Sometimes almost magic, awful, beautiful life.

I can’t believe that I’ve already been in this amazing city for a whole week! As much as it kind of feels like I’ve been here forever, the week definitely FLEW by…

I was a little nervous coming into the program not knowing anyone very well, but there’s such a great group of people here who are all eager to explore together that it’s been nothing but wonderful. I’m living in an apartment on the UCD campus with three other girls from USC, and the majority of our building is students from USC as well. We spent the first couple days grocery shopping, exploring the city and attending orientation sessions - and most importantly, mastering the bus system!

In addition to walking around the various neighborhoods of Dublin and visiting places like the old Jameson Distillery, we also took our first excursion outside the city with a visit to Northern Ireland. We visited the Titanic Museum where the ship was built in Belfast as well as the “Giant’s Causeway” along the very north edge of the island. It was crazy to think that we had traveled to a different country, when the only noticeable division was street signs changing from kilometers to miles. I can’t imagine what it must have been like traveling between the two when there was so much hostility a couple decades ago, but today I probably wouldn’t have even noticed we crossed a border if the tour guide hadn’t said something. We have a few more Irish excursions planned - one to Galway/the Cliffs of Moher where we’ll spend the night, and one to Kilkenny/Wicklow Mountain. I also just booked my first international trip with a friend I met here - SPAIN! We’ll be visiting Madrid and Barcelona, and excited is definitely an understatement for how I feel about the trip.

Today is a bank holiday so most people start their internships tomorrow, but luckily enough I don’t start until Wednesday. I think I’m going to use the day tomorrow to visit a few more places around Dublin on my own, such as the Dublin Castle and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. We’ll see!

Here’s hoping the summer doesn’t fly by too fast… :)