You're not in Kansas anymore..

.. This is what our International Director told us the first day of orientation, and I have found it is very much a true statement.  First week is done and I'm starting to get used to the little quirks that makes Ireland so different than the US.
So this is my travel guide for American tourists of what I have learned so far:
- It does not matter how sunny and cloudless the sky is when you leave home, it WILL downpour as soon as you are walking outside. No matter what.
- You may have to go through 3 umbrellas in order to find one sturdy enough that will not break in the wind.
- If you think that it is impossible for a city bus to fit through a little alley, you are wrong.  These bus drivers can make their bus fit wherever they would like.
- When you go grocery shopping, bring a bag or be prepared to carry all your groceries because you have to pay for plastic bags here.
- Make sure you look to your right before you cross the street. Cars will NOT yield to pedestrians so you may want to run instead of leisurely glide across an intersection.
- "Craic" (pronounced 'crack') is not an illicit drug. So if someone asks you if you had good craic, they are actually asking if you had fun.
- "Taking tea" actually means having dinner. You do not just have tea.
- Don't try to go shopping on weekends or after 5. You will not find anything.
- Eating out after 7pm is close to impossible.  Nothing serves food that late.
- On that note, if the only place open is an Italian restaurant, do not eat there. Sorry, but Irish cannot do Italian or American-Italian pizza. Trust me.
I could keep going and going, but I guess that's what guidebooks actually are, so I don't need to write my own.  I am loving learning all about the culture here. Everything is so different and so great.

Not Kansas.