As I sit typing this entry in the middle of a long study desk at Berkeley Library, I come to the stark realization that today marks my first month in Ireland and my third week at Trinity College. In hindsight, I probably should have written this weeks ago because I’m having a difficult time trying to accurately recount my experiences over the past month. Living on my own in Dublin is a reality I am still only beginning to fully grasp.
I arrived at the Dublin Airport at about 5 AM after my nine hour flight from the Tampa Airport near the end of August with my family. Unbeknownst to us, we were about to encounter an extremely difficult hotel situation. Our initial booking had fallen through due to a flight cancellation, but we were positive that finding a place to stay for a week together wouldn’t be too complicated. However, we were unprepared for the wave of 13,000 US tourists flying in the same weekend for the first game of Aer Lingus College Football between Nebraska and Northwestern. Practically every hotel in the city was entirely booked, and I can’t explain the shock of seeing so many people around me in American college football merchandise – it felt just like a home game. After calling what felt like dozens of hotels, we managed to book at Clayton in Ballsbridge – a restored 19th century Masonic orphanage. Despite all the frustration, my sister and I ended up loving this building, so maybe things worked out after all.
The week I spent with my family was jam-packed with all the tourist activities that show up first when you type “Things to Do in Dublin” into Google’s search bar. This included short (but still breathtaking) trips to Galway, The Rock of Cashel, Blarney Castle, Cahir Castle, and the Cliffs of Moher. We took several buses to get around Ireland, and found all of the transportation to be reasonably priced. Within the city, we bought one-week long Leap tickets to use the local buses, the Luas (above ground subway), and the Dart (train system within Dublin). Spending my first week in Ireland briefly exploring the country and seeing how much beauty the country has to offer really shaped my excitement and encouraged me to plan trips in the near future to see more.
After saying my goodbyes to my family, I spent the following days getting settled into my student accommodation. So far, most people I’ve met in this building are international students and predominantly at Trinity. However, there are various other schools nearby that residents attend. The ambiance at the apartment is very friendly and accommodating. Trinity is about a 15-18 minute walk and a 10 minute trip on the Luas from my student accommodation which is extremely convenient. All of the girls studying abroad at Trinity this year are in the same building, which makes it really fun to walk to and from classes together when we have the opportunity.
Despite the years I’ve spent romanticizing Trinity College, I could never have imagined just how beautiful the campus would be. An elegant composition of Victorian and Georgian architecture, Trinity has the most beautiful vine-draped cobble-stoned buildings. I spend a lot of time between classes just wandering or sitting and reading on a bench at the rose garden or by College Park. Having the opportunity to learn at Trinity and being surrounded by such literary culture has felt so inspiring and encouraging as a young student.
As I wrap up my first month in Dublin, I look back fondly at all my ‘firsts’ here and look forward to learning more about Ireland and myself as I navigate my way through this chapter of my life.
The Global Gator 