Tales from Abroad
My Irish Experiences! Ireland is the most beautiful place on Earth!! It’s
rugged, unspoiled, and vibrant. The
rolling green hills in all shades of green, stone fences, and sheep cover the
countryside. The greenness comes
from the rain, which takes a bit of getting used to and your umbrella becomes
your new best friend by the end. The
ocean was always cold and loud. The
light from the sky would shine down upon the water in certain areas creating
beautiful reflections. Dingle and the Aran Island of Innishmore were my favorite
places. Hiking the hills of Dingle
through sheep droppings and biking all around the rocky land of Innishmore will
always come to mind the instant I hear the word Ireland.
The countryside is truly the best part of Ireland and riding the big Bus
Eireann buses on the little two lane roads makes the journey to the countryside
even more fun. Cork is an enjoyable city with lots to do. The city pretty much has a pub around every corner, which is a bit tempting. Sitting in a pub socializing and meeting people is a great way to learn the culture and hear some good Irish stories. My friends and I spent a fair amount of time in the pubs; the Old Oak was a favorite place to pass the time. If not in a pub there were movies, plays, and operas to attend or the Simpson’s was always on TV. Cork is full of churches, bright colored buildings, shops, restaurants, and bridges.
UCC is a great school. It’s
a small campus with a nice mix of old and new buildings.
The grounds are covered with interesting art, flowers and trees. There
are a lot of Irish and international students who are all really friendly.
The International Education Office is extremely helpful and friendly; get
to know them because they can be a huge help at times.
Classes are interesting and taught by great professors who are really
amusing to listen to. Classes at
UCC were wonderful because they were free and devoid of the structure that is
found in the US. Also participating in the Early Start Semester in History was
wonderful, it allowed me to get to know the campus and city before everyone else
arrived. And the field trip to
Dublin and Belfast was incredible, being able to hear leaders of the Northern
Ireland Assembly speak about the Peace Process was something I never expected
but was amazing and interesting.
When I came home from Ireland I was a different person.
I may have acted the same and looked the same, but inside I had changed.
I gained independence and a sense of being able to accomplish anything.
I accomplished things I never thought I could like figuring out the Paris
Metro. I will always strive to
maintain the sense that I can accomplish anything, which I learned in Ireland.
I came home with an Irish way of thinking; I value my friends and family
more and take those relationships more seriously.
I lost my need for structure and order and instead came home with the
ability to be more spontaneous and adventurous.
The wildness, ruggedness and independent spirit of Ireland still remain
with me today! I can’t wait to
return to Ireland in the future and see Cork, UCC and the beautiful countryside! Jeff Mettille
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