[Intro] Germany had a public holiday, so I decided to fly to Ireland to visit my cousin and her family. The moment the airport doors opened, cold air hit. Ten degrees again. [Verse 1] My cousin married an Irishman. Really friendly. Whenever we crossed paths, we would chat for a bit. Normal conversation. Except his accent went straight past me. I thought my English was pretty solid. Then Ireland happened. Sometimes I just couldn’t catch what he said. If I looked confused, he’d use easier words and that usually worked. My cousin usually knew exactly where the sentence lost me. She could see it on my face. [Verse 2] I didn’t spend that much time with my cousin because she still had to work. When she was working, I stayed with her mother-in-law and we watched TV together. We both loved those quiz shows where you try to guess the answers. Her mother-in-law was very friendly. Her Irish accent wasn’t as strong, so I had less trouble understanding her. When my cousin was off work, she and her husband took me everywhere. We mostly just ate, had coffee, and wandered around. I never really asked where we were going. If they said, “Let’s go,” I just followed where they took me. The prices were the only thing I kept complaining about. Ireland is expensive. Really expensive. [Verse 3] Back at the house, there was George, their blue British Shorthair. Very independent, but really gentle. He liked being around people, just not all the time. Their daughter mostly only wanted her mom. Once in a while she would come a little closer, then go back to her again. [Verse 4] We still went around. Churches, old streets, the harbor, colorful houses. Photos happened naturally. No serious travel plan. If I saw a place I liked, I took a picture and we went on. That is usually how trips go. [Bridge] The accent stayed with me. For years, English felt like English. Then Ireland made that idea look stupid. English belongs to the world. English sounds different depending on where you are. Sometimes I need a little time to catch the accent. American English is not automatically superior. And yes, my English sounds pretty American, at least to people in Taiwan. There is still a little Taiwanese accent in it. British accent? I like it. I just can’t do it. It never comes out right. [Verse 5] German changed my ears a little. The R stopped feeling fixed. After that, British and Irish accents started making more sense. Still not instantly. There are moments when the brain simply freezes. Give it a second. Then it catches up. A few months in Ireland would probably change that. Stay long enough, and the ears adjust. [Final Chorus] What I remember most is being with my cousin and her family. Eating together, laughing, watching TV with her mother-in-law, George walking around the house, and their daughter staying close to her mom. The prices were the only thing I kept complaining about. [Outro] Before leaving, my cousin bought Irish cheese for the trip back to Berlin. I went back with cheese in my bag and a lot of photos on my phone. I feel fortunate that I had the chance to visit Ireland while I was in Europe. It’s a trip I still treasure.
