Holiday Availability: All IES Abroad offices will be closed on Dec 24, Dec 25, Dec 31, and Jan 1 as we take some time to celebrate. During the weeks of 12/22 and 12/29, our team will be smaller, so responses may take longer than usual. Thanks for your understanding—and happy holidays!
January 22 meant freedom.
Since my arrival in Dublin, there has been a nightly, looming curse that has turned everything into a pumpkin, simultaneously packed and emptied restaurants, and morphed what I expected to be bustling city streets into eerie, empty movie sets.
I think it may be impossible to express how alive seeing a new part of the world for the first time makes me feel. Traveling has been something I’ve dreamt of as long as I can remember. I don’t know who inspired it—probably my grandmother, who spent the second half of her life traveling all over, all on her own. Or maybe it was my aunt, who’s told me countless stories about her one-year trip around the world. More likely, my travel bug came from many sources. My obsession with Harry Potter and One Direction landed me in London at the age of 13.
There is no better way to explore a city than through pictures. So, here are some photos that can help you get an insight into Dublin...
Click on each picture to find why it's important to me!
Maya
Five connections, two flight cancellations, and one forty mile-per-hour wind accompanied landing later, I have safely arrived in the Netherlands. Only one problem: the same cannot be said for my two neon orange suitcases.
Let's be real here, anyone can make their life look amazing and perfect on social media if they try hard enough. Who is going to post real life on instagram for the world to judge? So... I am going to show you pictures I have posted on instagram, and then explain the background of taking the photo, exposing myself in the process :)
Photo Number ONE!
The first day of orientation began on a Monday, which was fitting since I was feeling the Monday Blues in the form of jetlag and anxiety about the next four months. I felt more at ease after moving into my apartment and meeting my roommates—a fellow IES Abroad student and one of the Resident Assistants. Our apartment has a stunning view of the Basilica of San Domenico that could rival that of any 5-star hotel, and it’s accompanied by my window’s clothesline, which gently reminds me that I’m not visiting Siena, but living in Siena.
I’m four weeks into my program in Dublin, and I’m having a blast! I have so many fun trips planned in the next couple of months, and I’m starting to settle into a routine during the week that’s helping Dublin feel a lot more like home.
But even though I’m having a great time, there are a few things I wish I had known before I arrived so I could have adjusted my expectations and made my transition a little easier.
1. Studying abroad is not a four-month vacation. There will be bad days…
Right now, I am writing to you from my balcony in Balduina, the area of Rome where my apartment is! Some IES Abroad students and I have had to learn transit quickly since the IES Abroad center is about a 45-minute walk. While I do plan to try it sometime, the train has been easy to navigate and much nicer than any public transit in the U.S. that I’ve known. Plus, our roomy apartment and distance make for a quieter and peaceful version of Rome.
