Submitted by Cooper Rothman on the 2020 spring semester program in Limerick, Ireland…
This weekend, my roommate and I went back to Dublin for an extended stay in an Airbnb. It was my first time using the service, and it made the experience so much better! Dublin is a huge city with every walk between attractions being at least 20 minutes. The trip kept us busy for the whole weekend, but when I finally sat down on the bus home and had time to think about the experience, I realized I enjoyed our experiences outside the city the best. I’ve never been a city person, living just over an hour away from New York City, but only going once a year at most. While Dublin was a vibrant city full of students just like us, we took a train out of the city on Saturday to visit Killiney Hill Park. It made me think of home, and walking my dog in the park near me. It also had an amazing view at the top of Dublin and the ocean.
Along the same theme, while we enjoyed the Irish food we ate in Dublin, one night, we went to a restaurant outside of the city serving food from Istanbul, Turkey. The food was amazing and talking to the manager helped us learn more about Turkey’s culture while in Dublin. While the major attractions are very important to go to while in a big city (especially the free museums) my roommate and I had a better time just outside of the city.
With school just getting into swing in Delaware, it has been tough seeing my friends on social media having fun at home. I’ve been lucky to make good friends in Limerick as well, but it makes me think of the good times I’m missing out on in Ireland. My solution was to keep busy on the weekends traveling, which has been amazing so far, but during the week, I often have downtime with classes. The gym at the University of Limerick is amazing and has occupied a lot of my time, but I am excited to see one of my friends from home later this semester.