Blog #3 Village Vibes: Studying and Staying in Limerick

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Dia duit! Hello! And Good Day! (pronounced dee-uh g-witch)

It has been just about a month of living in Ireland! You may be wondering if there are dorms on campus or if I live with a host family. What is the housing accommodation like? I live in the Plassey Residence Village, which is pretty much a small apartment complex. There are a few different villages all around campus to accommodate all the students. Each village is comprised of small apartments, each with its own door to the outside. Plassey Village is only about a 15-minute walk to the center of campus and most of my classes. This is pretty typical for all the villages. Each apartment houses 4, 6, or 8 people. My apartment holds 4 bedrooms, each with a twin bed with storage drawers underneath, a desk and chair, a wardrobe, and a sink with cabinet space. We also have a shared living space with a couch, TV, dining table and chairs, and a kitchen. 

I live with 3 other lovely ladies—Katie, Nessa, and Eli. We love living together this semester, and I couldn’t be happier with how my housing arrangements turned out. We’ve settled into a routine in the evenings of making dinner and watching a few episodes of Gilmore Girls. I love getting to experiment in the kitchen that I only share with 3 girls instead of an entire dormitory. Friday nights are pizza and movie nights for Katie and me, and we look forward to them every week!

We have a routine of going shopping together each weekend. We make a list of places we need to visit, such as the Milk Market (a farmers’ market), Savvas Music store for Irish tin whistles, Dunnes for groceries or clothes, Penny’s for clothes, Michael Guiney’s for kitchen things, and a local shop for a sweet treat or coffee! We plan our day and make our shopping lists. We check the 304 and 304A bus routes and times (always estimated as it’s usually late). We spend the morning or most of the day in town, making Dunnes our last stop for groceries before catching the bus back to the village.

As the University of Limerick hosts 18,000+ students, there are quite a few differences between MLC and its 600+ students. The laundry room in my village has 3 washers and 3 dryers for 40+ apartments. MLC provides 8 washers and 8 dryers in the Augustana dormitory for 190+ girls. There are 2 bathrooms in my apartment, shared between 4 girls. Augustana contains 1 large bathroom with 6 toilets and showers, and 10 sinks for an entire floor of girls.

I live in a village called Plassey,

The weather is not too nasty. 🌦️🌈

With Nessa and Eli, and Katie,

We four girls live steady.

We are all pretty classy.

 

In the village four girls live.

Many memories we give.

Apartments are vast.

But we all will last.

Our kitchen has no sieve.

 

Dishes and plates we had.

Upon our arrival, we were glad.

To the store we must go.

And tote bags in tow.

The bus with us and our cargo.

 

Four bedrooms for four.

We have lots of doors.

Twelve you see

And this must be

For we have things to store.

 

To Guiney’s we shall ‘venture,

For I must have a blender.

Soup I want to create

But puree need to make.

This has brought me much splendor.

 

Studying and staying in Limerick,

It must be considered a picnic.

Little friends do we see, 🕷️

That should be in a tree. 🐝

Our kitchen has tiny sidekicks.

 

There are too many good songs to choose from, so here are two!

Irish Pub Song, by The High Kings: https://youtu.be/bp3UsU5pQT8?si=qQ8SZcD7cdcTPccb

Hills of Connemara, by Gaelic Storm: https://youtu.be/rREMPw8U2No?si=3iKjg-4H-7AVBVi9

 

Blog #2 First Impressions

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It is the end of week two! I arrived safely at the Shannon airport and was picked up by the University bus. We were dropped off at our accommodations and unpacked right away. We took a short walk around the campus just to see a few places and had the rest of the day to visit the grocery store and rest. I am living in Plassey Village. Stay tuned for more details later in my next post. 🙂 After two weeks, I have already noticed some key differences.

First, I noticed that the Irish drive on the left side of the road. I was aware of it going into my travels, but it’s very odd to actually see it in person and experience it. 

After a week of orientation and presentations, my first adventure in Ireland was to the Aran Islands off the west coast of mainland Ireland. There are three islands that make up the Aran Islands. After a 2-hour bus ride, we boarded a ferry to the smallest of the three—Inis Oírr, pronounced “Inisheer.” I’m very thankful for the experienced bus drivers who are able to drive many international students down the narrow roads of Ireland. Some chose to walk the island, some chose a horse and cart, but Katie G. and I rented bikes like the Irish do. We practiced biking on the left side of the one-lane road (It got much easier as the day progressed.). We biked all day, taking in all the amazing views of the little island. We saw cows, old ruins of a church and castle, a graveyard and church, horses, a small beach, a shipwreck from 1960, and bought fudge from a local stand—Man of Aran Fudge.

Second, the people of Ireland are all nice folks. They are so welcoming to all international students and are curious about where we call home. Even the drivers on the road are nicer to pedestrians than I’m accustomed to. In the States, I would have to wait for two or three cars to pass before I could walk. Yet, here, the cars and even the city buses stop for pedestrians within a relatively short distance!

Friends are everywhere around us; you just have to look for them. I have met people from Belgium, Ireland, India, Hungary, the US, Sweden, France, Germany, Turkey, England, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Denmark! I attended the scavenger hunt hosted on UL’s campus for international students as a bonding activity. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into it, and I wasn’t entirely sure if I wanted to do it. In the end, I couldn’t have had more fun! I met three lovely ladies, two from France and one from Germany! We had lots of laughs and created memories together. We all even ended up going out for coffee after the scavenger hunt—something I never expected to happen in my first week. Getting out of your comfort zone is a big piece of finding the best experiences and meeting new friends! It’s not easy, by any means. But the first step is learning to be okay with being uncomfortable—because you never know who you’ll meet or the amazing memories you’ll come away with!  

Song to check out! → “Come In” by the Irish Rovers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXozFVGO2ok&list=RDwXozFVGO2ok&start_radio=1

—

Laura Kopplin

Blog #1 Pre-departure, Goals, and Expectations

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In just a few days, the countdown ends, my plane takes off, and the adventure officially begins. On August 31st, I’ll land at Shannon Airport in Ireland, with classes starting shortly after on September 8th.

There will no doubt be highs and lows along the way, but I’m incredibly excited to share this journey with you. Stay tuned for more updates on my Irish adventure!

Last semester, at the end of my pre-departure class, we were challenged to write down our expectations and goals as we prepared for this experience. It was a meaningful way to reflect on what lies ahead—and now, it’s almost here.

 

Expectations of Myself:

I expect to talk with close friends and family about the ebb and flow of new experiences and being away from the most familiar people and places.

I expect to learn about the Irish culture and how it differs from mine.

 

Expectations of the Worldstrides Study Abroad Program and the University of Limerick:

I expect the program to communicate with me and share announcements or updates about the excursions.

I expect the program to be prepared at my arrival, provide me with the information I need, and support me in obtaining the necessary credentials for entry.

 

Apprehensions:

How will the 6-hour time difference affect communications with those back home?

Will this trip be everything I imagined since I started planning in the spring of 2023?

 

Goals for the Semester:

I want to leave my comfort zone and still be okay being uncomfortable.

I want this experience to enrich my connections with the people at home.

 

Music has played a significant role in my life. I am a consumer of music, not a composer. It has the power to transport us, to stir memories, and even to lift the soul in praise to the Lord.

The more music you listen to, the more you begin to understand your tastes—what moves and doesn’t. You come to expect a particular style from musicians, and when you press play, you expect a song to play based on the title listed.

For the past two years, ever since the planning began, I’ve been arranging an Irish music playlist—filled with popular tunes, film soundtracks, and personal favorites. As I share this journey with you, I’ll include a link to a song with each post. It might be a track I simply love, or it may connect to a place I’ve visited or a moment from this semester—like today’s selection.

So for now, I’ll leave you with An Irish Blessing…

May the road rise to meet you

May the wind be at your back

May the sun shine warm upon your face

May the rain fall softly on your fields

And until we meet again

May you keep safe

in the gentle loving arms of God.

https://youtu.be/5mtR9qoISPU?si=_Rm8FBxknmeMCPiZ