Submitted by Audrey Berry on the 2023 spring semester program in Limerick, Ireland…
This last week has been great fun! It was the last week of lectures so most of my classes are wrapping up and preparing for final exams. I have already completed my group projects – the grading here is very different from the US. At our school, an A means the work completes the requirements very well. However, here an A means you did MORE than the requirements, so almost everybody gets Bs. Its not horrible but I’m sure my grades will not be as good as they typically are. I also went to a small carnival this weekend and it was so much fun! Me and Sierra are going to another country one more time – we left for Budapest on Friday! (Submitted during Week 14)
This last week was amazing!! We had a week off of class to study for finals so of course me and Sierra had to take advantage and go to Budapest! We weren’t sure if we wanted to go there, but I am so glad that we did. It was one of the most breathtaking cities I have ever been to. We went to a spa thermal bath, a boat tour, budas castle, and a ruin bar, which is a bar in an abandoned building. It always surprises me how easy it is to make friends; I even got to hang out with a girl from Philly, so I’ll be able to see her again in the US. I’m a little sad that my time is wrapping up, and even more sad that I have all these finals! The structure of classes will never cease to amaze me. (Submitted during Week 15)
This week was the last week of my study abroad experience!! I actually fly home at 3 am today. This past week we have been trying to say goodbye to friends and see the last bits of Ireland that we can. It’s a bittersweet feeling. On one hand, I am absolutely ready to go home. I miss my family, my friends, my car, and all the wonderful greasy food America has to offer. On the other hand, it’s so sad to be leaving behind the life I’ve made for myself here. Ireland has been beautiful, filled with once in a lifetime experienced and great friends. I hope to see them again some day, but regardless I hope they continue to succeed. I’ll also miss the ease of traveling within Europe – at the end of the day we went to 5 Irish towns/cities, Milan, Rome, Venice, Athens, Corfu, Amsterdam, and Budapest. I am so lucky to have gotten this opportunity and i would absolutely recommend that anybody takes advantage of it given the chance. Things aren’t always easy or comfortable, but the memories make it so worth the while. That said, I’ve said my goodbyes and I’m ready to come home. (Submitted on May 15, 2023)