Everyone wants to know about culture shock. What is it like living in Irish Culture? What are the main differences? What is the hardest for you? Well let’s back the bus up and chat a bit about the culture shock I experience coming back to the “Mother Land”.
I bought a webcam. I went to Best Buy and made the purchase that I had been waiting months to make. I made my way to the counter only be to confronted with the dreaded extra choices; aka iTunes gift cards, cheap DVDs, and not last but not least the candy aisle. I did good and walked away from evil until I saw the Swedish Fish. They had my heart. So I picked up a bag of the all red Swedish Fish (what is up with those different colored ones…they are not the real deal!) I proceeded to the counter in haste in case my mom swiped the “fish” out of my hands. The nice lady rang up my items and then the culture shock hit. Yep, right there at the Best Buy counter. Who would of thought? She told me total which was to my calculations $20 more then I expected. Okay, not really $20, but it felt that drastic. I mean I bought a webcam and Swedish fish. I can do simple math. I can add two prices together and come up a total. The total she gave me was not right. I made her re-add it up. I made my mom add it up. I was just about to make the old lady behind us add it when it hit us…SALES TAX! Ridicules sales tax! Seriously, can we just include the taxes in the price tag? Is that too much to ask?
