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…
Bali or Bust
I write in sunshine; blue skies surround me and I exist in an air of true bliss. I have made it to Bali. I surely thought the day would never arrive, but break is here and I have made it. I am so content with the fact that I worked hard enough to get here…
Heading to Australia
The time leading up to my departure was the definition of anxiety. The knotted stomach, the neck sweat and nervous hands. I was leaving for a land down under all alone, travelling alone and taking a completely autonomous step in my future as a budding adult. I finally reached the day of departure and made…
Learning in Ireland
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…
East London is low-key poppin’
Hi Rollins family, Dr. Meghan Harte Weyant, AVP of Student Affairs, recently shared a quote by Rumi: “live life as if everything is rigged in your favor.” There have been lots of good things that have happened to me since I’ve been in London. I got concert tickets to two of my favorite artists, I…
Pre Fall Break London
I’m now nearing the halfway point in the term here in London. I’ve been taking classes one a day Monday through Wednesday with interning 4 hours on Wednesday and 8 hours Thursday and Friday. My internship placement (the Local Government Association Labour Party Division, LGA Labour for short) is amazing and it’s exactly what I…
Life In Spain
¡Hola! To kick off this month, I started taking classes in the international students department known as “La Casa de las Lenguas.” Currently, I am enrolled in four classes; Oral Expression, Spanish History, Spanish Literature, and Hispanic American culture! I am continuing learning a ton about Spanish life and culture, but inside and out of…
Chapter Two: Homesickness
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…
Chapter One: Unexpected Friendship
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…
Loving London and her markets
Hello, Rollins family! The Office of International Programs at Rollins does a good job at explaining what to expect while studying abroad at Queen Mary University of London. During orientation here, most of the information shared was not a surprise. I knew coming into Queen Mary that I would have less contact hours, less frequent…