Preparing for Ireland

Currently, I am sitting in my basement watching the Iowa Hawkeyes play in the Orange bowl. As I listened to the announcers compare the temperature difference between Florida and Iowa, I felt it would be a good time to compare the differences between Ireland and Iowa that I will experience. I thought this comparison would be interesting to look back on in June to see what other differences I have noticed.

1. I will be living in the United Kingdom instead of the United States.
2. My friends will no longer be called my friends but my mates.
3. In spirit of the game, the weather will be 20 degrees warmer than I am currently experiencing.
4. I will be paying for things in pounds instead of dollars.
5. I will be living with students from Germany and France instead of Iowa and Illinois.
6. The bars that I patronize on the weekend will not be called bars but pubs.
7. The fields that surround my house will be replaced by green rolling hillside.
8. Snow which never fails to fall in February will be in the form of rain.

Some of these differences are minimal while others over a 5 month period will affect my life greatly. I am looking forward to the adventures which will expand my knowledge of other cultures and the many life lessons that I will learn.