Category: Ireland: Maynooth Univ

Before I left on my international journey, I promised myself I would travel as much as I could. While this proved to be a little more difficult than I had hoped with my class schedule, at the start of my study break two days ago, I embarked on my most exciting trip. As I write…

The first bit of my experience in Ireland has been an absolute whirlwind. Between studying and traveling, time has flown by! I’m incredibly lucky that the Maynooth campus is such a short train ride from Dublin, allowing for day trips to the shops or nights out in town. There has been much less of a…

Going into this semester, I knew that Ireland’s school structure would be a bit different, but I didn’t realize how noticeable these changes would be to me. First off – registration. Class registration doesn’t happen not only until you show up on campus, but (for international students) a week into classes! Over the summer you…

I guess I just wasn’t expecting it to hit me so soon. I knew I would eventually get homesick, that was a given, but in October? I don’t know, that seems sudden. I miss my parents and my stupid brothers. I miss my dogs and my chickens. I miss my room and my candles. I…

Truthfully, I’ve never been very good at making friends. I’m quite awkward when meeting new people and find it to be an altogether unpleasant experience. So you can imagine my anxieties towards coming abroad and having to meet many new people and live with four complete strangers. But they quickly dissipated. I find it quite…

Admittedly, I have let time slip away from me in a ‘close my eyes and two weeks have passed – oops closed my eyes again’ kind of way. Ireland has brought a lot of stress out of me, but I’ve also gotten to see many beautiful places. Upon arriving, I’d been conscious for upwards of…

Hey guys! As I sit in my room on the eve of my departure, already in the early stages of the excited panic yet to come, I’m glad that I have taken the time to reflect on how my expectations and life so far can and will shape this new experience. With such reflection, its…

As I begin this international chapter of my educational journey, the thought of cultural privilege has been extremely prevalent in my mind. From attending a private college in my home state, I admittedly have surrounded myself with similarly minded and similarly advantaged students. In leaving for Ireland, a country that has historically been plagued by…