Hi all,
With less than a month remaining of my time abroad, I thought it would be fitting to chat about my experience studying abroad. To preface, I had gone into this time away without much preparation other than what the Office of International Studies requires. I had taken a look at the brochure for Trinity College maybe once or twice, but I certainly had not asked any questions or spoken to any past students about their time abroad. I don’t know that I would necessarily recommend this as the best practice, but I think it made it easier for me to go into this experience with an open mind.
For many students going abroad there can be a big ‘culture shock,’ but I honestly didn’t feel this way. There are certainly areas of life that it took time for me to become used to, but I think the biggest difference was the location. I have never lived in a true city before, and becoming acquainted with public transportation was daunting at first. Now after a few months, I am happy to report that I have gotten quite good at all things transportation. The commuter rail is my favorite because of how clean and efficient it is, as well as how beautiful the scenery is. As I have started to explore other countries and experience their different options for transportation, I have to say that Ireland has been my top choice thus far. I am definitely biased towards Ireland because of the amount of time I have been spending in this country, but they do have efficient and friendly transportation that I had not previously been exposed to!
Aside from my newfound interest in taking the train everywhere, I think that being abroad has improved my social skills immensely. It really has been three months of social skills bootcamp. I feel so much more confident in my abilities to create conversations and navigate the city without fear of sounding or looking silly. Rather than walk around lost, I have had the continued positive reinforcement that it is okay to ask for directions or make small talk with someone passing by. For me, this was something that I dreaded when at home. I always worried about sounding dumb or looking like a lost puppy. With many practices, I now feel a sense of community with strangers that I would have never thought to even say hello to in the past.
Finally, the ability to be able to travel aimlessly on the weekends has been the most rewarding part of being abroad. Places I had only ever dreamed of visiting have now been crossed off my list. I have loved getting to not only travel to other countries but to really become more familiar with Ireland and all of its thirty-two beautiful counties. I’ve included some photos of the beautiful sights.
Until next week,
Anna Tutek
Arthur’s Seat hike in Scotland.
Cliffs of Moher, Galway, Ireland.
Howth, Ireland.
Scotland