This past weekend, a month into my stay in Maynooth, Ireland was an eventful one to say the least. From being scared by a human statue in Cork, to going out at night for the first time in Dublin. My weekend adventure began with a pub crawl set up by the society, International Erasmus Student Network. The aim of this society is to bring students from diverse backgrounds together and to give us the opportunity to travel and experience Ireland as a unit. With this group of people I experienced my first pub crawl, which is where I taught French students how to perform to Don’t Stop Believin, an American rock anthem. This was also where my coat, which I had sent from the states to my school was stolen, needless to say the night ended on a rather cold note as it is much cooler in Ireland than in Florida. Being that there is so much to experience in this new land and so little time, I had a trip to Cork planned with two other Rollins students for the next morning.
My goal throughout this semester is to see as much of Ireland and Europe as I possibly can, I hope to immerse myself in different cities and countries that each have their own culture. Cork, Ireland is a unique city with strips of shops, many that are similar or the same as what one would see in America. While also having it’s own charm with graffiti showcasing the personality of different neighborhoods that I walked through, I could see the diversity right away. Cork is the second large city I have been to in Ireland, after Dublin, with the two being very different. Cork is rich in coastal industry whereas Dublin’s main characteristic is tourism based. Seeing the two different cities, helped me to understand Ireland in a larger way, as I have seen charm in both cities along with a problem of homelessness, I can see the ups and the downs of the large cities of Ireland together. Following our adventure in Cork I went along with other students to a staple in Irish culture, a club called Copper Face Jacks. Copper Face Jacks is a huge part of Dublin’s culture specifically and now having experienced it, I can better appreciate the city as a whole.