Nerves were running high as I entered my very first lecture. I found out quickly that the system at UL is very different than the one i am used to at CMU. First of all, the classes are known as modules and have additional tutorials/labs. So basically on top of the two hour long classes once a week, or one hour twice a week, I have to attend five additional classes. Thankfully these tutorials are meant to further our understanding of the subjects covered during the lectures, and give us a chance to give some feedback in a smaller group setting. Now the typical workload for a UL student is 5 modules, so the ones that I chose to take are Study of a Major Irish Author (James Joyce), Irish Folklore, Linguistics, Irish Music and Dance, and Chemistry. These may seem a bit random, but four of them will transfer back to CMU and get me that much closer to graduating!
Besides this week being the first week of classes it was also "Freshers Week," which is a week full of events and freebies for all of the new students. I personally did not attend any of the events mainly due to funding and the tickets being sold out so quickly, but i heard that they were absolutely fantastic. This week also included the Societies and Clubs Recruitment Drive and some meet and greet events on campus. I would compare the Recruitment Drive to the event at CMU known as "Main Stage." This is where all of the clubs on campus come out to try to recruit new members. The societies here are a bit different though, because all of them require paid membership to join. I signed up for two societies: The International Society and The Anime and Manga Society. These choices were based on personal interest and the possibility of meeting new people.
On Friday I went to the first event for The International Society, which was a meet and greet at one of the pubs on campus. My favorite part about the night was meeting new people from all around the world, and dancing with them to music from every country, in every era, and every type. I danced to songs like "You're the One That I Want" from Grease, "Stereo Love," "Wagon Wheel," and the Spanish version of "Bailando." Cool, right? This experience really helped me to open up to other people, and to not be afraid to have fun. At home I would tend to dance very awkwardly and be self-conscious at bars and other social places, but here I was able to get in the middle of dance circles and to belt a solo to songs without feeling any anxiety or fear.
I just realized that I did not give a very good description of the actual campus of the University of Limerick. My village is located right outside of the main entrance where two very tall flagpoles stand and have the flags of the University and of the European Union. From there it is a five to ten minute walk through a tunnel of foliage and shrubbery. Once you pass all of the trees, you get to the main part of campus. On the left is the library, and on the right is the Slopes and the Hub. If you continue forward you eventually run into the Living Bridge, which takes about five minutes to walk across and is probably the coolest part of the entire campus. It crosses the Shannon River and lights up at night in all of the colors of the rainbow. Some the most interesting services available on campus is a free bike repair station, barber shop, print shop, and around eight restaurants.To be honest I had a very difficult beginning of the week. I have been having problems with getting my money from my bank back home and was borrowing money from my roommates. On top of these frustrations I was having doubts about my place here. I was not exactly home sick, but I did not feel like I belonged here. That created a lot of doubts in myself, but I tried to remember that I had all of the support that I could have needed and that there was no way I was giving up an opportunity like this.
I came into this experience thinking that I would only really learn about Irish culture and talk to Irish people, but have discovered that I have met a wide range of people from places all over the globe. I have learned about different cultures from my roommates, tried their different cuisine, and have even played games from different countries. I am happy that I am able to learn so so much from other cultures, but it really has opened my eyes to how limited my knowledge is of the world. I had a lot of stereotypes about some of the people that I have met, and quickly learned that I was completely wrong. I have just learned to count my blessings every day, and to not be afraid to talk to people. I want to learn as much as I can while I am here.
Fun Facts Segment!
#1: The University of Limerick has about 800 International Students coming from 95 countries.
#2: There are still food places that people from the United States would know here such as McDonald's, Burger King, Domino's, and Papa John's.
#3: Gaelic (Irish) is considered a dying language with only 100,000 people still fluent today. (Not so fun fact).
