Cliffs of Moher
It’s sights like these that make you forget how much work you’ll have to do with you get back to campus. Right now, Sarah and I are in the midst of the most stressful time in being abroad. Classes here typically do not have daily work, which sounds nice and all until you reach those later weeks in the semester where everything is due. At the moment, Sarah and I are working on assignments that are worth half or more of our final grade. In classes, you will typically have a paper worth about 50% and then either a presentation or group project or maybe even both. We are taking a total of five classes over here, but only have two exams to take during the two week exam period. So we are looking forward to traveling most of December!
Our weekend excursions with ISA make us forget about all of our school work. These excursions allow us to see the beautiful western country of Ireland. On this excursion, we saw the stunning Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs of Moher are one of the biggest sites to see while visiting Ireland. So a trip to Ireland is not complete until you have seen the famous cliffs!
The Ring of Kerry
From Sarah Hughes in Limerick:
ISA took the group on a bus tour of the Ring Kerry. The bus stopped along the way so we were able to take pictures. The Ring of Kerry is so beautiful. It is amazing to see what God has created and I stand in awe of His wonderful creation. Also, I touched the ocean for the first time! The water was really cold and it was the Atlantic Ocean. It was an incredible experience.
Adare-Rugby Game
From Sarah Hughes in Limerick:
In the last week of September, I went to a small village named Adare. This place is so cute and very small. ISA took the group on a small tour of the village and we went to a castle. The castle is very rich in history and I enjoyed to hear all of it. The streets are lined with different places to eat and different boutiques to go into. Most of the boutiques were very pricey but it was nice to walk in and look around.
After going to Adare, three friends and I went to a Rugby game. Since we are in the study abroad program, we were able to get free tickets and go to the game. It was very cold outside so it was a good thing I wore my jacket and hat. The team for Limerick is Munster and they won. Rugby is an interesting sport because it is somewhat like football but different in many ways. I was a little confused so the person sitting next to me explained what was happening to my friends and me. I have met so many amazing people here in Ireland and I am enjoying every second of it.
Limerick, IE: Weeks 2&3
Whew. Two weeks down and many more to go! These past weeks have been the shortest days but yet have been the longest days of our lives. I don’t think Sarah or I were expecting to take this much time to adjust to a new culture. Now that we have spent the last two weeks in Limerick, we are finally feeling settled into our new home.
I think the hardest part of adjusting to life in Ireland has been the class structures. Fortunately for international students, we get the first two weeks of classes for figure out our schedule. Now that the two week time period is over, we are feeling much more established. So far, we both are taking all of the same classes and feel so welcomed by the professors.
During the week, not much happens besides attending classes and figuring out how to cook for ourselves, so we look forward to the excursions ISA has planned for us!
On the 8th of September, ISA took us to Limerick city centre where we explored Limerick’s Milk Market, then toured St. Mary’s Cathedral and King John’s Castle.
St. Mary’s Cathedral is one of the oldest buildings in Limerick and was beautiful. I felt right at home when we heard their massive organ playing as we toured the place. Then we moved onto St. John’s Castle and climbed to the top of the tower where the views of Limerick were terrific!
On Saturday the 15th of September our ISA group toured Bunratty Castle, which so far was our favorite place ever! Not only is there the castle, but a whole village! It was the cutest thing you could ever see. We fed some goats and pigs, talked to the sweetest old man for 20 minutes, and saw Ireland’s beautiful countryside.
Dublin & Limerick, Ireland
Wow! I am in Ireland…I’m scared….I’m nervous…I’m excited…I’m so blessed!
Downtown Dublin, Ireland
God has truly been with me this entire journey and I have leaned on Him so much throughout this entire process. Within the past seven days, I have landed in Dublin, got my passport stamped, met other ISA participants, seen Dublin Castle, took pictures of Trinity College, toured Kilmainham, explored Dublin, taken a bus to the University of Limerick, moved into my house, and had orientation week. Ireland is nothing like what I expected it to be and it is so much more than the pictures I have seen of the country. The city of Limerick is much smaller than Dublin, which I love, but it makes me feel a little more at ease.
Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland
By far my favorite thing about Ireland is its history. Dublin Castle and Kilmainham are so rich in history and I wish I had learned more about them when I was in elementary school or high school. I do not remember learning any of its history in school and every place we have visited in Ireland has a rich historical background. I am soaking up everything here and cannot wait to hear more about their history in some of the classes I’m taking.
Dublin Castle in Dublin, Ireland
Kilmainham in Dublin, Ireland (A historical prison)
Off to Orientation week…. This week was filled with a lot of information on the school. It really felt like freshmen orientation all over again. There are a variety of international students who are from all over the world which is really cool because I am meeting students from France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and Spain. Actually, I have three housemates who are from different parts of Europe. One is from France, one is from Spain, and the other is from Sweden. Also, going from a school of 700 students to a school of 13,000 students is a bit of an adjustment.
