I never believed in love at first sight…and then I landed in Dublin. Even though I’ve only been here for a little less than a week I already know it’s going to be hard to say goodbye to this beautiful place. The first couple of days we were here it was incredibly sunny, 75-degree weather, which I’m told I will never see again in Ireland so I’m glad I was able to experience it! Through BU Study Abroad I am attending Dublin City University, which is about 4 miles from the city center. I’m living in a single with my own shower and the kitchen is two doors down from me. (PS. I haven’t burned anything yet but stay tuned). There’s a gym downstairs, a park right outside my door and the public transport system is located right outside of campus so it’s very easy to get in and out of the city.
I chose to come to Ireland mainly because of my Irish background and I wanted to go to a program where I could explore the countryside a lot which I’m really excited to do in these next couple of weeks! This past week I have been going through orientation to get familiar with the school, went on a scavenger hunt through Dublin to get acquainted with the city and I start class tomorrow! The first part of the program is taking classes and the second part is the internship. I still haven’t been assigned placement yet but I should find out within the next couple of weeks and I’m really excited to find out what I’ll be doing!
Since we had the weekend off my friends and I decided to head out to Bray in County Wicklow to go walk the Cliff walk. We took the DART there in the morning, which is one of the trains in Ireland. Of course, instead of taking a left onto the cliff walk we took a right and started climbing up this huge mountain. This turned out to not be the worst idea because we went to the top of the mountain and even though I rolled my ankle about seven times, we had absolutely gorgeous views of the seaside and the village down below so it was all worth it. A swollen ankle will heal in time anyway right? I absolutely loved Bray and can’t wait to go back on a weekend.
Like I said it’s been about a week so I’m excited to have so many more experiences in the Green Emerald Isle. Maybe it’s all a part of the assimilation process but I’ve noticed I’ve been thinking in an Irish accent and yesterday I said the word “grand” when referring to something good and asked for takeaway at a restaurant instead of take-out. So maybe the next time you’ll see me I’ll be speaking in an Irish accent (here’s hoping because they are my favorite).
Until next time,
-Alexa
