Settling into Dublin: All the Times I’ve Felt like an Idiot

My time here in Dublin has, without a doubt, been the greatest adventure of my life. That being said, creating a new daily routine in a foreign place has been a journey in itself. Trial and error becomes your best friend when navigating a new city. There have been times when I felt like a true Dubliner, and then there have been times when I’ve felt like an absolute idiot. It’s a spectrum, really, and I’m grateful for every blunder. However, I would love it if I could dissuade future students from making my mistakes. 

1. Letting my friends figure out public transportation for me

Back home, I drove everywhere, so I was not familiar with public transportation. I was also not expecting how often I would need to use it here. In my first two weeks, I let my friends take the lead in figuring it out while I just followed them blindly. This worked great until I had to go somewhere without them, and I had no idea what to do.  It doesn’t help that I have a horrible sense of direction. I’m aware that not everyone has the same problem I do. However, just in case you are like me, my advice is to make sure you understand the public transit before you are caught alone trying to get from point A to B. I will say after getting lost once, I shaped up pretty quickly, and now I’m a pro, sort of.  

2. Not bringing all of my medicine with me

This was a huge mistake. Again, this will be a very specific situation, but it affected my time here a lot. I have horrible asthma, so I made sure to bring my inhalers, but not my nebulizer. My mom suggested I bring it, but it’s kind of bulky, and I didn’t want it taking up space in my suitcase. Always listen to your mother or guardian when they advise you to bring something medical-related, because clearly, she knows best. I got sick three weeks into the program because I was standing out in the rain for an unnecessarily long time. That sickness spiraled into bronchitis because I didn’t have my nebulizer to calm down my asthma. I was miserable for weeks. Nothing was helping. I finally went to a trusted adult in my program who helped me immediately. I wish I had asked for help sooner. My professor even scheduled my doctor's appointment for me because I was confused about how to do it. The moral of this story is to ask for help, especially because IES Abroad has your back, and to listen to your mom if she tells you to pack something as important as medicine. 

3. Not getting Euros until I needed them 

This is another example of me being lazy and thinking I could put it off until later. I was told many times to get Euros before I arrive in Dublin because the exchange rate was better. I didn’t listen, of course. I thought I could avoid a cash-only-scenario. That mentality worked until it didn’t, and recently I’ve run into many situations where I’ve had to ask my friends for Euros because I didn’t have any. Trust me when I say you don’t want to be that friend. If you can, go to your bank at home and get your country's currency there. There are always ATMs at the airport, but the exchange rate is atrocious and will make you shed a tear as you complete your transaction. 

Don’t let my stories scare you, or well, I guess do let them scare you, but in the right direction. I would gladly make all of these mistakes again if it would lead me back here. I am constantly in an in-between state of wonder and mourning because I know it will eventually end. I have no business dwelling on what I’ve done wrong when it’s led to a stronger, more resilient me. Your time here is too short to feel embarrassed by touristy mistakes, because they will happen. It’s part of the experience, and you definitely won’t be the first. I think my greatest mistake I’ve made so far is letting imposter syndrome get to me. I spent so much of my time in Dublin worried if I looked too American or if I was doing something out of the social norm. The truth is, I am American, and I’m likely doing a lot of strange things in the name of fitting in. It doesn’t matter. My last piece of advice today is: Do you and do it big. This is a once and a life time opportunity. Don’t close yourself off. Enjoy every moment, even if in some of those moments, you feel like an idiot.