Unfortunately, my travels were slightly hindered a few weekends ago. I originally planned to go to Dublin with my fellow API friends, but I battled a cold for the weekend (possibly from the kissing the Blarney Stone the previous week?). However, I have made a full recovery, and have since traveled to Liverpool, the home of the Beatles. Tomorrow I am headed to Edinburgh, Scotland!
I am already a third of the way through my time in Ireland, and the days keep going faster now that I have developed more of a routine. I have classes all week, but my coursework isn't as rigorous as it would be at Marietta. Except for my physics course, I essentially don't have graded homework here; students are expected to do independent work to keep up with the lessons in class. Most of my marks are based on one big essay at the end of term. Typically Irish students have final exams, but international student usually are assigned a final essay instead. It's a bit intimidating and very different from college in the United States, but to the Irish students it's just a part of their culture.
Going home on the weekends is also part of the Irish culture. The university is a ghost town on the weekends. Irish students pack up a suitcase and head home for the entire weekend. The only students left at Gort na Coiribe (my apartment complex) are international students, and most of us leave, too. I plan to spend many weekends traveling this semester. After Scotland, I am headed to Belfast in Northern Ireland. Dublin, Donegal, and Connemara are also still on my list of places in Ireland to see. However, I've been getting quite nauseous on the long bus rides, and I don't know how many more I can handle.
P.S. Don't freeze at home. I've seen a few pictures of the snow! It's 50 degrees colder in Marietta right now than it is here.
I am already a third of the way through my time in Ireland, and the days keep going faster now that I have developed more of a routine. I have classes all week, but my coursework isn't as rigorous as it would be at Marietta. Except for my physics course, I essentially don't have graded homework here; students are expected to do independent work to keep up with the lessons in class. Most of my marks are based on one big essay at the end of term. Typically Irish students have final exams, but international student usually are assigned a final essay instead. It's a bit intimidating and very different from college in the United States, but to the Irish students it's just a part of their culture.
Going home on the weekends is also part of the Irish culture. The university is a ghost town on the weekends. Irish students pack up a suitcase and head home for the entire weekend. The only students left at Gort na Coiribe (my apartment complex) are international students, and most of us leave, too. I plan to spend many weekends traveling this semester. After Scotland, I am headed to Belfast in Northern Ireland. Dublin, Donegal, and Connemara are also still on my list of places in Ireland to see. However, I've been getting quite nauseous on the long bus rides, and I don't know how many more I can handle.
P.S. Don't freeze at home. I've seen a few pictures of the snow! It's 50 degrees colder in Marietta right now than it is here.
