Hello again!
In this blog I am going to touch on a few subjects that I think are crucial when preparing for your studies abroad. I highly recommend reading the healthcare aspect the most out of all my topics, but once again feel free to read to what applies best to you!
ACADEMICS
So firstly I just wanted to update on the academic sector of Maynooth. I had to switch my schedule around drastically this semester because I decided last minute that I wanted to stay for the full year as opposed to just the fall term. I honestly couldn’t have been happier with my decision as I have fallen madly in love with the campus and with the country in general. It’s nice considering I am a Florida native, so I have never experienced true season changes in my life. I never realized how beautiful the fall truly is, I love watching the leaves change color and make their way to the ground. The amount of leaves I have collected (both physically and digitally) is a bit insane. 
With all of my changes I realized that the schedule picking is much different than what we are used to at Rollins. We are used to an online system that will automatically stop you from overlapping times. Here at Maynooth you’ll initially seek approval for your courses online BUT that is NOT your registration, it just means you’ll be allowed to take those classes. Your actual registration doesn’t happen until the week of your classes. To make it a little more clear, we move in on Wednesday. That next Monday we have orientation/beginning of classes, while you will attend the classes you plan on taking, you will not technically be enrolled in that course until the end of the week on Friday, which is when you’ll have your registration.
This doesn’t pose an issue as attendance isn’t mandatory, some professors do take it for their own records though so don’t be surprised when your name is not on their list for the first week of classes. This does mean though that you won’t be able to check out books at the library until you are registered. I found all of my textbooks at the library and I was so eager to borrow them before they all were taken by my peers but being a week behind everyone else in the registration process made it a little difficult. (don’t worry though, they have copies of the textbooks that can’t leave the library, so you’ll always have access to what you need.)
Additionally, Maynooth will not check if your schedule clashes. That is up to you, if you have over lapping times in your schedule then you are going to have to pick which class is the priority. I had to drop two courses due to this, so make sure to keep an eye on that!!
My final note on academics is the tutorials. So on top of your regular classes you may also have tutorials. Not every class has them, but a good handful do. My micro and stats course both do. Basically you pick a tutorial time that goes best with your schedule and attend (its 20%-30% of your grade so you really can’t miss these). They are significantly smaller class sizes where you get more specified information on your regular course. I like tutorials because its much less intimidating to ask a question in a room of 10 kids than it is to ask a question in a room of 300+. The tutor teaching the tutorial will more than likely be the person that grades your homework, so the relationship is a bit more personal but still not on the 1 on 1 level we are used to back home.
HEALTHCARE
So you all know I adore Maynooth but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its faults, and I think its important to be as honest as possible so those who are considering Maynooth are prepared. Healthcare is absolutely one of their faults. I highly HIGHLY recommend stocking up on your medicines before coming here, and if you can manage to get your hands on antibiotics bring those as well.
You are going to get sick, it is inevitable. You are traveling to another country, around other students who are coughing and sneezing, and you’re in a new climate. It is going to happen, you will be sick. So please be prepared for that!!
Long story short I got pretty sick and when I tried to go to the healthcare center here they tried to send me to a doctor off campus, but ya girl is broke so I couldn’t afford that on top of what I already knew was going to be a expensive prescription. On top of that most doctors are not open over the weekends, or if they are its very limited hours. I saw the on campus health center on a Friday to which I was tested for my sickness and confirmed that I had it, but now I had to wait until Monday to see any kind of health care provider again. By Sunday I was horribly sick; my kidneys were starting to have issues. I know due to the back pain, fever, and nonstop chills I had. I could hardly move or talk and I was seriously contemplating going to an emergency room. I have never been that ill in my life, I cried pretty harshly, I am so thankful my mom was able to calm me down despite being an ocean away. I managed to pull through the weekend and I went to the health center again because I figured I might as well try the free option once more before going to an off campus doctor.
It is important to note that it is quite difficult to make an appointment with the on campus health center, so I recommend just showing up right when they open and requesting a doctor right then and there. I’m convinced that’s the only reason I was seen that Monday. The nurse who I initially saw was upset with me for not going to the off campus doctor, but quite frankly I’m a college student who is unable to work in the EU and is living on a fixed income, I’m looking for the most cost effective option possible. But I also know health isn’t an area where you should play around, especially when it was as serious as it was. The nurse saw and tested me and was able to conclude that I was much worse than when she last saw me, so she prescribed antibiotics to me.. naturally I was a bit upset because I could have avoided the terrible pain I was in all weekend if I was prescribed the antibiotic to begin with. Luckily the medicine worked like a charm and I started feeling better in about a week. Fast forward about two weeks I got sick again, this time it felt more like a common cold so I went and got as much medicine as I could to avoid going through the health care system here again. It is awful to have to jump through hoops like that when you’re feeling so miserable. I didn’t like that the nurse made me feel guilty for not spending money on a doctor to tell me what I already knew.. That I was sick and needed antibiotics stat. The on campus health center had all the tools needed to test me and confirm my illness, and it also had the ability to fix it, but it took me getting seriously sick before anything was done…
Maybe Rollins has spoiled me since we have such an amazing health care service on campus, or maybe I overreacted. I don’t know, but I do know based on my one horrible experience I am terrified of getting sick again so vitamins have become my best friend.
Again, please be prepared to get sick!! It will happen.
TRAVELING
Now that we got past all the logistics, lets get to the fun part: Traveling!!! So far my pattern has been one weekend do something in Ireland and the weekend after go to another country. I collect keychains to every country I’ve been and I love getting stamps in my passport too. The best part about studying in Europe is how cheap it is to pop over to other countries, so don’t worry about making last minute plans! I personally wanted to wait until I met people over here to travel with, but if you are down to be a solo traveler then more power to you! If you buy plane tickets in advance it is significantly cheaper, but like I said, you won’t go broke if you’re traveling last minute. The most I’ve spent on a round trip plane ticket was 60 euro.
Giants Causeway
So lets start in Ireland, I know I have already told you guys about Cliffs of Moher but now lets talk about Northern Ireland. It is a separate country, and they use pounds instead of Euro, so if you plan on visiting (which I absolutely suggest you do) then be ready to change your currency over!
So once again my friend group and I did a paddywagon tour out to the giants causeway and Belfast. This trip was much more exhausting because you covered more ground, you also got to visit the film sights for Game of Thrones so that was pretty amaze-balls! The weather was miserable– rainy and cold, but that’s our fault for not checking it beforehand. Admittedly it added another element to the Giants Causeway. I think the rain made it so much more captivating, it is amazing to see how nature can form the most beautiful things, even out of stone.
this picture doesn’t do justice to the site. The stones were so unique and spread across different levels so it was super fun to climb up and down them but also very very slippery (thank you England for Doc Martins) I could have stood on the edge and stared into the rabid waves that crashed against it all day. This, for me, was one of those moments where I had to stop and really be grateful for all of my senses. I can’t believe something so divine just casually exists. There is a really cute story behind the giant’s causeway, https://vimeo.com/45569144 this is the link to the video they show at the Giant’s Causeway. It’ll explain the legend if you’re interested!
I LOVE Belfast. It is a city, but it is structurally different than any other city I have visited in Ireland. It has a marvelous blend of modern and historic buildings and its still easy going instead of that quick paced New York style. We didn’t spend much time there, only an hour, so just enough to dip our toes in the water. I think I’ll be going back there rather soon though.
Amsterdam
I have never met friendly people in my LIFE!! I could very easily see myself living in Amsterdam, the people are kind, bikes are the most common form of transportation (I nearly got hit 5 times because I wasn’t used to the second road dedicated to bikes only) and the culture is just a complete flip. If there is a utopia I am convinced it is Amsterdam, everyone speaks english perfectly, no flaw, no accent, and no problem switching between that and Dutch. The weather was outstanding, even the sky was happy and perfect. The history is also very rich. My favorite thing about Amsterdam has to be the dancing houses. They’re built on stacks of wood so when the wood started to rot and decay the houses they were built on top of began to lean and bump into one another, so they’re all disproportionate. Also you’ll see a few illusions with the houses. The windows for example, they’re different sizes. getting smaller as you go up. This is so when you are standing in front of the house and looking up at it the house looks huge, but if you’re standing from the opposite side of the canal it just looks funny because of the varying sizes. Also I am terrified of boats, but I could spend my entire life on that canal. I stayed in a houseboat airbnb and it was very comfortable, also when I did the canal tours I had a BLAST! You learn and see so much and talking with the natives is nothing short of refreshing. I didn’t get to do the Anne Frank house or Van Gogh museum sadly, those tickets sell out months in advance. But from everything I did see and experience I would happily go back to Amsterdam in a heartbeat. Note it is rather expensive over there when it comes to living situations but that’s because of it’s popularity I assume. 
Also, the pancakes there are SUPERB!!! Absolutely eat them.. and bitterballs, its basically chicken pot pie but in a fried ball form. Most all pubs will sell them.
Italy
So again, when it comes to food the Italians do it best 100%. I am still day dreaming about the cheese and spinach ravioli I had… also the pizza there is incomparable to anything I have ever experienced in my life. Karls and I stayed in Naples but did day trips out to Rome. Our airbnb wasn’t situated in the best area so we weren’t keen on staying in Naples. The language barrier in Italy provides quite an issue. I felt awful not knowing a lick of Italian and asking them to speak in my native tongue, the people didn’t complain though and usually knew general terms. Body language was our best friend on this weekend trip, that’s the main way we communicated with others. Italy, as you all may know, has such deep roots. Walking around ancient Rome was probably the biggest culture shock I’ve experienced so far. Julius Caesar’s tomb, for example, is just casually set in between shopping centers. I was hypnotized by the experience, everything from architecture to food is just pretty. Theres no SAT word big enough to do it justice. There is so much we didn’t get to see being that we were only there for the weekend, and I would absolutely go back to Italy.
My body and soul aches to go back to Amsterdam whereas Italy is more towards the bottom of my “to see again” list. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the culture and the experience of walking around such a stunning area, but Italy also had its down sides for me. The language barrier made it very difficult to travel around and to even find where our housing was situated. It was also much dirtier than I was expecting it to be, litter and overfilled trash bags riddled the ground and me being an eco-lover took it to heart. Again, I am so grateful for the experience and I’m glad I went but I wouldn’t spend crazy amounts of money to go back there. I’d only go back if it were convenient.
Also the Trevi fountain is a must see, it is completely regal in stature and I absolutely understand why it is so popular. The Vatican is also stunning. Like I said there really aren’t words to describe just how lovely the monuments were.
When traveling it is important to remain calm always, regardless of language barriers, time restraints, and any other issues you have to repeat to yourself “I’m in ____, I can’t be upset.” I have never felt more fulfilled in my life. Despite plane delays and lack of sleep I would happily do it all over again because this is a once in a lifetime experience. Not many people get to enjoy a whole new country. Traveling has taught me so much: it has humbled me, made me realize time is a concept and not a way of life, added substance to my life, and introduced notions that I never would have imagined. I could easily do this for the rest of my life and a smile would never leave my face. So far I’ve noticed I have become a more patient and tolerable individual, I have gained memories that I thought only existed in dreams. Most importantly I learned when it was time to put my phone/computer/technology down. I learned how to live in the moment and enjoy my company and my surroundings. You never know how long you get to stay in a moment, so why waste it trying to get likes, ya know? There is so much beauty just around the corner, waiting to be seen by you. So go out and make your small victories, enjoy those tiny adventures because it can lead you to somewhere grand.
As always, thank you for sticking through my blog!! I can’t wait to read about your future adventures.
Your pen pal,
Reigan Paulovich