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.
Copenhagen and Brussels
Spring break has started for NUIG, and I intend to make the most of it! I am currently sitting in a hostel in Brussels, trying to give me feet a break from constant walking. But I am getting ahead of myself, I left Galway on Friday afternoon to travel to my first spring break destination: Copenhagen. The capital of Denmark was cold, beautiful, and expensive. I bundeled up with all the layers I had (I am traveling with just a backpack for these two weeks of break) to brace the Baltic temperature. (0°C aka 32°F)That may not seem to bad for a Minnesotan, but with only a light raincoat, this Irish lass was a bit chilly. I started my day at the Nyhavan Canal since my hostel was located right next to it. This street is everything I dreamed Copenhagen would be: brightly colored buildings and boats made even that chilly day warm and friendly. I even got to go on a canal ferry ride to experience all of Copenhagen’s beautiful canals.
Before this visit I was not aware that Denmark even had nobility, but after touring three palaces I can’t deny the powers of some kings and queens. Amalienborg Palace, Christiansborg Castle, and Rosenborg Castle are all extremely beautiful and ornate. Below are picture of each (one outside and one inside) in alphabetical order.
I walked through Copenhagen all Saturday and most of Sunday until I had to hop on the metro to the airport. I got into Brussels late Sunday night and started yet another day of walking in the morning. There are so many beautiful buildings and statues in Brussels; the most impressive being the Grand Place. The picture below is only the beginning of the beauty because every point of a 360° spin fills your eyes with impressive buildings.
The architecture is amazing, but the best part of Brussels is the food. Belgian waffels are certainly better in Belgium than in America, Belgian frites beat McDonald’s fries any day, and meatball means a whole different thing over here. Not to mention the souvenir of some good old chocolate that I will struggle to make last until I get back to Ireland. All in all it’s been a good start. Tomorrow I will hop on a bus to Amsterdam, but that’s a story for another time.
Week 8: Storm Emma
It seems as though I brought a little bit of Minnesota to Ireland this past weekend. The whole country went into Code Red shutdown as Storm Emma and the Beast from the East pummeled the land with snow. In reality, we only got a few inches, but to an Irish person, this was unheard of. All of the bread disappeared from grocery stores as people stocked up and NUIG cancelled college for Thursday and Friday. Snowball fights and snowmen littered Galway as most shops closed up for the storm. I was just happy to see some snow. My friend Adrienne and I built a snowwoman named Patricia outside my house, but she didn’t last very long! All of the snow has already melted to reveal the green grass and daffodils underneath.
While I am thankful the weather gave me a few days off of class, it also wrecked some plans. On Sunday my ISA group was scheduled to visit the Cliffs of Moher, but an hour into the bus ride we received a phone call saying that the cliffs were closed. In order to not waste a trip, we stopped in The Burren to see the limestone plateau. There I was still able to sit on the edge of a cliff and gaze across the ocean. The limestone was such a unique feature, and we were able to explore as much as our cold feet and fear of heights would allow us. Ireland is full of such beautiful landscape, but it is nice to know that staring across the ocean, I am looking toward home.
