Is the World so Different?

 

"Kilkenny or some fuckin fancy place"

As I sit in Starbucks one random weekday, I hear from the table next to me the quote written above. Now, when I first heard this statement, I thought I heard it wrong. I imagined myself back in Kilkenny; it was small, colorful, the streets were thin, and it was adorable but there was nothing I would consider "fancy". I listened a bit more and sure enough the people were speaking about Kilkenny. This is when I began to think about all the places I would consider "fancy" in the States: Las Vegas, New York City, Seattle, Nashville, San Francisco. This list goes on and even after being in Ireland for almost two months, I'd consider the larger cities of Dubin and Galway more "fancy". These are places with bigger buildings, places to shop, nightclubs and pubs. Maybe the people I heard talking haven't traveled Ireland or maybe the difference in opinions comes from somewhere else, but it definitely exists. I haven't traveled to all the places I listed in the States, but my opinion still stands so what truly separates them and I? I can't actually answer that question, but I once read the poem "In Small Townlands" I received an answer I was happy with. This poem is the composing a landscape painting of Ireland it's composed in a creative, personal way. I guess after reading this poem the fact that everyone sees the world differently was the only thought playing through my mind. The poem ends with "A new world cools out of his head" and that solidified my thoughts that the quote in the beginning stands. Ireland tends to open my eyes, sometimes unintentionally and the thought that Kilkenny can be considered fancy now makes complete sense to me.