Lisa Goes to Ireland: Weeks 13/14

Blarney Castle, Ring of Kerry and my American friend: It’s been an eventful last two weeks to say the least.

It’s my last week here in Ireland and sad to be leaving such a beautiful place. I feel that my time here has just begun and that I’m leaving far too soon. Luckily though, the last two weeks have been eventful, so much so that I forgot to blog (oopse).

I made a bucket list of everything I wanted to see while I was in Ireland, and it’s safe to say that it’s now complete! I’ve done everything (and more) that I’ve set out to do. A couple weeks ago my roommate’s family came to visit and they’re from the states. I’d been wanting to visit the Ring of Kerry for a while, but didn’t want to spend 40 euro to take a bus. Luckily, my roommate’s family rented a car and invited me to come along. Let me just say though, there are few things scarier than an American driving on the left side of the road for the first time-it was an adventure to say the least. The Ring of Kerry was beautiful though. Rather than it being a destination, it’s instead a road that goes along the coast line with multiple places to stop and look out. There’s waterfalls and scenery along the way, it was beautiful.

The Blarney Castle is very iconic to Ireland and is most well known for the stone that people kiss while upside down. Thanks to the study abroad program that I’m in I was able to see that this past weekend and also the Jamison Factory, another iconic part of Ireland. I’m very thankful that I chose to do a study abroad program v.s direct exchange in that I have the opportunity to see far more of Ireland, which I may not have other wise had, had I done direct exchange.

Lastly, I had an American friend visit me while I was here and I’m SO glad that she did. This last week I had off from school and instead of traveling, I decided to save money and stay in Ireland. After corresponding with a girl from WOU through this blog, she decided to come visit Ireland. As it turns out, we’re both education majors and the same year, yet it took us traveling half way around the world for us to meet. What a small world it is.

It has certainly been a great last two weeks, and while I’m devastated to be leaving, I am excited to get back home to my friends and family… but mostly I’m excited to to have my car back, not have to use public transit, and to eat real food again.

Cheers!

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Lisa goes to Ireland: Week 12

This last weekend I went to Edinburgh, Scotland and I’m so glad that I did. It was the more beautiful country I’ve visited since being here, though no one could have prepared me for how cold it was. It even started to snow  

The city was small, but gorgeous. It was also freezing! I thought Ireland was cold, but coming back to Ireland from Scotland felt like summer-I was ready to put my flip-flops on! I don’t feel like I saw a lot of Scotland, it was more of a realizing trip than anything. I spent both my days there going into the city walking along the streets, and soaking up the beautiful architecture. There was also an adorable Christmas market going on with ice-skating, street food, and vendors/booths. It was magical experience.  On our first morning there my friends and I tried haggis for the first time…NEVER AGAIN. It was awful, but a good experience for sure. We also met two guys one from Portland and one from Salem. I’ve been in Europe for 3 months and aside from one other girl studying at DCU from Western, I haven’t met anyone from Oregon let alone the small city of Salem! It was nice to talk to people from my state.. I didn’t realize just how much I missed Oregon until then. 

I feel like I’ve emotionally checked out a little bit since I’ve been here. There’s so much going on back home. I have an apartment, two cats, a job, and a boyfriend that I’m just really ready to get back to. Though I certainly will miss this beautiful place. After visiting Scotland, I’m seriously regretting my decision to not study there.. Seriously, if anyone gets the chance to visit GO! It was a great experience. 

In other news, there’s a student from Western who I connected with who’s studying in London and she’s coming to visit next week. I’m excited to connect with someone back home and share with her some of the great things about Ireland. 

I’m not so much looking forward to going back to school back home. I registered for classes coming in at 20 credits and I’m dreading it. Classes here are very easy. There’s no continuous assessment. You’re given one or two projects at the beginning of the term that will account for your entire grade and you then have all term to work on it. In other words, I never have to go to class. Unfortunately, that’s not how classes work back home and I actually have to attend them. I’m a little bit nervous just because of how relaxed I’ve gotten when it comes to my studies and I wont be able to “slack off” as much as I can here.

That’s all for now. Here are a few pictures of my trip.

Cheers! 

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Lisa goes to Ireland: week 11

Sick in a foreign country alone… Not exactly something I ever prepared myself to experience, nor did I want to.

About a month I started to have severe eye pain  and blurriness of vision, so I called my doctor back home and scheduled an appointment for when I got back, thinking that I would be fine until then. The pain continued to increase so I finally made an appointment with a general practioner here in Limerick. That was scary in itself, as I’m a skeptic when it comes to most doctors that aren’t my own. After seeing the GP she said I needed to go to the emergency room immediately. I begged and pleaded with her, hoping there would be some other way to get this resolved, but there wasn’t so I took her advice. The hospital is pretty far from the city centre where I normally go, so I called for a taxi and headed off into the unknown. 

I walked into the emergency room and I can’t think of a time where I was more scared. I was in a foreign country, I didn’t have my mum, and I was about to get medical attention from a doctor that I wasn’t familiar with. I waited in the emergency room for five hours before they finally called me back. Luckily, I met this darling old couple who stayed with me the entire time. It was comforting to have someone there to “look after me” so to speak. After seeing the doctor who performed an eye exam, he told me I was fine but that I needed to see an optometrist. I figured I would just suffer through the pain for another few weeks and would deal with it when I got home. It had just been too long of day. I headed back to to my apartment and wasn’t planning on stopping anywhere, however I knew that I had a sinus infection and should probably stop at the pharmacy. Reluctantly, I stopped at the pharmacy and much to my surprise, there was an optometrist… they closed in 15 minutes but were willing to see me anyone. Within 15 minutes I was in and out of there with a diagnosis and a pair of glasses and what a relief it was!

I’ve since been in bed since, as I have a terrible sinus infection/ flu. Being sick has certainly made me more homesick though. It’s tough being alone in a foreign country without anyone to take care of you when you’re sick.

If there’s one thing this experience has taught me though, it’s that I am capable of doing far more than I think I can. I live alone back home so I’m already use to doing things on my own, but it’s different because when I get sick, or when something goes wrong, I know that my family and boyfriend are but an hour away. It was scary in that the only person I could rely on getting me better was myself. It was a good experience in that I learned I am very capable of taking care of myself, even when I have no one else to fall back on. 

I’m off to Edinburgh, Scotland this weekend and I could not be more excited. Until then, I will be in bed.

Cheers!

Week 10: Lisa Goes to Ireland

One of the great things that I love about CISAbroad, the program that I’m studying through, is that the program includes trips and excursions {though it’s the least they could do for how much the program costs!} This last weekend they took us on a trip to Belfast in Northern Ireland it was a very different experience. Belfast is enriched with so much history; it was fascinating to learn about it, however it was also rather depressing. There was a huge war that happened in 1969 between the Protestants and Roman Catholics. 48 walls were built in order to separate the two groups. There were bombings and fires. Though I absolutely loved learning about the history, it was rather very sad. There also wasn’t a lot of pubs or nightlife. In fact, on our second night the nearest and only pub to our hostel closed at 6pm. It was a great opportunity however to relax and appreciate the beauty in Ireland. One of my favorite things about traveling even within Ireland is seeing all the greenery and castles as we drive by.  During my time in Belfast I also visited Giant’s Causway, which was beautiful, I felt like I was back home as I walked along the beach. Lastly, we visted Kings Road which is where parts of Game of Thrones is fillmed, and also The Titanic Experience where the Titanic was build.  I’ve finally reached the 30-day mark until I come home and I am very excited. I miss my friends and family, and am ready to celebrate the holidays with them. At the same time, I can’t help but be sad that this journey is almost over. It’s truly been a life changing experience.

 

Giant's Causeway Beach

Giant’s Causeway Beach

Replica of the Titanic

Replica of the Titanic

King's Road

King’s Road

Part of the graffiti  on The Peace Wall.

Part of the graffiti on The Peace Wall.

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These murals were painted all over Belfast to commensurate the war.

These murals were painted all over Belfast to commensurate the war.

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Sunset along Giant's Causeway

Sunset along Giant’s Causeway

The Peace Wall- Just one of the many walls builds to separate  the two groups.

The Peace Wall- Just one of the many walls builds to separate the two groups.

My study abroad program.

My study abroad program.

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The bullets that were used during the war-made of plastic and rubber

The bullets that were used during the war-made of plastic and rubber

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Week 9: Lisa goes to Ireland

How is it possible that it’s already week nine and my time here is almost over? It seems like it just began. I apologize that it’s been a few weeks since I’ve last written, some weeks there just not much to report on.

When I made the decision to study abroad, I was prepared to just stay in Ireland. I didn’t have any expectations of visiting other countries, that way I wouldn’t be disappointed if I didn’t. I wanted to fully submerge myself in Ireland and soak up every piece of it before I even began to think about traveling. However, I did take a trip to London this last weekend and it was phenomenal. On the first day in London my friends and I saw all of the touristy things such as Big Ben, London Tower Bridge, London Bridge, and Buckingham’s Palace. The second day my dream came true and I saw the performance of The Lion King at the famous Lyceum Theater in London. I could have died that day and been a happy woman. Later that evening we met up with my friend’s cousin who lives there and he showed us some of the less touristy parts of London. It was a great experience to see the best of both worlds. We were there for two full days and I really feel like we covered a vast majority of London. Standing in front of these famous places didn’t seem real. I’d spent so much of my life seeing these monuments on television, hearing, and reading about them that to finally see them in person was surreal. There’s so few words to describe what it was like to see those monuments, the only thing I can say is that it really did not feel real: it was phenomenal.

The two things that took some adjusting two in London was the transportation and currency. I’ve almost mastered the bus schedule within Ireland, however public transit in London is a completely different story. They have trains, the tube, busses, etc. It was a chaotic mess. I’m thankful to have been with friends who have traveled internationally before and actually understood how it worked. The currency was also a bit of an adjustment. I’d finally gotten use to  Euros when all of a sudden I had to switch over to pounds. The exchange fluctuated between 1.5 and 1.9 during my time there, which made everything so expensive.  All in all though, it was an incredible trip!

When I left to study abroad I left my boyfriend behind. Because of that, I’ve spent the vast majority of my time counting down the days until I’m reunited with him. I think that I’ve been very preoccupied with the idea of coming home, that I missed out on otherwise fun opportunities. I’m thankful for great man who I have in my life, but sometimes I can’t help but wonder how different this experience would have been if I didn’t have one-if I wasn’t so focused on coming home.

I’ve had incredible adventures and opportunities while I’ve been here, but looking back on the last 9 weeks, I don’t think I’ve taken as full advantage of the experience as I necessarily “should” have.

On a less depressing note, I have not managed to get sick while I’ve been here which is an absolute first, seeing a last year along I had the flu 3 times. It also hasn’t rained NEARLY as much as I expected, in fact, it’s been clear skies almost every day. My red rain boots won’t be coming into use after all. I also booked a trip to Scotland AND I changed my plane ticket to come home a week earlier as I’ll be done with finals. Two things I’m very excited about.

Here are a few pictures of my trip to London

Buckingham's Palace

Buckingham’s Palace

I'm probably the only person who thinks this, but I aboslutely hate hostles. Instead we used Air bnb and got this adorable little room. For three nights it was only 64$ for each of is.

I’m probably the only person who thinks this, but I absolutely hate hostels. Instead we used Air bnb and got this adorable little room. For three nights it was only 64$ for each of is.

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Buckingham's Palace

Buckingham’s Palace

Big Ben

Big Ben

London Tower Bridge

London Tower Bridge

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As mentioned earlier, trying to understand the tube was aboslutely chaotic. I think I'll stick to my car.

As mentioned earlier, trying to understand the tube was absolutely chaotic. I think I’ll stick to my car.

Lyceum theater where I saw the performance of The Lion King

Lyceum theater where I saw the performance of The Lion King

If there was one thing I was missing more than Starbucks and my boyfriend was Chipotle. I made it my mission the moment I stepped off the plane to find one AND I DID! It was the best 17$ burrito I've ever had.

If there was one thing I was missing more than Starbucks and my boyfriend was Chipotle. I made it my mission the moment I stepped off the plane to find one AND I DID! It was the best 17$ burrito I’ve ever had.

Lisa Goes to Ireland: Week 7

Week seven has come to a close and I’m already embarking on week eight. It’s hard to imagine that this journey is already half way through when really, I feel like I’m just beginning.

When I made the decision to study abroad I wasn’t prepared for how much this experience would change me. As mentioned in a few of my other posts, I had this ideology in my head of what studying abroad would like , and so far, It’s been nothing like I could have imagined. Studying in in Ireland has been a beautiful experience, but it’s not all roses and daisies like I expected it to be. Some days are really hard, I get home sick and begin to regret my decision to come here.  Some days are very exciting-I do exploring and learn more about this gorgeous country, and other days are just normal, where I watch Netflix and burry my head in homework. I also feel like I’ve learned so much about who I am through this process. I’m in a foreign country, alone and it’s kind of bad-ass. I’ve learned how to live a much simpler lifestyle, to be far more appreciative of things I have back home. I’ve learned that doing things on my own is not as scary as I thought and that traveling alone is extremely fun. I think I was very narrow minded in how I thought this experience would be, so to discover it’s nothing as I imagined was a beautiful and eye-opening realization to come to.

I’ve very much enjoyed reading through the blog posts of other students on here. It’s nice to see that I’m not alone in my experiences and that other people share in the similar things I’ve faced. It’s also been a great source to connect to people who understand what I’m going through this process. In fact, I connected with a girl from WOU who’s studying in London and we’re meeting up this weekend! I couldn’t be more excited!

This last weekend I had the chance to visit Dublin. I spent much of my time going back with Sarah before I left for Ireland trying to decide if I should go to Dublin or Limerick and after having the chance to visit Dublin this weekend, I’m SO glad I chose Limerick. Dublin is a gorgeous city, but it’s huge.  It didn’t have the “Irish-feel” I would have expected. Even while I’m Ireland I’ve spent a lot of time wondering if I should have studies in Dublin instead {I play a lot of ‘what iffs’ but visiting Dublin solidified how happy I am with my decision to be living in Limerick. Don’t get me wrong through, Dublin was a blast!

Limerick is fairly small and in the countryside, it has mountains and lush greenery everywhere you look. Dublin city is just much larger. Though they have far more shops and stores that Limerick does. They also have Starbucks and after going nearly two months without it, I was in Heaven! I had the chance to see a lot of iconic and quasi-touristy places while I was in Dublin too. I saw the Book of Kells, Trinity College, and The Guinness Factory. When my made the decision to study abroad I didn’t have my hopes up to visit many other countries in Europe because I wanted to be present in Ireland. I wanted to learn, visit, and see Ireland. Though I am traveling during my time here, I do feel that I’ve gotten very acquainted with Ireland and have seen much of what it has to offer.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be traveling to London, Belfast, which is in Northern Ireland and Scotland. I absolutely LOVE that that program I’m studying abroad through has trips included in the program. It’s a great way to see Ireland when I may not have otherwise had the opportunity.

 

Lisa goes to Ireland: Week 6

It’s hard to think that week five have already passed me by, and I’m embarking on week six. My journey is almost half way over and yet I feel like I’m just beginning. I had this ideology in my head of what studying abroad would look like and if I’ve learned anything over the last few weeks, it’s that things aren’t always how they appear.  Although I’m an introvert who doesn’t drink, I imagined that would suddenly change while I was here. That would suddenly go out to parties all the time, meet new people constantly, drink in bars till all hours of the night and that regardless of what I was doing, it would always be an adventure. That too is not the case. Studying abroad has been a beautiful experience, I’ve met new people, I’ve had adventures, but I’ve also spent quality time inside, with my self. I haven’t drank or gone to bars that many times while I’ve been here, and though that was how I imagined it to be, I’m okay that it’s not.

The last few weeks have been stressful, hence my lack of writing on my blog. I’ve more or less quit my job back home, have been applying relentlessly for new ones, while also trying to find a new place to live (bless my sister’s heart who has taken the reigns on finding me a place to live and moving me in while I’m gone). I was also offered a job, but because I’m in Ireland I had to decline. I’ve felt as though my life was passing me by in Oregon, and here I am in Ireland unable to do anything about it. I almost began to regret traveling abroad. I’d see pictures of my friends back home and I so desperately wished I was with them. It was as though I was trying so hard to live my life as if I was back in the states, that I forgot about the life I have here in Ireland and the incredible opportunity I have to be studying over here. A friend of mine has a tattoo that says, “breath in the moment”. I use to mock him relentlessly for it, but now I finally understand the meaning behind it. It’s the idea of being present wherever you are,to soak in and appreciate the here and now.  Since coming to that realization, my outlook on this experience has certainly changed.

This last week I decided to take full advantage of being in Ireland. My roommate and I visited the sweet little town of Ennis on Friday which is about an hour away from Limerick.  My favorite part about visiting new towns is the bus ride getting there. I love driving through Ireland and seeing the beautiful scenery. Ennis was a picturesque town with colored houses and adorable shops. Everyone was so nice too. Correction, everyone in Ireland is nice period, not just in Ennis. We visited a small coffee shop that had drinking chocolate. {if you don’t know the difference, I highly recommend you try it. It’s like hot chocolate but it’s made with real chocolate. Once you try it, you will never drink regular hot chocolate again}. The owner also set out complimentary blankets outside so you could drink your beverage outside and still be warm.   On Saturday my study abroad program went to Kilkenny which is about two hours from where I live.  There was only 2 people from my school going (the rest go to Dublin University so the taxi driver was so thoughtful and made stops along the way so we could see more Ireland. We stopped at a couple of castles along the way, which was fun. In Kilkenny we went to Kilkenny castle which a phenomenal sight to see. We also visited the Smithwick’s brewery. Smithwick’s is a very popular beer here. Personally, I thought it tasted like Bud Light, which is gross. No thank you! We did however get a free pint so I don’t have much to complain about (: The great thing about doing a study abroad program is that there are trips included in the cost. It really gives you the opportunity to see places that you may otherwise not have the chance to see.

I’ve made it a point to start exploring more of Ireland. It hit me the other day that I only have two more months is this beautiful country. The way of life is just completely different. It’s a slower pace, people are so friendly, friendly, generous, and always happy to strike up a conversation. People are traditional in their ways, and the kindness that is shown to strangers is unreal.  I’m feeling nostalgic for it and missing it already.

The most adorable little coffee shop in Ennis.

The most adorable little coffee shop in Ennis.

The sweet little town of Ennis.

The sweet little town of Ennis.

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I have never seen anything as beautiful as Ireland in the Fall.

I have never seen anything as beautiful as Ireland in the Fall.

A few of my friends from Dublin University. It's crazy to think that at the end of this journey I will have friends froma all over the word.

A few of my friends from Dublin University. It’s crazy to think that at the end of this journey I will have friends froma all over the word.

Smithwick's brewery. The beer wassn't so wonderful, but it was awesome to learn about its history see the facility.

Smithwick’s brewery. The beer wassn’t so wonderful, but it was awesome to learn about its history see the facility.

Killkenny Castle

Killkenny Castle

Rolling hills of Ireland. This is exactly how I imagined Ireland to be. The pictures don't serve as justice to how beautiful this country is.

Rolling hills of Ireland. This is exactly how I imagined Ireland to be. The pictures don’t serve as justice to how beautiful this country is.

Lisa goes to Ireland week 4/5

I’ve struggled with the motivation to sit at my computer and write about the last couple weeks, simply because nothing terribly exciting has happened.

It’s persumed that you’re going to have so many crazy adventures and experiences while you’re abroad and some weeks just aren’t excting-some weeks are normal.

I feel like I’m settled in am finally “home”. I’ve learned how to take the bus on my own, how to use public transportation, where the best places are to get groceries, and most importantly, I’ve found my favorite pubs.

Classes are going well. I find that classes here are significantly easier than back home.  As an education major, the sole purpose for me to come to Ireland was to learn about their academic system and I feel like I’ve acheived that goal. The downside however to classes being so easy, is the lack of motivation I have to actually study.

I guess when I pictured myself studying abroad, I imagined that I’d have tons of friends, crazy stories, adventures, parties etc. I imagined it never being a dull moment and much to my surprise, that’s not the case. I’m an introvert learned extrovert who doesn’t drink. I enjoy my solitute and staying in on the weekends. Lately I’ve been torn between being in Ireland and wanting to go out and experience new things, but also wanting to stay in, in the comfort of my “home” and just relax. I don’t want to look back at my time here and have regrets because I didn’t do anything. I guess this experience just wasn’t how I pictured it.

Homesickness has also taken a bit of a toll on me. There have been so many changes back home and it’s hard not being there. I feel as though my life is changing, yet I’m half way around the world and there’e nothing I can do about it.  Though I’m thankful for this experience and am excited to be here, I’m equally excited to be home.

I wish I had more to report on, but that’s all for now.

Week 3: Lisa goes to Ireland

I was able to study abroad by going through a program called, CIS abroad. In Ireland, they have two schools which they send students to: University of Limerick, and Dublin City University. The two universities are about two and a half hours away from each other so there isn’t a lot of interaction between us. However, as part of our program there are four excursions planned through out the year. The students from both universities in CIS Abroad attend the excursions together. It’s a great way to meet new students from other areas.

This last weekend we had our first excursion to Galway, which is about an hour and a half away from Limerick where I’m currently living. There are only three other students on my campus that are in the CIS program with me, however, there are fourteen students in Dublin. It was so great being introduced to a larger group of people. coincidently enough, there were two students from Western Oregon University, where I attend school in the states, studying in Dublin through CIS. It was so nice connecting with people from the my home state and school. Who would have thought that we would actually miss our small school in good ol’ Monmouth, Oregon, but enough about that-back to Galway.

Galway is a beautiful city. It was hard coming back to Limerick today because well.. Galway is SO much nicer than Limerick. Everything is within walking distance, the streets, the people, the shops etc was exactly the picture I saw in my head of what Ireland would look like.

The group stayed two nights in Galway in a hostel right downtown. This was my first experience staying in a hostel and it wasn’t terrible. We were lucky in that all the people in our room were from our program. Though I could see how it would be a little more awkward sharing a 12 bed room with 12 other people you don’t know. The room was crammed; here were 6 bunk beds and one bathroom with two showers and toilets. It was fun to experience staying in a hostel, as I’ve heard so much about them, however, I think from now on…I’ll stay with hotels.

While being in Galway we had the chance to visit the Aran Island, and the cliffs of moher. We took a ferry ride out to one of the three islands where we were able to see the cliffs of moher in passing. The island that we visited was the smaller of the three. It  has a population of around 200 people and is about 2.5 miles in size.  There were two schools on the island: a primary and secondary, a landing strip for planes to come and go, and 3 cafés / restaurants. It was an adorable island. You could rent bikes to get around and there were a few horse and buggies too. Though I can’t imagine ever living there. Any time you’d have to go to the store you would have to either fly or take a ferry which is about a 30 min ride. What is enjoyable about that? LOL. Though it was certainly fun to experience.

Along with visiting the islands, we also stopped to hike along the cliffs of moher. I’ve spent months looking at pictures of cliffs-captivated by the beauty of them. Yet as I stood along them, it still didn’t feel real. I couldn’t fathom that I was standing along one of the most beautiful attractions in the world. When people think of Ireland, if they often think of these cliffs, and here I was experiencing them.  It was a very surreal experience for me.

Galway was an incredible trip and by far one of the highlights since I’ve arrived in Ireland.

The island

The island

One of the ways of traveling on the island

One of the ways of traveling on the island

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Plassey ship reck that crashed along the island. Of the six people on the ship, all of them survived. When the ship crashed, it was carrying the first toilet to the island which is still in use today.

Plassey ship reck that crashed along the island. Of the six people on the ship, all of them survived. When the ship crashed, it was carrying the first toilet to the island which is still in use today.

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A few of the girls from DCU

A few of the girls from DCU

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Of the things I was prepared to see in Ireland: clear water and dolphins were not one of them.

Of the things I was prepared to see in Ireland: clear water and dolphins were not one of them.

Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher

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Downtown Galway

Downtown Galway

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First night out in Galway

First night out in Galway

The hostel we stayed in. As you can see, it is very crammed.

The hostel we stayed in. As you can see, it is very crammed.

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Irish Coffee (:

Irish Coffee (: t

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Week 2: Lisa goes to Ireland.

It’s hard to believe that week two is already coming to an end. It seems like just yesterday that I got off the plane and stepped into the beautiful country of Ireland. Time here seems to vanish in a blink of an eye. Though that could be because I’m still not entirely adjusted to the time and Europe is eight hours ahead.

I started my first week off classes and much to my surprise, they’re not nearly as difficult as I anticipated though they are HUGE. An average class back home is between 25-30 people, whereas here a single class may be anywhere from 100-500 people. I feared that going into a foreign country where a single class is six credits {and I’m taking four of them}, that I’d be ill-equipped and fail. Luckily, that does not seem to be the case. Most my classes have between two and four assignments over the entire term, including the final. One of my classes for instance has a singular paper that’s due at the end of the term and voila-that’s the class. It’s nice not having tiny five or ten point assignments thrown at you each week as busy work-this I could get use to.

I made it into the city alone this week which was a major accomplishment. Public transportation is a completely foreign concept to me, let alone doing so alone so this was a huge deal. Turns out, it’s not as terrible as I thought it would be. It’s almost freeing, not having to rely on anybody else. The problem with going with people is that you go with them wherever they want to go, and you may not have the time you want to spend at the stores you want to see. Learning to be alone or go places alone has been scary. I fear the judgement of others and am extremely self-conscious, but why? Being alone is a beautiful thing and is completely and utterly freeing.

The stereotype that the Irish drink a lot is not a stereotype it’s the bloody truth. People here party and go hard every single night.. even school nights. This is too is completely foreign to me. Back home I would find myself on a Friday night drinking a bottle of wine either alone or with my boyfriend, watching a documentary and in bed by 10pm-11 if I was feeling like a bad ass. Not to mention, I don’t really drink. I love the simple life that I have back home: it’s quiet, it’s quaint, and it’s mine. Life in Ireland is completely different. People socialize by going out to the bar and the clubs. One of the hardest transitions for me here in Ireland is laying my introvert tendencies to rest and pulling myself out of bed at 10pm to go socialize and the bar or club. Though I haven’t mastered this skill yet, as in, I haven’t summoned the energy to get out of bed at night to socialize, it’s my hope that I will. I need to let go and indulge in activities that I wouldn’t otherwise do back home-I need to explore different activities and even sides of myself. It’s so easy to fall into the habit of laying in bed watching Netflix alone, but I didn’t pay nearly $20,000 to have that type of experience. If that’s what I wanted, I should have stayed home.

I’d say that overall I’ve been very fortunate traveling to this country-I haven’t faced many big “culture shocks”. People speak English which is one less barrier I’ve had to face. I can’t imagine howe difficult it is for those individuals who’s second language is english. The weather here is also very similar to back home and the people are friendly, if not friendlier than back home as well.  Though people speak slightly different, and drive on the wrong side of the road, I’ve been very lucky that I haven’t faced any extreme differences between back home. In fact, being in Ireland feels like home.<3

Also, HUGE shoutout to Sarah Nagel who has answered every single one of e-mails about helping me register for classses. Trying to find classes over here that meet the requirments back home has pain such a pain in the bum. Sarah has been AWESOME about helping me find classes last minute. Thank you!!!