Study Spots On and Off Campus

By Sarada Symonds
Visiting Student Blogger

 

While living in a new country is a pretty exciting experience, you also have to somehow find the time to study. Even though you might have less homework, it’s better to start preparing for exams early, since they’re a huge part of your grade. If you’re like me and have lots of free time between classes, it’s important to find places around campus where you can block out distractions and focus on work. Here’s a few local spaces I found that were great for studying.

St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland

By Isabella Gentleman

Visiting Student Blogger, St. Olaf College

 

Being in Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day feels an awful lot like being in the United States for the Fourth of July, sans warm summer weather and fireworks. But as an American, St. Patrick’s Day felt even more magical than that, maybe because of the Leprechauns and Pirate Queens, but more so because of the spirit and excitement even the Irish have about celebrating and getting the day to spend time with others. Yes, Dublin City – Temple Bar especially – is filled with tourists and teenagers looking for silly ways to spend the holiday, but there are so many ways to celebrate and enjoy this holiday without finding a pub or trying to squeeze your way through Temple Bar, with everyone and their brother, that night!

Travelling Through Ireland

By Tatiana Morand

Visiting Student Blogger

 

One of the best parts of being on exchange in a country I’d never visited before was the chance to explore all of it! Ireland is a beautiful country with a lot of history and atmosphere to absorb (and best of all, a lot of castles). Here are the spots I was lucky enough to visit over my time here, to provide you with a little bit of inspiration.

Harry Potter: Maintaining Familiarity While Abroad

By Paul Smith

Visiting Student Blogger

I am from a small town in North Carolina and I’ve never lived in what I would call a “big city.” So this term, I’ve not only been studying in a different continent but I’ve been living a different style life. I was housed in a high-rise apartment complex and I walked to class in an environment which was much more unfamiliar than I expected. I was a little overwhelmed and while I wasn’t homesick exactly, I was definitely a stranger to this community.

Irish Language Classes at Trinity

 

By Michaela Vitagliano

Visiting Student Blogger, Yale University

 

Coming from a high school that was predominantly filled with Irish-Americans, I was not thrown for a loop when I saw Saoirse /Seer-sha/ or Meabhdh /Mayv/ scrawled on name cards at a party function. The two that got me, however, were Colm and Eoin which I mistakenly pronounced as /Kohlm/ and /Ey-oh-in/. Thank goodness I hadn’t come across a Caoimhe that night, for I am sure I would have said something along the lines of /Kow-im-hay/ which is drastically different from the correct /Qwee-va/.