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I doubt Ed wants to move to another non-English speaking country.  I know I wouldn’t. Sounds like even the most simple things he tried to accomplish was like climbing Mount Everest. Frustrating and demoralizing, I would think. And it would make me panic.

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3 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

I doubt Ed wants to move to another non-English speaking country.  I know I wouldn’t. Sounds like even the most simple things he tried to accomplish was like climbing Mount Everest. Frustrating and demoralizing, I would think. And it would make me panic.

 

Sligo from the Wikipedia article on it sounds like a nice sized town/small city with trains to Dublin every two hours, and buses to various other locations.  So living without a car would work well enough.

 

The Spanish language empire is not that different from the English language empire in being not particularly trained in other languages compared the European countries to the north of it.  Spanish speakers are more polite about it, but at least some tend to make similar judgments that some English speakers make about people who speak broken English.   I think what helped me a lot was having bilingual people around, both from the US and Nicaraguans who'd learned English.  My Spanish is still mediocre but I've managed to get most things I need to get done done.

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I'm going to Ireland because it looks as if as an Irish citizen I can be a resident there and qualify for free healthcare. I thought that I could settle anywhere in the EU, but that's not the case.

 

I like the Spanish people and I like the Irish. The Rooney clan are from Sligo. I'm not fond of rain but I do prefer the year-round milder climate in the British Isles to that of either hot southern Spain or NYC in winter. I like to wear a jacket out because I need the pockets. 

 

I'll repeat again -- the problem with English in Seville is that I found no one in hospitals, realty offices, or the Immigration Sevice who speaks anything but Spanish. I'm sorry but I consider that totally crazy. I had nothing to do with it . . . but English is the lingua Franca of the modern world. And I'll say again: I do have basic travel Spanish.  

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And all of the automated messages in the US these days say press "8" (or whatever) for Spanish. I even had one once that said press for English. I thought that was going a bit far in our attempts to be a bilingual country.

 

Paulette

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Sorry Seville hasn't worked for you, but there's another place you will be able to speak knowledgeably about. Bronchitis is miserable! I used to dread catching any kind of cold, because it would sink to my chest and I would be coughing and producing great gobs of mucus for a couple of months. Got me down! Standing in a hot shower for a few minutes gave relief and if that seemed inappropriate, breathing through a hot wet face-towel a couple of times helped quite a bit. Hot drinks laced with whisky could be good but then, anything involving whisky is fine for me! Irish, Canadian, Scotch all OK. Bourbon, well I guess I've not tried enough!

 

Thankfully I haven't had that problem for a few years and my immune system seems to be working better of late. I'm only a few years younger Edo. In your case the hay-fever seems to have triggered the Bronchitis like head-colds used to trigger mine.  

Edited by Robert M Estall
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I think you’ll be great after the move, Edo. When it comes right down to it, being able to exchange pleasantries with the cashier at the market and people everywhere, is good. I do that when I’m in the mood.

Like you, I live alone, spend most of my days alone. Yet when I’m puttering about in my yard, it’s nice to speak to my neighbors when they’re out.

Such as, “I Didn't hear the tornado sirens go off last night, did you? The hail hitting my windows made such a racket, that’s all I could hear! And look at my plants, they’re shredded!” 😁 (as I stare at what looks like beaten green sticks instead of lush, leafy hostas)

 

Problem with me is that I have a hard time with accents. That Irish brogue would sound indecipherable to me, I’m afraid. But living in NYC, I would think, would acclimate one to many accents.

And I love rain. I doubt there are tornadoes in Ireland, either. My family on my mother’s side, the Boydstons, hailed from Scotland way back.

Betty

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Not so many scary weather events in the British Isles as there are in the central USA, Betty. It will be hitting 100F in Seville several times this week. As Mark Twain said, "Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it."

 

Understand various accents? Hmmm. I can tell you that the Andalucian accent in Spanish has nothing to do with Mexican Spanish. 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

Not so many scary weather events in the British Isles as there are in the central USA, Betty. It will be hitting 100F in Seville several times this week. As Mark Twain said, "Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it."

 

Understand various accents? Hmmm. I can tell you that the Andalucian accent in Spanish has nothing to do with Mexican Spanish. 

 

 

 

Wow! That's way too hot, and it's still only May. Sounds like you're doing the right thing. Will you have any trouble getting out of your apartment lease in Seville?

 

You're right about Mexican Spanish. It can be textbook-clear, except in rural areas where in often sounds like another language.

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Edo - a little tip - don’t refer to Ireland as being part of the British Isles. That will not go down well in Ireland for what should be obvious reasons 😀.

 

As for extreme weather, the frequency of extreme Atlantic storms has increased in recent years due to climate change and severe flood events are more frequent. Galway has experienced some very severe flooding in recent years. I don’t know about Sligo but it is on the Atlantic coast so you are likely to experience a few storms. Keep flooding in mind when looking for a place to live. 

 

As for the heat in southern Spain, this did come up more than once I recall when you were originally talking about places to live in a Spain so should not be a surprise. The summers are roasters.  I think only parts of the north of Spain have a relatively cooler climate. The Canary Islands have a much more pleasant climate on the whole. 

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13 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

Michael, I shall banish the term from my vocabulary. 😯

 

 

It's OK, Ed, Eire most certainly is part of the British Isles. It's a geographical term.

 

Edited by spacecadet
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12 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

 

The term British Isles is not politically acceptable in Ireland as it implies that the islands are politically British which has not been the case for the last 100 years or so. I was advising Edo not to use the term British Isles in Ireland as it is considered ignorant and insensitive, considering the history of the islands. A new term is required, moreover if Brexit goes ahead, once again for fairly obvious reasons. 

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13 minutes ago, MDM said:

 

The term British Isles is not politically acceptable in Ireland as it implies that the islands are politically British which has not been the case for the last 100 years or so. I was advising Edo not to use the term British Isles in Ireland as it is considered ignorant and insensitive, considering the history of the islands. A new term is required, moreover if Brexit goes ahead, once again for fairly obvious reasons. 

I note your opinion.

However ,as I said, it seems to be a widely used geographical term and that is the apolitical context in which Ed was using it- he was talking about the weather.

 

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1 minute ago, spacecadet said:

I note your opinion.

However ,as I said, it seems to be a widely used geographical term and that is the apolitical context in which Ed was using it- he was talking about the weather.

 

Thank you for noting my opinion. It was not really an opinion but a bit of advice based on fact. The term British Isles is considered to be unacceptable in Ireland as it harks back to a form of colonialism and nationalism that would be better buried in the annals of history. Unfortunately it appears to be rearing its ugly head again particularly if a no-deal Brexit happens which would be devastating for the island of Ireland (as well as Britain I have no doubt). 

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Growing up in Canada I would have sometimes used the term British Isles without malice or anything political. But living in the UK for 50 years I've never thought to use the term ever as far as I can recall. Now that it has been pointed out by MDM I certainly wouldn't use the term in the company of any one Irish. I guess I can see why it might be pretty offensive.  

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51 minutes ago, Robert M Estall said:

Growing up in Canada I would have sometimes used the term British Isles without malice or anything political. But living in the UK for 50 years I've never thought to use the term ever as far as I can recall. Now that it has been pointed out by MDM I certainly wouldn't use the term in the company of any one Irish. I guess I can see why it might be pretty offensive.  

 

Not connected to this specific but I once made an error of judgement when talking about Ireland and was lambasted by MDM.

 

We are STILL good friends.

 

Allan

 

 

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1 hour ago, Robert M Estall said:

Growing up in Canada I would have sometimes used the term British Isles without malice or anything political. But living in the UK for 50 years I've never thought to use the term ever as far as I can recall. Now that it has been pointed out by MDM I certainly wouldn't use the term in the company of any one Irish. I guess I can see why it might be pretty offensive.  

 

Yes, I remember the term "British Isles"  being used in school here, but I seldom hear it now. Place names like "British Columbia" and "Victoria" don't seem to bother anyone, but then scars of British colonialism are not especially deep in Canada, except in Quebec of course.

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4 hours ago, Allan Bell said:

 

Not connected to this specific but I once made an error of judgement when talking about Ireland and was lambasted by MDM.

 

We are STILL good friends.

 

Allan

 

 

 

Allan that was definitely not a lambasting 😂. I think I suggested that you familiarise yourself with Irish history before suggesting unfeasible solutions to the Irish backstop. Or do you mean the Irish joke about Irish walls? That was a little telling off explaining how the Irish learned how to build super walls but that was far off a lambasting. I tend to reserve lambastings for serious transgressions rather than your obviously innocent comments 😎

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, MDM said:

 

Allan that was definitely not a lambasting 😂. I think I suggested that you familiarise yourself with Irish history before suggesting unfeasible solutions to the Irish backstop. Or do you mean the Irish joke about Irish walls? That was a little telling off explaining how the Irish learned how to build super walls but that was far off a lambasting. I tend to reserve lambastings for serious transgressions rather than your obviously innocent comments 😎

 

 

 

Out of curiosity, MDM, why are you living in England instead of Ireland? I’m assuming you are Irish, or am I wrong?

On another note, I kept following links from one of the other links above. I read where the U.S. celebration of St. Patrick’s Day is much maligned.

It really shouldn’t be. It should be taken as a compliment, (however tacky with green beer) because Ireland (to me) seems to be looked at as a desirable place to have ancestors from, and seems to be romanticized here. I know when I read about my ancestry, I desired an Irish connection but found a Scottish one, which I also like.

I think some of it is because the Irish, at least here, seem to be a warm, friendly and happy people. You can’t knock the fact there is an actual celebration of the Irish (or at least, their saint) here. And I believe there was much sympathy over the potato famine.

Betty

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On 28/05/2019 at 02:01, Ed Rooney said:

I'll repeat again -- the problem with English in Seville is that I found no one in hospitals, realty offices, or the Immigration Sevice who speaks anything but Spanish. I'm sorry but I consider that totally crazy. I had nothing to do with it . . . but English is the lingua Franca of the modern world. And I'll say again: I do have basic travel Spanish.  

 

I had a woman in the agency that processed my residency application deny that she spoke English, but once I'd tried my Spanish with her, she risked her English with me.  I've also had conversations with neighbors in as much Spanish as I could muster until they took pity on me and switched to English.  The Spanish-speaking world is as political about speaking Spanish as the Anglophone world is about speaking English.

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7 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Out of curiosity, MDM, why are you living in England instead of Ireland? I’m assuming you are Irish, or am I wrong?

On another note, I kept following links from one of the other links above. I read where the U.S. celebration of St. Patrick’s Day is much maligned.

It really shouldn’t be. It should be taken as a compliment, (however tacky with green beer) because Ireland (to me) seems to be looked at as a desirable place to have ancestors from, and seems to be romanticized here. I know when I read about my ancestry, I desired an Irish connection but found a Scottish one, which I also like.

I think some of it is because the Irish, at least here, seem to be a warm, friendly and happy people. You can’t knock the fact there is an actual celebration of the Irish (or at least, their saint) here. And I believe there was much sympathy over the potato famine.

Betty

 

I am Irish and I moved to England to do my doctorate degree (PhD) in geology, funded by the EU to work with one of the world's top volcanologists, something I could not have done in Ireland. I met my English wife while studying and life circumstances led us to set up our permanent home in England which is basically why I am still living there. I did my PhD research on a volcano in the Andes and subsequently worked for the British Government monitoring Montserrat Volcano in the Caribbean. 

 

If I was to classify myself, I would say I am a humanist internationalist with no religion. I believe in fairness and propagation of truth. I think of nationalism and blind patriotism as problematic rather than something to be celebrated so my beliefs are not founded in nationalism. If I make comments about Ireland, they are generally intended to enlighten and to correct misconceptions.

 

I find that a lot of British people, including my friend Allan, have little or no knowledge of Irish history. This is no doubt due partly to the fact that Irish history is not taught in British schools. My son finished school a few years ago and learned absolutely nothing about Ireland or indeed anything much else about British colonialism. Inaccurate or biased reporting of Irish issues in certain parts of the British media also compounds the lack of understanding of Irish issues among the British public in general. Therefore I often feel it as a duty to correct and enlighten in a forthright, truthful and objective manner. No malice intended towards anyone.

 

And we are now seriously considering moving back to Ireland but that is not going to happen overnight.

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4 hours ago, MizBrown said:

 

I had a woman in the agency that processed my residency application deny that she spoke English, but once I'd tried my Spanish with her, she risked her English with me.  I've also had conversations with neighbors in as much Spanish as I could muster until they took pity on me and switched to English.  The Spanish-speaking world is as political about speaking Spanish as the Anglophone world is about speaking English.

 

That is definitely the case in Spain. I think most Spanish people learn English in school but they don't use English officially although many people do have some English. It would be a massive and extremely expensive task to make the country officially bilingual. Spain is still predominantly a Spanish country away from the holiday resorts. It is no different in most other European countries - the native language is the official language and they are not officially bilingual (native language - English). 

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  • Ed Rooney changed the title to Galway, Ireland?

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