A month has gone by since my arrival at Maynooth and I can’t express how much I’m enjoying being here. I’ve been able to do some fun things around Dublin the past couple of weekends, which is great not just because I’m getting the chance to see all these great things but it also helps me know the city a bit better. My roommates and I have gone in to Dublin a few times to do some shopping and hitting up a pub or two such as the great Temple Bar and Brazen Head, which is the oldest pub in Ireland, dating back to 1189. We have gone into some great museums that are free of cost to the general public and strolled through the parks and town squares of the very beautiful city. Today we went to the Guinness Storehouse and Brewery to take a tour to see how the famous beer is made and we enjoyed drinking a pint that we poured ourselves after they taught us the proper manner of doing so. It was an immensely enjoyable experience and I’m glad I finally got to go do it.
I’m excited for the next couple of weeks because one of my best friends from Rollins is coming to visit me for her spring break. I’ll be showing her around Dublin and Maynooth and then we’re going to head over to explore the wonderful city of Amsterdam. The following weekend will mark the beginning of Maynooth’s spring break and I will be going with some friends to London! It has always been my dream to visit London and see all the amazing sites. What’s great is that we essentially have 2 full weeks off for spring break because in the Irish schooling system there is a ‘study week’, which is kind of the same thing as a reading day in the U.S. but, obviously, it last’s a week long. Conveniently, St. Patrick’s Day falls during that time so it will be an extremely fun and busy week to enjoy.