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Recently， I moved from Beijing to a very small town on the west coast of Ireland， which is to say， I went from a bustling1 urban life with all kinds of things to see and do， to a quiet country life.
Every time I looked out of my living room window in Beijing， I would see shoppers， friends hanging out and taking selfies， and bicyclists and cars passing by with bells ringing or horns honking2. Now， when I look out of my window in Ireland， I have a view of a mountain across the road and sometimes I see a horse or a donkey in the field leading to the mountain. The pace of life has come to a screeching halt； it’s like driving a Ferrari at top speed then suddenly slamming on the brakes.3
People often think of Ireland as a place with friendly people， heartbreaking folk music， and green landscape. After all， it is known as the “Emerald Isle”4 because it is so green， which is the result of constant rain. The average number of wet days can range from 151 days a year in the east and southeast， to about 225 days a year in parts of the west. To avoid getting soaked， it’s best to carry an umbrella or at least wear rain gear5 at all times.
West Ireland is home to a region called Connemara6. It abuts7 the Atlantic Ocean and has a distinctive landscape. There are vast stretches of mountains， in between which lie small fishing villages， coves8 and bays. Because Connemara is so close to the sea， the seafood is amazing. I’ve eaten delicious crab salad， fresh mussels steamed in a rich broth， tender smoked salmon， and creamy seafood chowder.9 Most meals are served with fresh slices of brown bread and generous lashings of10 butter.
To break up the monotony11 of small-town life， I often go for drives around the area. On any given day， these drives allow me to enjoy the breathtaking views of a mostly untouched landscape. Besides， you really can take your time driving around， because there are so many twists and turns12 around mountains， lakes and villages， that you have to drive pretty slowly.
The Connemara region is a part of the country where you can hear people still speaking the Irish tongue. In Ireland there are two official languages. First is Irish， or Gaelic13 as it’s known locally， and is one of the oldest written languages in the world. The other is English. Some Irish people also speak HibernoEnglish14， which is a mix of the two， blending the grammatical style of Irish with English words. Here is an example of Hiberno-English from the tourism website Ireland.com： “You never asked if I’d a mouth on me” means“You did not ask whether I was hungry” in English.
Every time I looked out of my living room window in Beijing， I would see shoppers， friends hanging out and taking selfies， and bicyclists and cars passing by with bells ringing or horns honking2. Now， when I look out of my window in Ireland， I have a view of a mountain across the road and sometimes I see a horse or a donkey in the field leading to the mountain. The pace of life has come to a screeching halt； it’s like driving a Ferrari at top speed then suddenly slamming on the brakes.3
People often think of Ireland as a place with friendly people， heartbreaking folk music， and green landscape. After all， it is known as the “Emerald Isle”4 because it is so green， which is the result of constant rain. The average number of wet days can range from 151 days a year in the east and southeast， to about 225 days a year in parts of the west. To avoid getting soaked， it’s best to carry an umbrella or at least wear rain gear5 at all times.
West Ireland is home to a region called Connemara6. It abuts7 the Atlantic Ocean and has a distinctive landscape. There are vast stretches of mountains， in between which lie small fishing villages， coves8 and bays. Because Connemara is so close to the sea， the seafood is amazing. I’ve eaten delicious crab salad， fresh mussels steamed in a rich broth， tender smoked salmon， and creamy seafood chowder.9 Most meals are served with fresh slices of brown bread and generous lashings of10 butter.
To break up the monotony11 of small-town life， I often go for drives around the area. On any given day， these drives allow me to enjoy the breathtaking views of a mostly untouched landscape. Besides， you really can take your time driving around， because there are so many twists and turns12 around mountains， lakes and villages， that you have to drive pretty slowly.
The Connemara region is a part of the country where you can hear people still speaking the Irish tongue. In Ireland there are two official languages. First is Irish， or Gaelic13 as it’s known locally， and is one of the oldest written languages in the world. The other is English. Some Irish people also speak HibernoEnglish14， which is a mix of the two， blending the grammatical style of Irish with English words. Here is an example of Hiberno-English from the tourism website Ireland.com： “You never asked if I’d a mouth on me” means“You did not ask whether I was hungry” in English.