A Reflection on Dublin

I’ve been back in the U.S.A. for two weeks!  It’s incredibly cliche, but this summer has come and gone so quickly.  

On multiple occasions, I’ve found myself flipping back through the pages of my journal and scrolling through the photos I took this summer, and I still have a jumble of feelings about the experience.  Traveling to Dublin was the biggest adventure I’ve ever undertaken.  I battled through homesickness, loneliness, anxiety around starting a new job, and the feeling of missing out on a summer spent with my hometown friends.  There were many days when I questioned if I’d made the right decision.  

I’m not writing this to deter anyone from pursuing a summer abroad.  If I had the chance to go back and redo the summer of 2025, I would go to Dublin again.  Despite the hard days and the long phone conversations with friends and family back home, the primary feeling stirred up by rereading my travel journal and studying my photographs is pride.  I experienced so many amazing adventures: from living out my Princess Bride dreams at the Cliffs of Moher, to checking off a life long bucket list goal in the seat of a Venetian gondola.  After eight weeks, I felt completely at home in a foreign country.  That’s not something most people are able to say!

If anything, I want to be honest about the hard days, because they highlight what was so special about this experience.  It wasn’t a vacation.  For as many incredible experiences as a I had, there were just as many mundane moments, from grocery shopping to the morning commute.  When you study abroad, you are a member of the city you’re living in, and you’re bringing your whole self with you.  My time in Dublin wasn’t a long weekend of Instagram photos and enviable views, it was real life.  In Dublin!  How cool is that?

So, I have two final pieces of advice for anyone considering studying abroad. 

First, I would encourage you to create a bucket list.  Consider that your life abroad will become normal.  Yes, include that trip to Venice or that beautiful waterfront hike.  But, also include that pizza place you saw on social media or a visit to the local library.  Think through small moments of joy you can have after work or school, or in between the grocery store and the pharmacy.  My own list had over 100 Dublin-based experiences from hikes, to coffee shops, to museums, and even with eight weeks abroad, I still couldn’t get to every one.  However, it is time to reflect on the biggest goals I set out for myself before I left. 

• Visit One New Place Every Week 

This goal was by far the easiest.  Some of my favorite places I visited were Galway, Howth, and the Gap of Dunloe. 

• Plan At Least One Weekend Getaway Outside of Dublin

I was lucky enough to visit both Venice, Italy and Edinburgh, Scotland!

• Go On A Nature Hike

If you’re ever in Dublin, I would highly recommend visiting Howth.

• Purchase At Least One Souvenir

I collected quite a few souvenirs including a variety of postcards and a framed photo of the Trinity Library.

• Make a New Friend

I made so many friends, but I have to give special mention to Dani and Allie who traveled to Venice and Edinburgh with me. 

My second piece of advice is one that I wish I’d taken more seriously: keep a journal.  I wrote about this in my very first blog post, but it didn’t become a very strong habit.  As I’ve said, your life abroad will become almost mundane, and you’ll think it’s silly to write out your every day routine.  But, the reality is that your routine is anything but mundane and you’ll want to look back at every detail when you’re back home, not just the big, bucket list moments.  Do yourself a favor and preserve those memories!

I go back to school in a little over a week, but I’m so excited for anyone about to head off on their own study abroad adventure.  Be brave, have fun, and enjoy the moment!

All the best, 

Jill Nied