IRELAND III

I have the luck of spending my exchange semester in the beautiful heart of Ireland, Galway. Everything is as green as I expected it to be. Well, not quite, I thought the pictures you find online are all photoshoped. I was positively surprised to find out that this is not the case. The scenery here in Ireland is as green as you always imagine it to be. Reason for the green nature is the rain here in Ireland.  
The special thing about Irish rain is that it’s visit is very frequent but not for a long time. So when it starts raining here in Galway, no one is taking out an umbrella or a rain jacket. Walking down the popular Quay Street one can immediately see who is local and who is not. I observe that the locals just go on with their day as normal without putting on a rain jacket while everyone else is taking out theirs and seeking shelter in one of the nearby shops. The locals are so used to the sudden change of weather that they are not bothered a lot by it.  
But why is no one taking out their umbrella? Living directly by the sea, the wind here is quite strong, so that there is no use of opening it. On my first rainy day I opened my umbrella as one would normally do in Germany, but immediately decided against it after I figured out that the wind was changing its direction every other second. That is when I understood why no one is carrying an umbrella around with them as there is no use of it here in Ireland. So after experiencing the combination of wind and rain here in Galway I am really happy about buying a proper rain jacket in advance. I was not sure if this buy was really necessary as I do have a normal jacket that is water-repellent. The rain here can be quite heavy and my normal jacket was soaking wet just after a few minutes. With this experience I can definitely say that my rain jacket is worth every single penny as it keeps me dry at all times. What I do now is, I combine adapting to the Irish rain culture and continuing with my usual habit. I have not managed yet to go out without a rain jacket, but I definitely leave the umbrella at home. Also, the frequency of the rain here in Galway is desensitising me to rain in general. I do not think about it a lot when it starts to rain, I just put the hood of my jacket up and I am good to go.  
Another thing that catches my attention is how few layers of clothing the locals wear on a daily basis. One can see them walking around with only a light shirt on when it is only 15 degrees outside. The girls as well. Going out for parties, they wear short dresses, open shoes and no coat. It startles me every time I see someone walking around like that because I am walking around with many layers on to keep myself warm. This might sound as if the little layer the Irish wear only surprises me, but talking to other exchange students they do agree. It is surprising to see how the exchange students dress differently to the locals. I do understand why they walk around with so little on. In Ireland summer temperatures do not reach 30 degrees, so people are used to the cooler weather. While it is still too cold for me to walk around with just a shirt and no jacket on, it is quite warm for the Irish when the temperature hits 15 degrees. This different temperature feeling is something that I could not adapt to yet. Also, I have not tried adapting to this new style as I already start freezing when looking at how few layers they have put on.
So if there is one thing I can advise you to bring along to Ireland for your next trip, it is enough layers for the cold weather and a proper rain jacket. And it is no issue if you forget your umbrella at home.

Mara Burger, WS 20