Observations

We've been here for a week already - that doesn't seem possible.  Here are some observations or discoveries I've made in those seven days:

• They drive on the left side of the road and the driver's seat is on the opposite side of the car.  It's been very startling to see a car go by and there's a child sitting where I'd expect the driver to be.  (And there's no law stating a child has to sit in the back seat.)
• There are no electrical outlets in the bathroom and, in our apartment, the light switches are in the hallway behind the door.
  
• Stores either don't have paper/plastic bags or you get charged for them.
• Chips are called "crisps" and fries are called "chips."
• They don't sell canned pumpkin here.
• If you own a TV, you have to buy a TV license.
• Tax is added to an item right off the bat so the price you see on the shelf sticker is the price you pay.
• It's considered impolite not to thank the bus driver as you get off the bus - which involves yelling because you don't exit the bus near the driver.  I'm having a hard time with yelling in public.
• In the grocery stores I've been to, they don't seem to sell frozen microwave meals (Stouffers, Michelina's, Banquet, etc.)  They have ready-meals, which seem to be a little more homemade than the stuff you'd find in the US.
• All of the outlets and appliances (in our apartment at least) have an on/off switch, so if you want to use an outlet or the dishwasher, you need to first click the switch.
• The stove cooktop is called a "hob."  The oven is called a "cooker."
• Signage here (roadway signs, advertisements, next-stop announcements on bus/train, etc.) is usually in both English and Irish.  Some ads (both in print and on TV) are strictly in Irish.
• Eli went to a Dunnes grocery store yesterday, and their receipt has a little symbol by products that are from Ireland.
• Dish soap is called "washing up liquid."
• They use military time here for the most part (e.g. 1 p.m. is 13:00).
• Paper and coin money is in different colors and different sizes.
• From Eli:  There's a lot more population diversity around us than he saw in Minnesota.
• From Eli:  If people need to get through a crowd (like getting off a crowded train), they say "sorry" rather than "excuse me."