someone for their help, I would get the response, "Cheers!" It made me uncomfortable at first because I never knew if I should respond with the phrase or make a comment about the T.V. show or crack some joke about everybody knowing my name. Every time I think of the word, I think of a smile, because I have not yet received the phrase without some genuine smirk or smile from the person saying it. It seems that "Cheers" can be used both as a "Thank You" and "You're Welcome," but it really means "Health." Now, I'm only working off assumptions here, but I took this to mean that every time I've received the phrase, "Cheers," somebody has wished me good health. This is what I have fallen in love with: a land that genuinely wishes to provide me with good health, whether it be through the people I encounter or the places I explore or the stories I hear.

So, my hope for this blog is that I can share this health with you. That I can cheer you up (see what I did there? Wordplay? I'm so clever, aren't I...) with ridiculous anecdotes of my life abroad. Alright...enough of the mushy, sentimental nonsense. Let's have some fun!

With Irish Blessings,
Jim Jam

P.S. Each post title is the name of a classic Irish drinking song. A friend of mine from the states sent me a bunch to listen to, so I wanted to share the awesomeness. Hopefully I'll have them all memorized soon!