Wow, what a week it has been so far! I've only been in Dublin for 6 days, but it feels like it has been at least a month! This week has been full of learning experiences, opportunities, and the making of several new friendships. Even though the transition has been a little tough, I have had an absolute blast so far and classes haven't even started yet. I am so thankful that I am able to be here in Dublin, and so so thankful for my sweet friend, Ellen, for joining me on this crazy journey.
As I began the week, I was bursting with excitement to start my new adventure, and I could not wait to begin the Orientation events. After having the "opportunity" to go back to the Student Residence Office to fix my UCard, I was able to begin the arduous task of unpacking. During this task, I realized that I needed a lot of things from the store for my room before I could be fully unpacked. Thankfully, I was able to go on the free bus to IKEA on Monday to get hangers and other items that I needed for my apartment. By that night, it was starting to feel like home... except for the ice station zero temperatures that were going on in my room. It was so cold, and I couldn't figure out how to turn on the heat, so I bundled up in as many layers as I could and headed for bed.
On Tuesday, I got my Leap Card for the bus system, walked around the beautiful campus, and went on my first adventure to Tesco. My parents had been bugging for the last three weeks about going to Tesco for groceries, and I am glad I listened to them. This store was amazing! They had everything I wanted and there was a HUGE supply of tea. I have never seen a section of an aisle that big strictly reserved for tea! It was amazing. The rest of the day was spent at an International Student Welcome event -where we got cool scarves and felt like we were going to Hogwarts- and attended the reception afterwards. At the reception, I met so many wonderful new friends from several different states and countries and we chatted for a long time. We then took the party over to The Clubhouse which is a bar on campus. The concept of having a bar on campus was so foreign to me, but it was also quite nice. It provided a nice space for us to chat and get to know one another while trying some of Ireland's finest drinks.
The next few days were filled with trips to Tesco and Boots, meeting new friends, growing friendships, going to the pubs, and learning all about UCD. As I continued through the week, I started getting really excited for classes to start and all the activities that come with the commencement of classes. On Saturday, my friends and I took a walking tour of Dublin, and our tour guide was this kind, flat cap wearing Irishman who took us all around the South side of the Liffey and showed us several of the important buildings in Dublin. I had a great time taking in the history of Ireland and meeting even more new people along the way.
One of my favorite aspects of this experience so far is the ease of conversation between the international students and the excitement shared about touring Dublin and the rest of Ireland. I have also learned a lot about myself over the past 6 days and am eager to see how I continue to grow and develop during my time in Ireland. One of my biggest achievements so far has been mastering the art of getting from UCD to City Center via the Dublin Bus. It's not a large accomplishment, but once I figured it out, I felt really cool. I'm hoping Jonny will be impressed when I take him around the city!!
More photos will be uploaded tonight, so be on the lookout for those!
* Weekly Tea Trivia: Black tea has half the amount of caffeine compared to coffee.
Cheers,
Anna