Blog 2 – A Grand Beginning

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Dia duit friends!

 

Hehe! That’s ‘hello’ in Irish! How cool is that?! It’s wild to think that I have officially been living in Ireland for nearly two weeks! But may I say, WOW! It’s unbelievable here and I can’t wait to tell you all about my arrival and first impressions in this blog! Thank you for your time reading this! I hope that you get excited about Ireland like I do! 

 

To start off like normal, I have my three gratitudes for you! However, I must say that I have a tremendous amount of gratitudes in my daily journal as this whole experience has been loads of fun! 

Three things I am grateful for:

  1. The People (they are so kind, helpful, warm, and inviting).
  2. Cars Stopping (no matter where you are crossing the road, cars will come to a halt, in no time, to let pedestrians safely cross the street – it’s amazing).
  3. Prayer (guys – we GET to pray to the God of the universe, who made all things)!

 

For my topic this week, I have the opportunity to share with you what my arrival and my first impressions are of Ireland, Limerick, and the University of Limerick (UL)! 

For my arrival:

  • Flying into Shannon International Airport
  • Checking into my accommodation 
  • Grocery shopping 
  • Orientation week 
  • Modules begin 

 

To start, my friend, Laura Kopplin, and I flew into Shannon International Airport and it was the most beautiful view! It was early in the morning, the rain had just ended, and the sun was peeking out through the clouds. This allowed for the luscious green landscape to pervade every inch of sight and to showcase the natural beauty of land that could only be fashioned by God! I literally cried tears of joy. 

We continued our journey of collecting our luggage, getting our passports stamped for study abroad immigration, and boarding the Hynan Travel bus to take us to our village. Once we arrived at our accommodation, we were able to easily check into our house, receive our keys, and unpack in our rooms!

With living in a house and no cafeteria on campus, Laura and I had to go shopping straight away! We went to the local grocery store, Lidl, where we purchased our necessities. For the first time in my life, I had to actually grocery shop for myself. I was very out of my comfort zone thinking about what food I would need to survive three meals (plus snacks) every day – by the grace of God, I had Laura with me! Now, I am feeling a lot more confident in what I need, what I like, and I have even been giving ideas for what to make for dinner! Laura has been graciously teaching me her wonderful ways in the kitchen!

Then, I had to overcome the obstacles of orientation week. These lectures brought much excitement and loads of stress. I quickly learned that we had to create our own timetables (class schedules), avoiding clashes with other modules, finding classes that were available to international students, getting into modules with limited space, and emailing professors. This felt like a weight that was pressed down on my shoulders. I was in a new country, with a new school system, and all of a sudden, I had to figure this out too. I was anxious and nervous, especially when one of the classes I really needed to take could no longer be taken. This caused me to have a moment with God. One day, I just prayed a deep prayer about surrender. I decided that I was no longer going to stress about my timetable or anything else. Rather, I would surrender it all to the Lord and begin to enjoy this incredible experience. Since then, I have been feeling calm and inexplicably joyful ever since! 

Now that modules have begun, there is a bit of uncertainty because not all of the tutorial and lab classes are taking place in the first week. However, I am still surrendering my burdens to God and I am finding peace as I enjoy some free time and the opportunity to soak in new content. I really love my professors thus far and I am thoroughly looking forward to all of the learning that is to come and the growth that may ensue! 

 

My first impressions of Ireland:

  • IMMENSE beauty everywhere 
  • Kindness of people
  • The vastness of UL
  • How quickly the weather can change 

 

The very first thought I had when landing in Shannon was, “Wow. I can’t believe I am here. This is a dream come true. The land is stunning!” and then I cried happy tears. The green landscapes are absolutely breathtaking. But the beauty of this place does not just come from the land, it comes from the hearts of the people. Their genuine care and love towards people is uncanny. They want to make connections with me. They ask where I am from and try to connect my response to their previous schema. They care why I am here and if I like their home. They will reach out to me to ask if I have any questions before I could even think of forming a question. I feel incredibly welcomed here. 

Additionally, the campus is massive. There are lots of buildings and as one orientation leader said, “Oh my, the main building is bananas!” This is true! The first floor is “G”, second is “O”, third is “M”, fourth is “1”, fifth is “2”, and sixth is “3.” Not only are those floors whacky, but then there are sections A, B, C, D, and E that are all separate buildings/blocks connected to one another with all of these floors and classrooms willy-nilly. Needless to say, finding classes can be a real hoot! But every person is willing to help if I just use my words and ask (or if I look like a wandering lost American duck) 😅. I had a wonderful young man walk past me the other day and turn around to ask if I needed assistance finding a class because I looked confused—how amazing is that?! 

Finally, the weather can change lickety-split! One second there is sun and with the snap of a finger, it is downpouring rain! Lesson learned—never leave home without a raincoat! 

 

These past days have been a blur, but have been filled with incredible moments. Upon reflection, I am certain that I am exactly where I need to be and I couldn’t be happier to have the space and time to create healthy habits, to make mistakes, and to learn. All of which help me to gain perspective and understanding. 

 

Highlights of my first days in Ireland include:

  1. Meeting new people from all over the world (Ireland, Germany, France, Netherlands, India, Hungry, Turkey, U.S., and Sweden)
  2. Completing personal daily devotions 
  3. Learning the words that are used in everyday language here (Grand = very good, good, okay, not okay, bad, Craic = fun, Chips = french fries, Crisps = chips, etc.) 
  4. A campus scavenger hunt that I completed with two friends from the U.S., two friends from France, and a friend from Germany (we made a story out of pictures and had an absolute blast)
  5. A majestic bike ride around the Aran Island of Inis Oirr 
  6. Watching the extraordinary “Celtic Steps” show

 

Low-lights of my first days in Ireland include:

  1. The stress of figuring out my timetable 
  2. Figuring out communication with time change
  3. Frustration from different communication styles among cultures 

 

Learned Insights from the Low-lights:

  1. There is no need to stress. God is in control. He provides, and He asks that we cast our anxiety on Him because He cares for us. With this in mind, I ought to surrender myself and my stress to Him who cares. 
  2. Though time change is hard, it is temporary and healthy to step out of my comfort zone and not talk to people back home every day. This provides me with amazing opportunities to talk with more people in my house and to attend later events on campus! I can make memories, make friendships, and try new things! 
  3. Communication is a way of life and depending on culture, may look different. I experienced a moment of asking a question with direct communication and I received an answer with indirect communication. I was confused and still didn’t understand. But, this helped me to conclude that when there is variance in communication styles, it is okay to recognize this and not be afraid to ask for clarification. It does no one good if there is no understanding. Therefore, even when it is awkward, I have found that it is important for me to use my words and ask more questions so that I can know what I need to do to succeed. 

 

Scripture that has been close to my heart these past days:

  • Luke 22:41-42 – “And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” 
  • Matthew 16:25 – “Whoever wants to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
  • John 14:1 – “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” 

 

This is all that has been on my heart and on my mind these past days! Truly, I couldn’t feel more joy or more gratitude for this opportunity. I absolutely adore Ireland and all that it has to offer. I look forward to many more memories made and adventures taken over the next few months! May the Lord continue to richly bless you always! 

 

With love, 

Katie Gilkey