Hi Laura!
I must say that New York is a world of its own. We have the same school system as you here in the states although many more people are opting for home schooling since our public school system is under criticism. College is about $42,000 per year now!
Thanks for writing back about Ireland. I picture the roads as cobblestone and I picture quaint little country towns. I bet I am way off! Not so sure though. Do you find that you have to buy a lot of things online there or is the shopping pretty extensive? For example, I know that in Germany, Levi's are hard to come by so they charge an exorbitant amount for them. The foreign exchange students from Germany stock up on Levi's when they are here in America!
So is it true? Have we Americans ostrisized all of the other countries? Do you all despise us because of our military endeavors? I sure hope not. What do folks in Ireland think of president Bush?
By the way, I'm in California (wayyyyyyyy different from New York). I live on the coast in Santa Barbara. We are a crowded, medium-sized town full of bad drivers with lots of beautiful houses and grumpy soccer moms. We have a high Hispanic population here, everyone has a tan and wears flip flops. Some of us are easy going and nice and some of us need to be tied to the hood of a car. We have beautiful countryside, LOTS of trees and an ocean that is cold but fun to surf in during the summer time. Most of us are spoiled and have everything we need. We are friendly and casual unless we are driving on the freeway. Living is good here and our ethnically diverse population is expanding.
I live in a mid sized town to avoid "Generica." Generica is the process where a big city is built up very speedily and therefore lacks uniqueness and charm as every block looks the same with the same stores and the same types of cookie cutter houses.
Here is a link to
my town if you'd like to see where I live. Thanks for sharing with us. I think of Ireland as beautiful and fun. Besides, you guys have some great musical talent there!