I finally finished a video I have been working on about my time here, and thought I would share it. It can't possibly describe how fantastic my experience was here, but maybe it will give you an idea..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6-ijaSxtKg
Thursday, May 12
Wednesday, May 11
The End Is In Sight :(
With things winding down and the prospects of returning home quickly becoming a reality, I thought that I should make a recap type of post. As a George Mitchell Peace Exchange Scholar I, like previous students, was asked to fill out an evaluations of my time here. The evaluation is pretty extensive and definitely sums up my experience here with the exchange. I hope any future applicants or Mitchell Scholars will find it helpful during their decision making processes!
Please briefly summarize your academic program in Ireland:
My academic program at CIT consisted of 5 modules (courses) from two separate majors, Business Administration and Accounting. My modules included Business Management, Accounting and Computer Applications, Communications, Business Maths and Statistics, and Marketing.
Please answer the following questions as completely as possible. Use as much space as you need.
1. What were your goals going into the exchange? Please list them in priority order, if possible.
Coming into the exchange my goals were to leave Ireland more confident, traveled, with new friends and having had enjoyed my time here to the fullest. Having never left the country before I knew that everything I was about to experience would be new. I also knew that I have grown the most as person during times of uncertainty. I was nervous about leaving home and being homesick but the possible outcomes of being a Mitchell Scholar and experiencing a semester abroad in Ireland out weighed any sort of negatives I could have even imagined.
2. Taking each goal in turn, rank how well you think you achieved it on a scale of 1-5, when 5=excellent.
Were you satisfied with this result? Why or why not?
As my time in Ireland is coming to an end, I can look at those goals and truly say that I have accomplished every one of them. I am definitely returning home a more confident person, and I would rate the success of achieving that goal a 5. When you are forced out of your comfort zone you find abilities in yourself you otherwise never would have discovered. From this experience I know that I could easily make a life for myself wherever I end up after school, whether that be in another country or even just another state. Apart of that was realizing how easy it is to make friends once you open up to people. Opening up lead me to make friendships that I know will be life long. So as for new friendships, I would also give that a 5. I know I will see some of these people again, whether it is I going to visit them or them visiting me. With the bonds that we have formed here our paths are bound to cross again. As far as traveling goes I would have to give that a 4. I feel as though I traveled Ireland pretty extensively and even made a trip to Scotland, but there are still places I wish I could have visited while I was here. Lastly I would have to say that I achieved my goal of enjoying my time here to the fullest. I would give that a 4 because my only regret is not opening up to my peers sooner and I hate to think that I may have wasted even a day just because I didn’t put myself out there early enough.
3. What social/cultural activities did you participate in? How big a part of your experience were they?
My participation in social activities was pretty extensive. Once I fell into a routine, almost everyday I was either hanging out with other foreign students, classmates, or my roommates. We would visit clubs or pubs together, go sightseeing, or even just watch movies at someone apartment. As far as organized activities go, I attended weekly Taekwondo lessons and was a member of CIT’s International Student Society. ISS put on a long list of events throughout the year and was a great way of meeting other international students. The social and cultural activities that I participated in were a huge part of my experience. They are what made my experience so successful. Without participating in activities on and around campus I know that I would not have enjoyed my time in Ireland as much as I have.
4. What advice do you have for next year’s Mitchell Scholars on daily living: banking, laundry, food, computer use, talking with home, what to bring from home, local customs/ways of doing things, etc.?
When you first arrive in Ireland you are going to be experiencing many mixed emotions. To ease yourself into these new surroundings I would definitely recommend getting Skype to stay in touch with family and friends. It is free to video chat if the other person has a Skype account as well, and their calling plans are really cheap. I would also recommend bringing some photos from home. Just as another tip, as a female I feel like I over packed as far as clothes are concerned. It didn’t help that I also bought some clothing while here. So if you can, try and account for that. My lifeline while here became my laptop and I would strongly recommend bringing yours. Also when you arrive you need really be an advocate for yourself and make sure that your classes and bank account are being set up. There was a delay with my account and that really put me at a disadvantage for a week and a half or so. As far as laundry and food go, as long as you budget the stipend is plenty to cover these costs. Let me just warn, laundry is really expensive (for very small machines) and food here does not contain the amount of preservatives that we are used to and expires much more quickly. Apart from driving on the other side of the road, you may also notice when you arrive a general easygoing attitude from the locals. This can be great but also a little aggregating especially when you are trying to get your class schedule set up or things like that.
5. What advice do you have on academics: getting along in class and with instructors, studying, etc.?
Do not hesitate to ask questions! My first few classes I was really shy and nervous to speak up. It was only until I started getting lonely in class that I realized I needed to make an effort. After that things went a lot more smoothly and I even became very good friends with some of the other people in my course. You really do want to try and at least be friendly with your classmates. I quickly found that they were more than willing to help when I didn’t understand something or needed notes from a previous class. This will help will studying. A few times I joined my classmates before midterms and we held some study group sessions. At CIT your grades will mostly be based on your midterm and final tests scores. With that in mind, do not wait to study the material because you will soon see how fast a semester’s worth of notes accumulates. As far as instructors go, I found it helpful to introduce myself and explain my situation, since some of my professors where unaware I was new to the class and school.
6. What advice do you have on social and campus life, such as student clubs, dorm living, meeting and making friends?
Get involved, and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. It’s pretty simple, if you get involved in any of the various clubs on campus and speak up you will have no trouble making friends. Everyone I have met from ERASMUS students to my Irish roommates and classmates have been very welcoming and friendly. There are going to be people you get along with more easily and form deeper connections with but there is no way of knowing who those people are unless you get involved and step out of your comfort zone. I promise you will not regret coming out of your shell, you will however regret it if you don’t.
7. What advice do you have on travel and sightseeing? Did you have/use a CIT student ID card? Yes No
Travel as much as you can! You’re in Europe, when else will you find round trip airfare to London for 50 Euros? I wish I could have done more traveling, and it is not as though my travel was limited. I have done a lot of traveling inside Ireland. The public transportation system here is great. You can get just about anywhere by bus. It also helped me out a lot to make list of everything I wanted to see in Ireland before I came here. Buy some travel books and see what seems interesting, and I bet you can find some other students who feel the same and are more than willing to accompany you. Even if you don’t visit/ do everything on your list it helped me quite a bit when planning my weekends. Also, always have your student ID card on you. You will get discounts on a variety of things from bus fare to clothing stores and even entrance to nightclubs in Cork. It really pays to be a student here.
8. What was the most difficult part of the exchange for you?
Before coming to Ireland I had assumed that I would be battling homesickness. Upon my arrival I did feel homesick, for a couple days. It really was not that bad, Skype helped a lot and the longer I was here the more people I met and the busier I became. Home didn’t cross my mind too often until the latter part of my trip. Fortunately or not, life does not stop while you are over here. I had a lot going on at home that began to affect my overall mood and state of mind while I was here. Some things of course are unexpected and unavoidable but there were things that I could have dealt with before I left for Cork, such as applying to transfer to other schools. I will be finishing my degree this summer at SMCC, so while here I was applying to four-year institutions to transfer to. That was really difficult to manage while in another country. Having someone reliable at home manage your mail, bills and little things like that will help out a lot especially if you don’t live with your parents.
9. What was the most beneficial aspect of the exchange or the thing you’ll remember most?
The most beneficial aspect from this exchange is the change that I have seen in myself. I am definitely leaving Ireland more comfortable and confident with myself than I ever thought possible. This of course occurred through all the incredible experiences I had and shared with the amazing people I’ve met and formed friendships with. I will never forget the people I’ve met here and know that I will one day visit them and one day they will come and visit me.
10. Has this experience changed how you look at the world or your part in it? If so, why and how?
This experience has changed the way I look at a lot of things. I now understand how truly connected as human beings we are. There definitely is an underlying and universal human understanding that you cannot really comprehend from a second hand source. For me it was the small moments that made me realize that no matter where two people come from or what they have experienced there is a connection that can be made, and however small or large that connection is when it does occur its only too natural. I’ve realized through this that we try too hard to categorize people when really sometimes you just need to take things for face value.
Please briefly summarize your academic program in Ireland:
My academic program at CIT consisted of 5 modules (courses) from two separate majors, Business Administration and Accounting. My modules included Business Management, Accounting and Computer Applications, Communications, Business Maths and Statistics, and Marketing.
Please answer the following questions as completely as possible. Use as much space as you need.
1. What were your goals going into the exchange? Please list them in priority order, if possible.
Coming into the exchange my goals were to leave Ireland more confident, traveled, with new friends and having had enjoyed my time here to the fullest. Having never left the country before I knew that everything I was about to experience would be new. I also knew that I have grown the most as person during times of uncertainty. I was nervous about leaving home and being homesick but the possible outcomes of being a Mitchell Scholar and experiencing a semester abroad in Ireland out weighed any sort of negatives I could have even imagined.
2. Taking each goal in turn, rank how well you think you achieved it on a scale of 1-5, when 5=excellent.
Were you satisfied with this result? Why or why not?
As my time in Ireland is coming to an end, I can look at those goals and truly say that I have accomplished every one of them. I am definitely returning home a more confident person, and I would rate the success of achieving that goal a 5. When you are forced out of your comfort zone you find abilities in yourself you otherwise never would have discovered. From this experience I know that I could easily make a life for myself wherever I end up after school, whether that be in another country or even just another state. Apart of that was realizing how easy it is to make friends once you open up to people. Opening up lead me to make friendships that I know will be life long. So as for new friendships, I would also give that a 5. I know I will see some of these people again, whether it is I going to visit them or them visiting me. With the bonds that we have formed here our paths are bound to cross again. As far as traveling goes I would have to give that a 4. I feel as though I traveled Ireland pretty extensively and even made a trip to Scotland, but there are still places I wish I could have visited while I was here. Lastly I would have to say that I achieved my goal of enjoying my time here to the fullest. I would give that a 4 because my only regret is not opening up to my peers sooner and I hate to think that I may have wasted even a day just because I didn’t put myself out there early enough.
3. What social/cultural activities did you participate in? How big a part of your experience were they?
My participation in social activities was pretty extensive. Once I fell into a routine, almost everyday I was either hanging out with other foreign students, classmates, or my roommates. We would visit clubs or pubs together, go sightseeing, or even just watch movies at someone apartment. As far as organized activities go, I attended weekly Taekwondo lessons and was a member of CIT’s International Student Society. ISS put on a long list of events throughout the year and was a great way of meeting other international students. The social and cultural activities that I participated in were a huge part of my experience. They are what made my experience so successful. Without participating in activities on and around campus I know that I would not have enjoyed my time in Ireland as much as I have.
4. What advice do you have for next year’s Mitchell Scholars on daily living: banking, laundry, food, computer use, talking with home, what to bring from home, local customs/ways of doing things, etc.?
When you first arrive in Ireland you are going to be experiencing many mixed emotions. To ease yourself into these new surroundings I would definitely recommend getting Skype to stay in touch with family and friends. It is free to video chat if the other person has a Skype account as well, and their calling plans are really cheap. I would also recommend bringing some photos from home. Just as another tip, as a female I feel like I over packed as far as clothes are concerned. It didn’t help that I also bought some clothing while here. So if you can, try and account for that. My lifeline while here became my laptop and I would strongly recommend bringing yours. Also when you arrive you need really be an advocate for yourself and make sure that your classes and bank account are being set up. There was a delay with my account and that really put me at a disadvantage for a week and a half or so. As far as laundry and food go, as long as you budget the stipend is plenty to cover these costs. Let me just warn, laundry is really expensive (for very small machines) and food here does not contain the amount of preservatives that we are used to and expires much more quickly. Apart from driving on the other side of the road, you may also notice when you arrive a general easygoing attitude from the locals. This can be great but also a little aggregating especially when you are trying to get your class schedule set up or things like that.
5. What advice do you have on academics: getting along in class and with instructors, studying, etc.?
Do not hesitate to ask questions! My first few classes I was really shy and nervous to speak up. It was only until I started getting lonely in class that I realized I needed to make an effort. After that things went a lot more smoothly and I even became very good friends with some of the other people in my course. You really do want to try and at least be friendly with your classmates. I quickly found that they were more than willing to help when I didn’t understand something or needed notes from a previous class. This will help will studying. A few times I joined my classmates before midterms and we held some study group sessions. At CIT your grades will mostly be based on your midterm and final tests scores. With that in mind, do not wait to study the material because you will soon see how fast a semester’s worth of notes accumulates. As far as instructors go, I found it helpful to introduce myself and explain my situation, since some of my professors where unaware I was new to the class and school.
6. What advice do you have on social and campus life, such as student clubs, dorm living, meeting and making friends?
Get involved, and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. It’s pretty simple, if you get involved in any of the various clubs on campus and speak up you will have no trouble making friends. Everyone I have met from ERASMUS students to my Irish roommates and classmates have been very welcoming and friendly. There are going to be people you get along with more easily and form deeper connections with but there is no way of knowing who those people are unless you get involved and step out of your comfort zone. I promise you will not regret coming out of your shell, you will however regret it if you don’t.
7. What advice do you have on travel and sightseeing? Did you have/use a CIT student ID card? Yes No
Travel as much as you can! You’re in Europe, when else will you find round trip airfare to London for 50 Euros? I wish I could have done more traveling, and it is not as though my travel was limited. I have done a lot of traveling inside Ireland. The public transportation system here is great. You can get just about anywhere by bus. It also helped me out a lot to make list of everything I wanted to see in Ireland before I came here. Buy some travel books and see what seems interesting, and I bet you can find some other students who feel the same and are more than willing to accompany you. Even if you don’t visit/ do everything on your list it helped me quite a bit when planning my weekends. Also, always have your student ID card on you. You will get discounts on a variety of things from bus fare to clothing stores and even entrance to nightclubs in Cork. It really pays to be a student here.
8. What was the most difficult part of the exchange for you?
Before coming to Ireland I had assumed that I would be battling homesickness. Upon my arrival I did feel homesick, for a couple days. It really was not that bad, Skype helped a lot and the longer I was here the more people I met and the busier I became. Home didn’t cross my mind too often until the latter part of my trip. Fortunately or not, life does not stop while you are over here. I had a lot going on at home that began to affect my overall mood and state of mind while I was here. Some things of course are unexpected and unavoidable but there were things that I could have dealt with before I left for Cork, such as applying to transfer to other schools. I will be finishing my degree this summer at SMCC, so while here I was applying to four-year institutions to transfer to. That was really difficult to manage while in another country. Having someone reliable at home manage your mail, bills and little things like that will help out a lot especially if you don’t live with your parents.
9. What was the most beneficial aspect of the exchange or the thing you’ll remember most?
The most beneficial aspect from this exchange is the change that I have seen in myself. I am definitely leaving Ireland more comfortable and confident with myself than I ever thought possible. This of course occurred through all the incredible experiences I had and shared with the amazing people I’ve met and formed friendships with. I will never forget the people I’ve met here and know that I will one day visit them and one day they will come and visit me.
10. Has this experience changed how you look at the world or your part in it? If so, why and how?
This experience has changed the way I look at a lot of things. I now understand how truly connected as human beings we are. There definitely is an underlying and universal human understanding that you cannot really comprehend from a second hand source. For me it was the small moments that made me realize that no matter where two people come from or what they have experienced there is a connection that can be made, and however small or large that connection is when it does occur its only too natural. I’ve realized through this that we try too hard to categorize people when really sometimes you just need to take things for face value.
Tuesday, May 10
Temple Bar+ Kilts + Lady Loch Ness Herself= An Unforgettable Spring Break
It really does not feel like a little over week ago that I was just returning from Scotland. This past week was the first week back after Easter Break, and the last full week of CIT. During the two weeks we had for vacation, to say I was busy would be an understatement. After the trip to Galway I had three days before myself and four other girls began our Easter break journey with a four-hour bus ride to Dublin. We had considered taking the train since it is faster but a one-way bus ticket to Dublin is only 10 euros, so we decided to rough it out.
On the first day in Dublin we spend the afternoon exploring and shopping and finished the night visiting some pubs in the legendary Temple Bar area. The next day we took a free 4-hour walking tour of Dublin. A group called Sandman’s New Europe organizes them across Europe. All the guides work on a tips only basis, so they really try and make it an enjoyable experience. I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone visiting Dublin that has the time. Our guide was great, he was really enthusiastic about Dublin and knew a lot about the city. After the tour we went to Trinity to see The Book of Kells and the historic Long Room in the old library. Although the attractions were kind of pricey I thought that it was worth the experience.
The next morning we caught our flight to Edinburgh early in the afternoon. By the time we arrived, although tired, we still had time to go explore the city. There was a general consensus as soon as we got into town; we were all in love with Scotland. To be honest I was excited to visit Scotland but it was never really high up on my list of places to visit. I am so very glad now that I chose to go there. We were all amazed by the city, and its historic roots are evident through the beautiful buildings that form the town. Everything was really so quaint, I think that it would be impossible for someone to visit Edinburgh and not fall in love.
That night we all made dinner together and exhausted from the day’s travel, we had a quiet night in. The next morning we woke up early to take the free walking tour that is offered in Edinburgh by the same company. This tour was excellent as well, mostly due to the fact the Edinburgh is such a city that is rich in history, I thought that it was really interesting. After the tour we got lunch and the weather was absolutely fantastic so we decided to go the park and just lay around for the afternoon. We all agreed on the fact that we wanted to stay away from Haggis, even though a bunch of locals swore it was delicious. I think we still didn’t want to take that chance. Instead a few of us tried the other local favorite, a fried mars bar. Haha, I think that the American in me shown through a tad since I was the one to suggest it and the only one to like it. The other girls thought that it was too rich or just all together gross. Later on, in the early evening we also took a free ghost tour. Which is basically the same as a city tour but conducted at night and focuses more on the legends and superstitions involving the city.
On our second day in Scotland, myself along with two of the other girls decided we wanted to do a day tour into the highlands to see Lake Loch Ness. I figured that it would probably be sometime before I am in Scotland again so I really wanted to do all the touristy things I could, even if that did mean a 4-hour drive there and back. Of course we did not have that much time and were on a bus the majority of the day but it was still a great experience. Our driver was great and kept the whole bus engaged during the ride and we stopped to take pictures at various locations. Once we finally arrived at Loch Ness we boarded a boat and went out onto the infamous lake. Whether you believe in old Nessie or not I think that the boat tour is a lot of fun. The boat is equipped with sonar and other various high tech devices used to track the infamous monster. The crew is a great laugh as well, and they love to share there own personal stories about Nessie. Legends aside I think a trip to Loch Ness is well worth it. The next day was our last in Edinburgh. We split up slightly in the morning myself and another girl decided to go walk up the Scott Monument. Three euro and 287 steps later we had a view of the entire city! It was absolutly breath taking. A couple of the other girls went to The Elephant Café (where JK Rowling wrote much of Harry Potter) and some others went and climbed Arthur’s Seat and got some great senic shots from up there.
The next morning we left for Glasgow by bus. Although Glasgow was a great city, I think we all agreed Edinburgh was our favorite. Our short time in Glasgow was spent shopping and taking a Hop On Hop Off Tour.
This Easter break was probably one of the best vacations of my life and made me realize the life long friendships that I have accumulated while being here. It saddens me to think about this truly wonderful experience ending soon, but I know that I will be walking away from it a better person in every aspect.
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