Submitted by Audrey Berry on the 2023 spring semester program in Limerick, Ireland…
This past week, me and my friends coordinated a trip to Dublin. All 8 of us stayed in a hotel that really was more of a hostel – they crammed 8 beds in one room! The city itself was absolutely beautiful. Irish cities in general seem to be much more clean and pedestrian friendly than most American cities. And the history is breathtaking – old buildings mixed with new give a very interesting look to each street. We went to a market and on a bus tour (my idea haha, my friends weren’t quite as fond). The next day, me and my girlfriend broke off – we went to the national botanical gardens, the museum, and the zoo! I also had some of the best Indian food of my life. Overall, the folks were nice and most things were fairly affordable – the hotel was only 35 euro a person! I was surprised to find that the garden and museum were free as well – I had no idea how many flowers grow in the winter nor how many Irish painters there were. It was a beautiful trip and I can’t wait to return. The rest of the week was more mundane; the usual, classes and lunch or the occasional outing. I did go to the movies with some of my psychology friends though – cheaper than the US! Overall, it was a good week and I look forward to the next one. (Submitted during Week 4)
This past week has been rather relaxed. I have mostly been hanging out with friends and doing schoolwork. Me and my girlfriend (who is also here) are planning our spring break trip! We are planning on going to Italy and Greece – I am surprised by how easy and cheap it is to get around Europe! I also officially had my immigration appointment – the only issue I have found is how inconsistent the buses are. It makes me miss my car haha! Looking forward to another beautiful week in Ireland. (Submitted during Week 5)
This week was absolutely wonderful! My girlfriend and I took a delayed valentines day trip to the coastal town of Dingle. The entire town was beautiful – covered in flowers, perfectly clean streets, and the most colorful buildings lining each street. We stayed in the most darling hotel (with a fantastic shower – I have missed the shower pressure) and ate out way too much. What was really the most (positive) shocking thing I realized is the pure kindness that is ingrained in Irish culture , especially in the smaller towns. The best example of this is when my girlfriend planned a horseback riding trek down by the coast (breathtaking, by the way) but we couldn’t find any way to get there. We asked our hotel receptionist for help finding a taxi, but instead this sweet woman offered to drive us there herself! Then, after accepting our fate of walking back from the horseback riding location, a different woman offered to drive us back again! Such genuine displays of kindness, even to foreign people. I had a lovely, relaxing weekend and have continued to fall more in love with this country. (Submitted during Week 6)
