On my way to visit my son in England—the one I released to the other side of the world, I had a 4-hour layover in Dublin. I thought it would be long, but it turned out to be too short.
Although I have visited Ireland before, I had my new cultural awareness glasses and my cultural learning antennas on. I had fun walking around the airport, observing people, listening to Irish accents, and weaving cultures!
Upon arriving at the airport, I went into a store called “The Best of Ireland.” Within a few minutes, I had made a list on my phone of the “10 Things I Discovered About Ireland (At the Airport!)”
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Here is what I observed:
The Irish Love . . .
—Green (their flag is orange/white/green). Everything is green (clothes, mailboxes, telephone booths, etc.)
—Shamrocks
—Leprechauns
—Sheep and their wool
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—Rugby
—Beer (especially Guinness!)
—Celtic Music
—Red (and orange) hair
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—Blessings
—Pubs
A Traditional Irish Blessing:
I found this Irish blessing everywhere I looked—on coffee cups, tea towels, t-shirts, plaques, keychains, etc.
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
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—The Cultural Story-Weaver
Are you ready to go to Ireland and explore some more!?
Let’s Weave Cultures!
Have you ever traveled to a foreign country where you could see the national identity very quickly?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures”! Write about them in the comment box below.
I love how you stop to see things that most don’t see.
I love cultural exploration—even if I never make it out of the airport! 🙂