Junior Year at Trinity College Dublin

By Maria Heines

I am writing this second blog while treating myself to a hot chocolate at a café across the river from Ireland’s immigration office. Today is the day I will (hopefully) officially be able to call Dublin my home away from home! Despite not having the official paperwork, yet, Dublin has certainty begun to feel like home as I have gotten into a rhythm of classes, sport practices, chilling at Binary Hub, and wandering around town with friends.

Finding Balance in Ireland

Words and Photos by Michaela Vitagliano, Visiting Student Blogger

 

Like many of you, I’m not someone that delights in change and its accompanying uncertainty. But naturally, deciding to study abroad for a year is a decision that is greeted with unknowns and uncertainties. After almost a full year here, I can definitely say most of my worries – Will I like Ireland, will I make friends, will I find things to do here that I enjoy – were for naught.

Studying Abroad in a Technical Field

By Sarada Symonds

Visiting Student Blogger, Northeastern University

The Campanile of Trinity College is one of the most iconic landmarks on campus.

As a freshmen engineering student, I was told that it would be very difficult for me to spend a semester abroad, especially after I decided to pursue a double major in computer engineering and computer science. I’ll admit, after I saw all the courses I would be required to take to graduate, I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to go abroad and still graduate on time. Luckily, during the fall of my sophomore year, I had an amazing professor who told me all about his time doing internships and getting his degrees in Paris and Beijing, and it gave me the jolt I needed to start planning a semester abroad for myself. Here’s what I learned while I was preparing for my semester at Trinity:

Giving it a whirl: Dancing with the DU Dance Society at Intervarsities

By Michaela Vitagliano

 

One of the best ways to both integrate and make friends at Trinity is through societies. At the beginning of the year, Front Square was teeming with colourful stands, goodie bags, and joyous voices as each society tried to reel in a dazed looking student. Naturally I joined way more than I should have; emptying out my change purse in a flat twenty minutes.  Each society handed me a card, all with different student discounts ranging from burritos at student prices to free entries at clubs.

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!