Whenever I would tell people I was coming to Ireland by myself they would respond in awe saying "wow, I couldn't do that" or "why would you do that?" I always just laughed them off and went about my day not really putting much thought into it. I knew it was going to be a challenge, but as my mom always said, I am woman, hear me roar!
The best thing University of Limerick is how involved they get the students. There are events every night at the Stables (one of the pubs/restaurants on campus) as well as weekend day trips provided by the Student Union. There are also tons of clubs and societies on campus which helps you meet people as well. But it's not just campus, the student body is so friendly here. I was always told to make friends with people from America so you have that normality, but also make friends with people from Ireland or other countries. I always laugh when an Irish student asks me something about class and when I respond they look shocked because I have an American accent. It's almost as if they want to hear about our culture as much as I want to hear and learn theirs as well.
The way the semester is set up much differently than I am used to at Upper Iowa, so as we get to midterms, it's getting a little more stressful. UL has a week long event called Charity Week each year around this time. There are tons of events during this time and it's all day long so you can go have fun in between your classes if you want. The events range from contests to runs to hypnotists to concerts and it is a huge break for students (handy it comes right at midterms this year!).
As always, I am planning more and more trips to places around Ireland as well as to other countries in Europe! The attached photos are from my day trip to Ennis, Ireland this past Saturday. For those of you who have started counting down: 86 days until I fly home!
Stone Wall
Franciscan Abbey (in Ruins)
Bridge over River Fergus
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