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So Similar, Yet So Different

Published on by mayamccrumLeave a comment

I have been in Ireland – Maynooth to be exact – for two weeks, but there have already been many things I have noticed. I want to write about some of the things I have noticed and the differences.

Much of what I have experienced is similar to what I know from home in Colorado but there are many things that are different from what I expected or thought I had known.  

Many of the facts I knew about Ireland were from stories I had heard from friends, family, or from the internet. Coming here has changed some of the things I thought I knew.

It rains a lot, definitely more than in Colorado. I have experienced very heavy rain and many sunny days where there have been hardly any clouds. From the stories I had heard, I thought it would be raining and overcast and freezing cold every single day, but it is not. I do wonder if that changes throughout the year though, maybe it is rainier during a specific season and it might be rainier later into my trip. Right now it is not as rainy as I expected. Personally, I love the rain and have greatly enjoyed the rain, clouds and sun that I have experienced so far.

There are also differences in language used. There are many terms that are different from in America. For example, take away is what take out is called. Trash or garbage is referred to as rubbish. One of the biggest differences I have heard so far is “craic,” pronounced “crack”. “Craic” is an Irish word and means fun. These are not particularly shocking but when these phrases and words are added together at the same time and you are having to learn everything else new, it can be a lot to think about. With that said I think that the more I hear these new phrases and words the easier it will become to add them to my vocabulary.

Ireland is a lot more diverse than I expected. From stories and media I thought that Ireland had mostly Irish people, but I was still hoping to meet people from all over the world.  When I arrived, one of the very first things I noticed was how many people there are in Maynooth from outside Europe. I understand there are places with less diversity, and this large amount of diversity may be due to Maynooth being a college town, but I am still happy to see so many people from all around the world.

The diversity in this town also ties into the food. There are many different cuisines in Maynooth. I have eaten food from all around the world including Irish foods, but I have also found restaurants serving Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Indian, and more.

Another difference is that there are no screens on the windows, so when you open your window, the window is just open. There is nothing there stopping bugs from coming in. I did not expect this, but it is not big of a deal because there are not as many bugs trying to get in.

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There is more old architecture here in Ireland than there is in Colorado. With the large amount of old architecture, it seems as though there is a very large amount of ancient castles. In Maynooth there is a castle right next to campus. The picture above is of Maynooth Castle.

There are many other differences, but these ones seemed extra important because they either shocked me or changed my understanding of what I thought I had known. I think that recognizing the differences and learning to accept them is a good way to figure out the new place you are in and to help your mind realize you are somewhere different. Difference is not aways bad and staying the same is not always good. It is stressful finding so many of these differences because it changes my daily life. With that said, I also enjoy learning about new places, and I am grateful for finding the similarities and the differences; it makes things more interesting and it is constantly teaching me new things.

Location to Locals: Oktoberfest

Published on by Alex WinnLeave a comment

It Does Not Always Go as Planned…

Location: Munich, Germany

I traveled to Munich with my mind set on one goal: to experience Oktoberfest in all its beer-soaked and German glory. We chose the first weekend – September 20-21st – equipped with only our sense of blind optimism and limited social media research. According to TikTok, we had to be in line by 8 a.m. at the earliest (false), tent camping was the best accommodation for location and comfort (false), and transportation between the campsite and festival site would be simple and easily accessible (most definitely false). Looking back and clearly experiencing some hindsight bias… consulting TikTok might not have been our best decision and was most certainly our first mistake.

We woke up at 7 a.m. at the campsite, thinking that would leave ample time for picking up our pre-rented dirndls and joining the Oktoberfest crowd by 8. The pickup location was a two-minute walk away according to the Google map provided by our dirndl vendor. Yet, after that two-minute walk we were greeted with nothing more than a 10-acre, overgrown grass field and a phone call informing us the actual shop was a 30-minute drive away.

At Lederhosenverlieh – the dirndl shop – all possible sizes in my pre-rented and chosen dirndl had been taken. I was instead given a red, white, and blue cotton number that screamed “God Bless America” even more than my American accent already did. I could have convinced people I was headed to a Fourth of July lake day rather than a Bavarian beer festival.

Eventually we arrived at Oktoberfest around 10 a.m., where the streets were lined with sauna-temperature tents filled with hundreds of people. Walking up and down each tent aisle, not a single seat or table was available. We walked from one tent to the next while trying the food that TikTok claimed was a must. I personally do not enjoy pretzels or bratwurst but “it’s part of the experience.” My bratwurst was undercooked, and schnitzel was overcooked and filled with gristle, so I skipped trying the pretzel figuring that third time was not going to be the charm.

Eventually, we found a tent and sat for two to three hours simply to pass time and justify our financial investment in Oktoberfest. All feeling equally defeated after getting no table, no beer, and no photos, we asked a kind older man to take pictures with his beer. That was the most Oktoberfest thing we did the entire day. After leaving not even ten minutes later, we booked a hotel room that night to avoid the campsite at all costs.

So, what did I leave with? A hotel room reservation and 20 euros in cash that was originally meant for a stein.

…So, You Make the Most of It

Locals: Kufflers Weinzelt

Oktoberfest is a festival, but also a community and a culture – one I believe is overlooked or intentionally dismissed. Once you walk deeper into the venue, passing the main party tents like Hofbräu-Festzelt, you will find the smaller tents, favored and enjoyed by local Germans. This includes Kufflers Weinzelt, a family-run tent since 1984 and that can be found each year at Oktoberfest for two weeks.

After our hours of mishaps and misfortunes that Oktoberfest and specifically the Hofbräu-Festzelt tent brought us, we found ourselves near the back of the festival, past the carnival rides, and outside Kufflers Weinzelt – the last tent in the mile-long festival line-up. Inside, we spotted an open (though technically reserved) table in the center of Kufflers Weinzelt. We sat here for three hours – until the heat became unbearable – before leaving. Despite the table technically being reserved, the staff allowed us to sit until the reservation time, and luckily, they never showed up.

There seems to be a tradition of standing on the benches – not tables – during speeches or songs that are familiar, and this did not stop here in Kufflers Weinzelt. Though we were the only Americans in the tent, were still invited to stand, dance, and sing with the local German groups and families.

We – students around the world – go abroad to study and travel (though maybe not in that order) but we also go abroad to experience the cultures around the world that are so different to that of the States. The U.S. is a melting pot, but what a unique experience it is to travel to places and experience the individual cultures that make the U.S. that melting pot. Kufflers Weinzelt might not have been the most popular, international, English-speaking tent, but we found ourselves truly immersed in the German culture and traditions which made for an unforgettable experience.