Week seven has come to a close and I’m already embarking on week eight. It’s hard to imagine that this journey is already half way through when really, I feel like I’m just beginning.
When I made the decision to study abroad I wasn’t prepared for how much this experience would change me. As mentioned in a few of my other posts, I had this ideology in my head of what studying abroad would like , and so far, It’s been nothing like I could have imagined. Studying in in Ireland has been a beautiful experience, but it’s not all roses and daisies like I expected it to be. Some days are really hard, I get home sick and begin to regret my decision to come here. Some days are very exciting-I do exploring and learn more about this gorgeous country, and other days are just normal, where I watch Netflix and burry my head in homework. I also feel like I’ve learned so much about who I am through this process. I’m in a foreign country, alone and it’s kind of bad-ass. I’ve learned how to live a much simpler lifestyle, to be far more appreciative of things I have back home. I’ve learned that doing things on my own is not as scary as I thought and that traveling alone is extremely fun. I think I was very narrow minded in how I thought this experience would be, so to discover it’s nothing as I imagined was a beautiful and eye-opening realization to come to.
I’ve very much enjoyed reading through the blog posts of other students on here. It’s nice to see that I’m not alone in my experiences and that other people share in the similar things I’ve faced. It’s also been a great source to connect to people who understand what I’m going through this process. In fact, I connected with a girl from WOU who’s studying in London and we’re meeting up this weekend! I couldn’t be more excited!
This last weekend I had the chance to visit Dublin. I spent much of my time going back with Sarah before I left for Ireland trying to decide if I should go to Dublin or Limerick and after having the chance to visit Dublin this weekend, I’m SO glad I chose Limerick. Dublin is a gorgeous city, but it’s huge. It didn’t have the “Irish-feel” I would have expected. Even while I’m Ireland I’ve spent a lot of time wondering if I should have studies in Dublin instead {I play a lot of ‘what iffs’ but visiting Dublin solidified how happy I am with my decision to be living in Limerick. Don’t get me wrong through, Dublin was a blast!
Limerick is fairly small and in the countryside, it has mountains and lush greenery everywhere you look. Dublin city is just much larger. Though they have far more shops and stores that Limerick does. They also have Starbucks and after going nearly two months without it, I was in Heaven! I had the chance to see a lot of iconic and quasi-touristy places while I was in Dublin too. I saw the Book of Kells, Trinity College, and The Guinness Factory. When my made the decision to study abroad I didn’t have my hopes up to visit many other countries in Europe because I wanted to be present in Ireland. I wanted to learn, visit, and see Ireland. Though I am traveling during my time here, I do feel that I’ve gotten very acquainted with Ireland and have seen much of what it has to offer.
Over the next few weeks I’ll be traveling to London, Belfast, which is in Northern Ireland and Scotland. I absolutely LOVE that that program I’m studying abroad through has trips included in the program. It’s a great way to see Ireland when I may not have otherwise had the opportunity.