Happy New Year

For anyone who reads my blog, I want to wish you a belated Happy New Year (and an even more belated Happy Christmas!). I hope 2007 brings you whatever you wish for!

I did make it back to Ireland for Christmas, and I am still here! It didn’t feel as weird coming home this time. Well, it had only been 4 ½ months since I left. The driving on the left did sort of freak me out a little bit at the start. Also at first, I thought the people did speak funny, but funny in a good way. It’s nice to be able to speak your own brand of local gibberish to people every day. I only knew a few Irish people in Dalian.

I spent Christmas in the West of Ireland, in Belmullet, County Mayo, where my mother comes from. Always nice to go there for Christmas, see the relations, relax and also get fattened up! I came back to Dublin for New Year’s and went to a friend’s house to ring in the New Year. I don’t think anybody bothers going to town any more for New Year’s in Dublin. People here just avoid the hassle and exorbitant prices by having house parties instead.

Note to reader: you can stop reading now if you don't want to hear me whinge about Ireland...

I haven’t noticed much change here, except things are more expensive. €1.45 for a 500m bottle of water in a SPAR shop in town! Are ya jokin me? I know overheads and wages are high in Ireland but I think those water companies are making a killing here!

I read recently on the RTE news website: “The latest figures from the Department of Finance show that there was an exchequer surplus of €2.265bn in 2006, which was €415m more than the €1.85bn surplus expected.” It’s amazing that the government has so much money floating around and the country is still in a shit state, with crap health care and public transport systems, not to mention the astronomical levels that house prices have risen to!

I also read that the number of American tourists visiting Ireland has risen to pre September 11th levels. It’s nice to see this news, however, I’m surprised that the sheer cost of things in Ireland hasn’t put people off! Ireland is a great destination but the greedy hospitality industry is making it less attractive to visit by charging such extravagant prices!