Today is the one month anniversary of my arrival in Maynooth. My first month here has proven how fast time can go and how much can happen in four weeks.<\/p>\n
The last time I wrote to LTA, I was sitting in an airport in New York City. I am now sitting in my flat with remnants of traveling strewn on my desk and floor, and plane tickets booked for more future travels. I\u2019m doing my best to live up my time here \u2013 and a look at my bank account will prove it.<\/p>\n
In short, I\u2019ve been to Dublin, Belfast, Giant\u2019s Causeway, and Cork so far. I\u2019m slowly making my way around Ireland first because we don\u2019t get our \u201cGNIB\u201d card until this week. GNIB cards are visas \u2013 they basically let you back into Ireland when coming from outside the country. I have a hike in the Wicklow Mountains and an ecology field trip to the rocky seashore on the east coast this weekend, and I plan on going to Galway in the near future. We also have fall break coming up at the end of October, and I just booked tickets to Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. The future looks bright! The memories from where I\u2019ve already been are amazing as well. The Atlantic coast is wild and beautiful, with sheep and cattle plots, mountains, colorful seaside towns, and more old, stone buildings than I can count. One of my favorite memories was our first evening in Belfast. I sat with new and old friends in a busy alleyway in Belfast, and we split a huge, handmade 24\u201d pizza while watching the sun go down. I absorbed my reality and I\u2019m very grateful for all the steps (literally and figuratively \u2013 you walk a lot here) and people that got me to this place.<\/p>\n
The transition to Ireland was fairly easy. As expected, there isn\u2019t much culture shock since their culture is not hugely different than ours. I do enjoy some of the things that are different \u2013 here are some notable differences:<\/p>\n
That\u2019s all I can think of for now, but there\u2019s a bunch of other things they say and do that are a bit different than in the US. I\u2019ve also learned a lot about public transportation, and walk a lot more than I do at Rollins. I\u2019m grateful for it because I can then indulge more in the amazing food here. Between the Irish stew, fresh pastries, and Irish beer (ie Guinness), there isn\u2019t a lack for a wholesome diet.<\/p>\n
As far as life at the university, things are pretty easy going. My classes don\u2019t require a lot of homework, which is sort of a new concept for me as a biology major. I have time to go out more than once a semester \u2013 in fact, more than once a week, if I want. I can also watch Netflix regularly. And get 8 hours of sleep every night. It\u2019s amazing.<\/p>\n
In reality, I know that the real work will start soon. My class grades mostly depend on my final exams, so my next step is to start studying now rather than the week before them.<\/p>\n
Probably the biggest transition is to the weather. It is often 50-55\u00b0, rainy, and very windy. This feels a lot colder than I expected! Coming from South Carolina and Florida, I haven\u2019t experienced weather like this in several years. I don\u2019t mind the adjustment, I\u2019m just not used to being cold so often. I also just forgot what it\u2019s like to be in cold weather.<\/p>\n
Overall, life is grand. I love all that is Ireland and I look forward to continue exploring and learning.<\/p>\n
Go raibh maith agat, agus sl\u00e1n go f\u00f3ill!<\/p>\n
(Thank you, and bye for now!)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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