Tom called me tonight and he is feeling much better. They have made alot of progress but will still have to stay in Ireland nine days longer than originally thought. I really hate that but it is better than having him come home on time and then going back a week later. The guys from Ireland that were in Orangeburg training are back in Ireland now and Tom and Rod were happy to see them. They are going to be taking Tom and Rod to a Gaelic football game this weekend. He really hasn't had time to miss us this week because he and Rod have been working so much. He is sure this weekend it will hit him how much he misses us. It hit us the day he left. Knowing I won't see him for another two weeks is rough. But hopefully they will never have to go back there again.
I asked him what the hardest thing to get used to was....besides the obvious aversion to anything cool/cold. He told me they are still having trouble ordering food. They are learning but it is so different. He told me that the best meal he's had so far was at a place called "The Yellow Pepper." (That's an odd name for a restaurant but not down right weird like Lizard's Thicket.) Anyway, he had beef medallions on mashed potatoes and corn and he said it was delicious....actually the best meal he's had since he's been there. He said the portions in Ireland are smaller than what you get in America so he and Rod had room for dessert. Rod had something with hot fudge that sounded delicious but Tom gets an instant migraine from chocolate so he ordered a dessert that had ice cream, caramel, toffee, and a biscuit (which is what they call cookies) for the crust. I can't remember what he called it but it sounds sooooo good! He said the restaurant experience is so different there. In America, waiters just about hover over you waiting to refill your drink the minute you finishing taking a sip. Not in Ireland. I guess Americans not only eat more, they drink more too. He said the Coke is not fizzy enough. He said it is almost like it wants to taste flat because there isn't enough carbonation. I thought it may be because it isn't cold enough. But he thinks it is just more syrupy there. He and Rod found the ice machine in the hotel and were going to just cool their Cokes off by adding ice. Well the aversion to cold is even evident in the ice. Now I thought ice is ice. Apparently not. Seems they freeze it just long enough to call it ice. So basically when you pour the warm Coke over it, the ice is immediately gone. In America, we freeze it hard so that it lasts a long time to keep our drink cold longer. But we like coldness in America. hehehe He seems to really be enjoying learning about the differences in culture.
At first he couldn't understand why he and Rod were having a little trouble understanding what people were saying because of the accents but yet the locals never had trouble understanding them. Then he figured it out. They have American TV shows there so they are used to the way we talk. The other night when he called me Desperate Housewives was on. I guess I never thought about our shows being broadcast to other countries. There is a story he told me that would go in this paragraph but he has to ask the person it is about before I blog it. It is so funny and I hope he gives me permission to blog it because I know you guys will enjoy it. If I do get permission, I will blog it as soon as I get off the phone!
That's the update of the day. Tom is better and they will do some sight seeing this weekend so hopefully I will have some pictures to post soon.
By the way, to all of my readers who live in South Carolina, please don't forget to go vote Tuesday. The primaries are every bit as important as the general elections. If we don't nominate the right person, it really messes up the general election. I don't care who you vote for....just vote on June 13th!
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