Blog 3 – Classy Plassey
Happy day, friends!
Holi cannoli! Can you believe it? I have been living in Ireland for a month, and may I say, I still love it just as much as I did when I got here the very first day! The living arrangements certainly help to make me feel at home, which is what I am thrilled to share with you in this blog! Thank you for your kindness in reading this, and I hope that it makes you thankful for the home that God has blessed you with!
Speaking of “thankful”, I find myself silently thanking God for so many things every day! I really do believe that positivity is healing, and my gratitudes have kept me full of joy, even when harder moments have occurred! Here are some of my gratitudes from these past few weeks!
Three things I am grateful for:
- Irish Dancing (it is a tremendously beautiful way to move the body)
- My Housemates (we go on adventures all the time, make memories, have ‘Gilmore Girls’ dinner nights, laugh, and just have loads of fun together)
- Walking (it is such a blessing to have the ability to walk, to take in everything around, and enjoy physical activity in such a unique/individualized manner)
My prompt for this blog focuses on my living arrangements in Limerick, and I am excited to share with you how I have made what could be seen as grotesque into something that has become home!
My Accommodations:
- I live on campus.
- I live in a village.
- I live with three gals and many bugs.
- I live in a much more individualized environment than the housing at MLC.
I don’t know if your brain is like this or not, but I most certainly am someone who needs to visualize my living space prior to arrival. Throughout my years of living in dorms, I always had a freak-out moment sometime in the summer when I needed to know exactly where my new room would be, what the setup would be, what my window would look out at, etc. I just like to have a game plan of how to make my new environment look like home and what I would want to pack to make it feel like home, you know?! Anyway, I had my annual-summer-mental-new-housing freak-out moment prior to coming to Ireland, and I decided to look up on the UL website what the housing arrangements looked like. I began to feel better about what I was seeing until I realized that there are 6 on-campus villages and 3 off-campus villages, and I did not know which village I would be living in! Umm, guys, that was a mega problem on aisle nine! But don’t fret…I figured it out! 😁
It just so happens that I have the incredible opportunity to live in Plassey Village, which is technically on campus, but the village is located just outside of the campus flagpoles. The village is filled with little houses that are connected together and placed along little stone streets. I totally feel like the outside aesthetic of the houses gives epic fairytale vibes! Hehe…sometimes I feel like Snow White walking to my cottage, trying to take shelter from a ton of rain! However, I do have to walk a fair distance to get to important places on campus. For example, for me to walk to the center of campus, I have to walk about 0.6 miles. For me to walk to any of my Irish dance classes, I have to walk about 1 mile (one direction). Needless to say, I am grateful for the ability to walk and for the time that I get to pray or be in deep thought as I make my way around campus!
I am truly blessed. I have the opportunity to live with three amazing gals: Laura, Vanessa, and Eli! God is just so good! We all get along wonderfully, respect one another, have classes together, and love going on adventures together! I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to live with and to call my friends! The amount of love and support that we are able to give to one another fills my cup with so much joy!
We do, however, have a few other friends that like to live with us as well…bees and spiders! We often find our flying friends in the kitchen with us, and I have learned to enjoy their spritely company as they buzz around the air and I buzz around making food! Our 8-legged friends, on the other hand, are much less liked. They come in a variety of sizes and are smashingly good at surprising us when we least expect it! 🙃 Most of the time, I freak out when there is a spider, and I could not be more thankful for Laura’s prompt and speedy spider-attacking abilities! Do not worry, though, we have now found a solution that has helped…peppermint oil on cotton balls! This leads to fewer emotional attacks on us and fewer physical attacks on the spiders. If you have a problem with this yourself, I highly recommend this tactic – “it is so choice”! I do still have one webbed friend that likes to live above my closet, but we have compromised. I have agreed to let him cohabitate in my room as long as he doesn’t move – we will see how long this lasts…
Aside from my new friends and fairytale housing, it is pretty independent living. I have my own room with my own sink! Side note…this is a brilliant idea to have a sink in the room! It makes getting ready in the morning and at night SO much easier! Then, Vanessa and I share a bathroom on the second floor, and Laura and Eli have their rooms and bathroom on the first floor. Together, we share a kitchen and living room space on the second floor! We have the best times cooking and watching “Gilmore Girls” on the couch! This is much different from MLC, as we have individual rooms, only share a bathroom with one other person, have a sink in our rooms, only live in a building with four people total, cook for ourselves, and are fully responsible for our own lives with no one checking in on us. The one thing that is like MLC is the laundry room. We have one laundry room with three washers and three dryers for the entire village. I have had one too many kerfuffles while trying to do laundry here, and I miss having more machines and dryers – thank you MLC for providing machines that work a lot better than these! As usual, I am still VERY careful to not get concussed on the dryer door again…
Overall, the living conditions are wonderful and I have put up Bible verses all over my room for decoration! It makes me feel so at home and I love having some space to myself! I thank God for allowing me to experience a more independent lifestyle where I can learn responsibilities that I would not get at MLC!
These past few weeks have been extremely busy, but filled with so much life and vibrancy! Each day is a beautiful continuation of the day before and presents opportunities to talk to new people and form connections around the globe! There are an abundance of activities to do, places to serve, and people to interact with. Life here is real, raw, and ravishing.
Highlights of my month in Ireland include:
- I was accepted into the UL Global Ambassador’s Programme (I will be writing more blogs and hopefully making yoga/pilates videos to be posted on UL social media)
- Visiting Bunratty Castle and the Ring of Kerry (absolutely stunning sites)
- Joining the Environmental Society
- Beginning Irish Dance Classes (it is SO much harder than it looks)
- Seeing the amazing ways that Ireland stresses caring for the environment (sorting trash, litter picking, recycling bottles at the store, using reusable cups/bags, using paper towels that are on a roll and are fabric, etc.)
- Teaching a lesson on past and present tense on the spot in my TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) class
Low-lights of my month in Ireland include:
- Feeling very isolated and out of place in particular environments
- Getting on the wrong bus
- Pain with dancing
Learned Insights from the Low-lights:
- Though there are particular moments of isolation or feeling like I don’t belong, these are the moments that provide me with opportunities to step out of my comfort zone and try to talk to people that I might not normally speak with! These are the moments that help to build my character, confidence, and my ever-growing perspective!
- There was a moment that my housemates and I got on the correct bus, but it was going the wrong direction. So, we had to stay on it for over an hour before the loop turned around and we could get back home! What was amazing about this experience was that we got to see all of Limerick and better familiarize ourselves with landmarks around the city! We also had the opportunity to meet a lovely lady who gave us lots of tips of beautiful places to visit while we are here! Truly a God wink!
- It has been hard on my body to learn Irish Dancing. It is an exquisite way to move one’s body, but with my back and hip issues, I have been undergoing quite a bit of pain to dance in this manner. But I am finding joy in working on moving with a bit less passion so as not to aggravate my body further! This is something that will ultimately be a beneficial thing for me to learn as I continue to further my knowledge of living life with physical constraints.
Scripture that has been close to my heart these past few days:
- 1 John 5:12 – “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
- 1 John 1:8-9 – “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
- John 14:6 – “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
With that, I have shared with you what has been on my heart and in my mind! This is a charming place and I am so grateful to be calling Plassey Village my home! God is so good and has been blessing every moment with His graces and mercies! Praise be to Him who forgives, loves, and gives eternal life!
Many blessings to you now and always,
Katie Gilkey
Home Away From Home
Having a host family in Germany was something that before I arrived made me both very excited and nervous. Would they like me? Would I like them? Would they be friendly? Would they want to spend time with me?
However, after spending a little over a month with them so far, I can happily say that having a host family was one of the best decisions of my study abroad experience. As soon as I arrived I was greeted by my host mother, who gave me a hug and welcomed me into her home. Soon enough, I found myself settling in and spending time with them at meals and when I was at their house.
Their flat/apartment is in a well kept building about 25 minutes from the city center by train. I often enjoy taking that train to the city center and walking around, not to a specific place but just because I can. I still find it hard to believe when I round the corner coming out of the underground train station and see the Brandenburg Gate right there in front of me. At my host family’s house, I also have my own room and bathroom which is really nice. Pictured above is my room. Having that space to myself has been really awesome, and is something that I definitely would not have gotten if I had done a dorm type living arrangement.
Another thing that I think is awesome is breakfast and dinner. Both of those are covered by my host family, and not having that extra stress of having to find meals has been very useful and beneficial. (And they make really good food too!)
On a somewhat related note, something I’ve taken away from these experiences, especially around meals, is the way they have dinner. Having that time and really intentionally slowing down has been really nice for me. My host family makes a big point to be present in the moment during these times and everyone genuinely shares how their day was. At first, I was nervous for when I’d have to share my day (partially because I’d be saying it in German) but they those moments have quickly become some of my favorite and are a great way to practice my German in what is a very safe space.
Overall, I really enjoy my living arrangements and host family. There are many aspects of their life that I admire. Dinner has quickly become a highlight of my day because I get to sit and talk with my host family. It’s really nice that they are very invested in how my day was and are willing to help me with any questions I have. Having that family feel is another thing I really appreciate.
I have a host brother (18) and a host sister (22) who are both close in age to me, so talking with them feels very natural and I have really enjoyed getting to know them. I hope to continue spending time with them and getting to know them.
The Ins and Outs Of Living With a Host Family
Here in Berlin, I live in what is called a guest or host family. That basically means I’ve chosen to live with a German family instead of staying in the student dorms. Before coming here, we had to write an essay about ourselves, and based on that, the program directors decided which family would be the best match. To be honest, I had been hoping for a family with kids or maybe a pet, but instead, I ended up with a lovely couple in their 50s. And honestly, even though it wasn’t what I pictured at first, it’s still been a good experience.
Living with a host family is so different from staying in the dorms. I knew that the dorm options here would be full of other American exchange students, which is a great opportunity to make friends, but I was hoping for a more authentic experience. A big reason why I came here was to expand my horizons, and I knew that if I lived with other Americans, it would be way too easy to just stick with them and not step into the German Culture. By living with a German family, I’ve been able to experience the culture on a much deeper level. I’ve gotten to try traditional German foods, watch how daily life flows here, and practice speaking German outside of the classroom. That said, it does make things harder when it comes to making friends within my program. Since I don’t live with them or even really near them, I miss out on some of the casual hangouts or late night bonding that happens in the dorms. Sometimes it feels like I’m missing a piece of the social experience.
But at the same time, I wouldn’t trade it. The couple I live with are very kind, and they’ve welcomed me into their home. Much like the rest of Germany, they’re very structured people, the type who like things neat and orderly, which was a little frustrating at first because I didn’t know what the right way to do things was. But as time has gone on, I’ve started to feel more comfortable and even more at home.
My home is in Schlachtensee, a suburb on the edge of Berlin, and it’s absolutely beautiful. I don’t live in the hustle and bustle of central Berlin, which sometimes makes me feel like I’m a bit removed, but it also has its perks. Right near my house, there’s this gorgeous lake where I can walk around or go swimming when the weather is nice. The picture I have here is the restaurant, The Big Pan. I live on the top floor of the apartments in the building behind the restaurant. It is a tiny apartment, but it’s decorated so adorably. I even have my own room, which is nice and cozy.
Another plus of living with a host family is that they feed you breakfast and dinner. And it’s good food at that! The dorm option here leaves you responsible for all your meals. And, your host family’s got your back on the small stuff. One day, it was raining, and my host mom offered me an umbrella. It’s the little things that are making this a much more personable experience than the dorms would have been.
The only downside is the commute. I live about 50 minutes away from school. Every morning, I walk to the station and hop on the S1 train. That ride takes around 15 minutes, and then I transfer to a bus for the rest of the trip. At first, I really dreaded the idea of spending that much time commuting every day. But now, I’ve grown to enjoy it. Germans don’t really talk much on public transportation, which is so different from America, but I quite like the silence. I’ll use that time to relax, wind down, reflect on my day, sometimes I journal, and I’ve even read a few books!
So even though I might miss out on some of the dorm life experiences, I feel like I’ve gained something equally valuable. Living with a host family had given me a deeper look into the culture and pushed me out of the bubble I might have stayed in otherwise. I’ve learned to make a few German dishes, gone to some neighborhood events, and found a new home on the other side of the world.
Living in Berlin
Dear readers at home, Now that I have been in Berlin for just over a month it is a good time to tell you how and where I am living. I live in a part of Berlin called Schöneberg. Right down the street from where JFK gave his famous speech, where he said “Ich bin ein Berliner.” Super cool history in Berlin is all over and it’s even cooler when it’s just down the street.
I live around 30-50 minutes from where I go to school. I have many different ways I can go to school like with the S-Bahn or a bus or even a bike. Usually the trains run on time but sometimes they are a little behind, but even then I can make it to school on time by going a different way. Transport is awesome in Berlin and I have a super easy time getting into the middle of the city, too.
The apartment I live in is in an old apartment building. The stairs creak when you walk up, but it really adds to the experience of living there. The actual apartment I live in with my host family is nice a big. My room has big windows and there are even beautiful stained glass windows inside on the doors. The sun does most of the work to provide light inside and it is very beautiful when the sun shines in. There is a kitchen and a balcony and a few other rooms in total.
With me in the apartment lives my host family. Elvira and Attila are the people who are hosting me. Elvira is always home and makes me breakfast and dinner most days. I usually try to speak with her in German during meals and sometimes she shows me the German newspaper. Attila is often gone during the week for work, but every once in a while he is home and cooks dinner.
This living arrangement is very different to MLC. First off at MLC school is a 5 minute walk not a 30-50 minute train trip. On top of that, at MLC I live with my fellow students but here I live with a couple who cooks me food. Which is another difference that I don’t have the caf to go to whenever I want but instead I have more strict meal times. The biggest difference between living in the dorms at MLC and the apartment I live in here in Berlin is that my host family has a cat. Her name is Tabby and she is super shy but if I’m lucky she will come up to me for a pet. And at MLC in the dorms cats are not allowed so it is quite different having one.
All in all living in Berlin is great. Honestly, I don’t mind the longer commute especially because school doesn’t start till 9. And my host family is super nice and good cooks plus they have a cat. 
S-Bahn Station platform
First Impressions of the Land of 10,000 Sheep
This week has put me through a whirlwind of emotions. If you are reading this blog for all sunshine and rainbows, I’m afraid you’re in the wrong place. Life is certainly not wonderful all the time, even when you’re jumping into a semester of your dreams. I’ll be completely honest. I’ve felt more uncomfortable this week than I can remember feeling in years. I know that I am doing this in order to push myself beyond my limits, but I would be lying if I told you that this week has not made me question how much I can take. Of course, I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s have a quick recap.
Firstly, the airport in general. I can be quoted as saying that I enjoy flying and airports are entertaining, but I fear I may go back on my word after my most recent adventures. From flying into one airport in New York City and having to find a way to get to the other and board my plane to getting the middle seat of the middle row on the sleepless flight to Dublin, I can confidently say that I no longer look forward to flights. Alas, I survived and even made it through the 30-plus-hour day that resulted.
I think the hardest thing this week has been having nothing familiar to rely on for comfort. I’m forced to find familiarity with my flatmates and the places on campus that I’ve visited a handful of times. Besides that, everything that happens seems to add to my stress. Class schedule not working out, jumping through multiple hoops just for my emails to be left unanswered, my computer deciding to break the day before classes start, traveling to Dublin alone to buy a new computer, and feeling that I’m in the wrong place or that I should be participating in some activity. It’s been a struggle to find the joy in the stressful situations, but I’ve been pushing myself to focus on the future and keep my chin up through it all. I cannot truly control anything, so I have to remember that even in the loneliness and feelings of helplessness, I can always look to Jesus, the one who is always there for me and truly understands everything that I’m dealing with this week.
Anywho, on that note, I went to Catholic mass this week, which was very interesting. I went out of curiosity, hoping to find comfort from the word of God, but instead I found myself even more uncomfortable. The service was riddled with traditions and things that people do, but there aren’t explicit instructions on what to do. I struggled to find God’s love in the rigid structure and confusing liturgy. It felt like a scavenger hunt, but the instructions are in a whole different, unfamiliar language, and there is no one else there to show you where to start. As much as I find peace in the regularity and consistency of some traditions in church services, by attending this service, I gained the perspective of an outsider, and I can see how our services may seem daunting to those attending for the first time. I also realized how alone I am in my faith here. It will be difficult to keep myself accountable for staying in the word, but I find that it is the only thing that I can cling to for comfort.
I’m fully aware that this blog has been very negative so far, but I just needed to get those feelings on the table right away. Now that we’ve been through that turmoil, we can talk about the wonderful world of Ireland. Firstly, the people are so nice and willing to help with whatever you need. They are interested in getting to know you and are particularly interested in comparing the US with Ireland. I recently went on a walking tour of Dublin, and the guide was a perfect example of all of the people that I’ve met so far. The best way to describe her was cheery- full of laughs and a desire to show us her city. She put an emphasis on having human connections and going out of one’s way to talk to people in order to break away from a technologically advanced yet socially inept society. This week, I’ve been working on taking her advice by going out of my comfort zone and chatting with people that I run into, rather than just allowing silence to fill the air. My goal is to leave the interaction with a new friend rather than just a familiar face.
Along with the people, the weather is so beautiful- a mild range of 50-65 degrees with occasional sunshine, with scattered showers almost guaranteed every day. It’s in between the weather that you can never fully prepare yourself for, and I love it. It’s normal to carry around a tote bag here, so if I get uncomfortable with a jacket on, I can just take it off and put it in my bag. It’s truly a perfect system. It’s perfect fall weather minus the fact that the leaves are not crunchy due to the damp climate, a fact that I sadly found out after attempting a leaf stomp the other day. It was a heartbreaking realization made worse by the number of people who watched my failure… Oh well, we live and we learn.
While I have felt fairly uncomfortable for the majority of this past week, my flatmates have been a light in the loneliness. Since we are all in the same boat of not knowing anyone and having to figure out living in Ireland on our own, we have quickly teamed up, and I can already feel our connection growing. While we are all very different and are from all across the US, they are becoming the people that I rely on for comfort and familiarity. I find myself spending more and more time in the common spaces where the number of awkward silences is swiftly being overtaken by the number of laughs. I have people to explore Maynooth with and even Dublin if we are feeling up for an adventure.
Phew, I think that’s all I’ve got so far. For those of you who made it through the whole thing, I really appreciate you. It has already been a journey, and I’ve only been in Ireland for a week. As the whirlwind inevitably continues this semester, I look forward to getting more and more comfortable with my new environment and growing in my independence. Oh, I almost forgot, the picture for this month is of me next to the castle that is literally on my campus…?!?! Also, notice how green it is??? Europe is so cool. Ok, I promise, I’m actually done now.
All the love!
Mathilde