Greetings from Dublin, Ireland!
01/18/2013
Dia dhuit! (hello in Irish) Greetings from Dublin, Ireland!
My street on the way to classes the first day
I hope that all of you are enjoying the Welcome Back festivities this week! As for me, I am adjusting to Dublin life fairly well. Except for the sleep schedule haha! The apartment that I am in is so nice and is about a 25 minute walk to the IES Dublin Center where I’m taking classes and about a 45 minute walk to City Centre where all the shops are. Fun fact: my house key is a skeleton key! How cool is that?!
For those that don’t know me, I am a huge history nerd and anything history or old is super interesting to me and I may have a tendency to get more excited than most. So you can imagine how excited I am to be in a city that was started by Vikings! There are so many old and interesting things here: castles, churches, bridges, streets, and canals.
Bridge over the River Liffey
America is so young in comparison to Europe and to be surrounded by so much history where so many things have happened gives you such an appreciation for the country.
I have been in Dublin for one whole week! Already I have learned so much. J I have found the cheapest place to buy groceries, mastered the bus system, come to terms with air drying all my laundry and even understanding some of the local lingo. Since Dublin is an English speaking country the adjustment period hasn’t been as hard as it would have been in a country where English is not the first language. I started classes on Monday just as all of you did and I love my classes! In one of them, I get to learn how to speak Gaelic, the traditional language of Ireland. Few people today are fluent in Gaelic so I count myself lucky to be able to learn it. Another class is about Gothic Ireland which will focus on Ireland’s early history but most of the courses I will be taking are focused on the Northern Irish Troubles which is still making news today. Belfast, Capital of Northern Ireland, has had protests and riots within the last week that have to do with the issues that we will be learning about that started in the 60’s and 70’s.
Ok, so enough about classes. I don’t want to bore you. I will post pictures as I go around to different parts of Ireland and I hope that you enjoy them. Since it is still in my first week of being here I haven’t done much yet but there is a lot that is planned and I cannot wait!
So far I have seen the Book of Kels which was AMAZING! It was written in 800AD and I got to see it...that’s crazy! I’ve seen Trinity College and a little bit of the campus and it is beautiful. Also, St. Stephen’s Green is in City Centre and I have walked through there. I am taking my tour of the Guinness Storehouse tomorrow I will be sure to update everyone with those pictures and that experience!
Trinity College Library
Book on display at Trinity Library
City Centre – (the band is Keywest and they have toured America and had No. 1 hits in Ireland)
**If anyone is interested in learning more about studying abroad please tell your academic advisor that you are interested in learning more. Or I am available to talk to if you have any questions. This has already been an amazing and irreplaceable experience! I just don’t want anyone to miss out on a chance to study abroad themselves because they thought IU East doesn’t have study abroad or they don’t have the money to.
