BUENOS DÍAS, bonjour and Guten Tag to you all, sure isn’t it another Bluffer’s Guide to Irish.
Well, the Bluffer woke up this morning, tharraing sé na cuirtíní - he drew the curtains and – wow! – bhí sé ag siabadh sneachta - it was driving snow, not what he was expecting.
Now, the winter wonderland is one of the most beautiful things you can see but trying to walk in snow is no fun, especially if you are over 30 year sold.
Tá sé sleamhain - it is slippery; tá sé contúirteach - it is dangerous and the risk of being hit by a meall sneachta - a snowball thrown by the local smicks is un-nervingly high.
So with panic setting in about how much your teas lárnach - central heating is going to cost many people will have contemplated living thar sáile - abroad.
For most people, the wish to live abroad is to do with the better weather in southern Europe but the Bluffer recently read a survey from My Baggage which showed the most popular reasons for packing up and starting a new life abroad.
Some people just want to broaden their horizons.
Ba mhaith liom cultúir eile a bhlaiseadh - I’d like to experience other cultures is what you would say if you were fed up with the same old, same old.
Or fuair mé post sa Bhruiséil - I got a job in Brussels as many young Irish speakers are saying after getting jobs as translators in the various institutions of the European Union.
Another reason for moving abroad is the cost of living.
Tá an costas maireachtála níos ísle sa Spáinn - the cost of living is lower in Spain you drool as you eye up the £4 bottles of Rioja.
Countries like Bulgaria, Poland and Hungary will also have lower living costs.
Moving abroad means you will of necessity, meet new people.
Ba mhaith liom castáil le daoine úra - I’d like to meet new people.
Moving to a new place forces you to put yourself out there and meet new faces, branch out and make connections. As your confidence builds, you’ll feel ready to expand your circle even further.
Ba mhaith liom Polainnis a fhoghlaim - I’d like to learn Polish.
Another reason for dusting down the passport is a desire to become fluent in a new language by immersing yourself in it - and what better way to do that than to move somewhere you really have no choice but to learn to speak and communicate in a completely new way?
Tá mo theaghlach scaipthe ar fud na cruinne - my family are spread out all over the world.
Many people have loved ones in different countries, so you might decide to follow suit and join them to keep the family together and better connected.
Caithfidh mé mo shaol a athrú - I have to change my life.
At home, it’s pretty normal to work 9-5, buy a car and a house, and simply look forward to the weekends. But overseas, you could cycle to work in the sunshine, buy fresh bread and fruit from a market, and in some countries, you could nap in the middle of the workday! What is there not to like?
CÚPLA FOCAL
tharraing sé na cuirtíní(hareeng shay ne curtcheenee) - he drew the curtains
bhí sé ag siabadh sneachta(vee shay eg sheeaboo shnyakhta ) - it was driving snow
Tá sé sleamhain(taa shay shlaowan) - it is slippery
tá sé contúirteach(taa shay contoortchakh) - it is dangerous
meall sneachta(maal shnyakhta) - a snowball
teas lárnach(chass larnakh) - central heating
thar sáile(har salla) - abroad
fuair mé post sa Bhruiséil(foor may pust sa wrushayl) - I got a job in Brussels
tá an costas maireachtála níos ísle sa Spáinn(taa un costa marakhtaala neess eeshla sa Spwaain) - the cost of living is lower in Spain
Ba mhaith liom castáil le daoine úra(ba why lum castaal le deenee oora) - I’d like to meet new people
Ba mhaith liom Polainnis a fhoghlaim(ba why lum poleeneesh a olim) - I’d like to learn Polish
Tá mo theaghlach scaipthe ar fud na cruinne (taa maw haowlakh scap-ha er fud na crinya) - my family are spread out all over the world
Caithfidh mé mo shaol a athrú(kyhee may maw heel a ahroo) - I have to change my life