Dia dhuit

I have lived in Ireland for 16 days already! It’s crazy how fast this short time is already flying by! Since the moment the airplane broke through the blanket of clouds, I find things about this place that I fall in love with every day. Whether it’s the sheer beauty of the land, or the friendly people, or the friends I’ve made thus far, every step has been quite grand!

Luckily, when I arrived I was able to unpack my luggage quickly and then catch a nap and get acclimated to being five hours ahead of usual. It didn’t take too long to adjust. Within the first few days in Limerick, I met so many people from all around the world especially at the various orientation sessions we had to attend. I also learned about things like an immersion (you have to heat your own water at certain times of the day and you cannot forget to turn it back off!). Also, that every time I wanted to use an outlet not only did I have to use my adaptor, but I also had to make sure I flipped the switch to turn on the outlet. It was like freshman year all over again, but this time more interesting! We were even treated to a traditional Irish music, song, and dance performance by Celtic Steps. This was definitely a highlight to kick off the semester!

I never thought about the availability of shops internationally, but just for clarification they are not the same as home. Close to campus we have a few grocery-type shops, a TK Maxx (fancy and expensive version of TJ Maxx), and a few miscellaneous stores in a shopping centre. All within a mile walking distance. City Centre however, is about three miles, still walking distance (it’s been done multiple times!) The City Centre is unlike any in the states. The architecture of every building, statue, and bridge is laid out to flow around the Shannon. To me, it was much like a step back in time with modern elements. The perk of being in proximity to the City Centre of Limerick is special for internationals this year because Limerick is the ‘City of Culture’ for 2014, so there is always some sort of something going on in town especially on the weekends. My first weekend in particular, the Royal De Luxe parade was occurring. It was a pretty neat sight to see this huge puppet be controlled by all these people and remote controls. We found this cute little café called Jack Monday’s overlooking the Shannon and King John’s Castle. It was a wonderful place to sit and relax with an ammaazziingg view!! Being in town also provides the chance to interact with locals J One Saturday when my friends and I were walking around, we popped into this quaint Celtic bookshop to look around and ended up talking to the owner for quite some time. She even asked if I was a member of the O’Brien family because I was identical looking to someone she knew from that family. It was exciting to be thought of as an Irish.

My first trip was to the beautiful County Clare. On this trip I was able to visit one of the most prestigious sights in Ireland- the Cliffs of Moher. It was more beautiful than I imagined it would be. For me, it was just crazy to actually be there, standing in a place that I have always dreamed of seeing for myself. It was quite an experience!! And to top it all off, I lived a little on the adventurous side and sat at the edge of the cliffs. It was exhilarating and terrifying all at once, but more than anything else it was definitely one of those moments that I will never forget, a snip-it in time that will forever be a lasting memory.

A week after I arrived classes began. I started to get back into the flow of school, after being off since the beginning of May. Two of my favorite things about going to a university in Ireland is 1) I can learn the Irish language from a fluent speaker of the language and 2) I can learn Irish dance from the Irish World Academy and get school credit to dance! Also, the variety of club and society opportunities available is outstanding!! I decided to join the International Club, Dance UL, and Archery. Archery might be my favorite so far J

To begin our third week in Limerick, my friends and I decided to spend our Sunday walking and we took the river walk along the Shannon River to walk into town. It was a nice two+ hour walk along the beautiful river, all the while playing a movie version of twenty-questions. I’m sure we were entertaining the people passing by us along the way with our enthusiasm! The beginning of this week, I fell to the statistic of the number of internationals that become sick within their first few months abroad; along with most of my housemates. The climate here is much different from that at home and it hit me. But I have some wonderful friends who are taking care of me and making sure I stay well and sane. We even had our first scary movie night on Monday. The movie was actually scary, to everyone’s surprise!

I still cannot believe that I have been abroad for three weeks! My journey thus far has surpassed my expectations! I have met so many lovely people, who I know I will stay friends with long after this journey together comes to an end. When I decided within in myself that I was going to make this semester happen for me, I never would have thought that I would be as in love with this country, the people around me, and everything offered. Being abroad so far for this short time has already began to change me and open my mind. I’m excited about the rest of what the semester has to come, and I can’t wait to savor every moment of my time here.

 

 

Cliffs of Moher

Bridge in City Centre

King John Castle