May 16th - Last Day in Ireland!

The journey has come to an end! As one last hurrah, one of our friends, Donal, took us to a place called forty foot in Dun Laoghaire. It is a spot where people have been swimming in the ocean for 250 years.

I thought I could handle it since I am from New England and the ocean is always cold, but we had to jump in and get out because the water was so freezing you felt like you couldn't breathe! People jump in the water here all year round, and it is popular to do it on Christmas day!

That night we got to have a final get together with all the friends we made over the past semester. It was hard to say goodbye, but we know we will stay in touch!

Overall, I had a great time in Ireland. I got to meet great people, both American and Irish, play hockey with a new team, travel a lot, and experience multiple new places. I'm really grateful for the experience, and thanks to everyone who kept up with the blog!

May 15th - Last Morning in Prague

This morning we explored the Jewish Quarter of the city. This part was actually not destroyed when Hitler invaded because he had the sick idea to make it a museum for people to learn about the Jewish population there.

We went to an exhibit of children's drawings from the Terezín Ghetto, a place where many Jewish adults and children were sent before going to concentration camps. One woman urged many of the children to create drawings as an escape, and they were stored secretly in a suitcase under the floorboards of a house in the ghetto.

We explored more of the temples and some other churches, and then headed over to the other side of the river to check out some of the public parks. We saw a white peacock, which I didn't know existed! Our trip to Prague was short, but definitely worth it.

May 14th - Exploring Prague

We only had one full day in Prague, but this was enough time to see a lot of the city! Prague is pretty small, but the architecture is really pretty, and the city is clean and safe.

We took a walking tour in the morning and got to learn more about the history of the city. Then we explored the castle part of the city, where the president lives. 

 Lastly, we walked over to the John Lennon Wall, a space that has been filled with Lennon-inspired graffiti since the 1980s. In 1988, it used to be a spot where students would air their grievances about the communist government. However, now it just advocates the global ideas of peace and love!

May 13th - First Night In Prague

There was time between my last final and my flight home on the 17th for one last trip, so two other friends and I headed to Prague! We arrived in the late afternoon, so after we checked in at the hostel we had a Czech meal (think lots of different meat dishes, stews, and soft dumplings) and walked along the river Vltava as the sun was setting. There were lots of people sitting out along the river, and the sunset was gorgeous.

May 5th-12th – Finals

Finals at UCD are really different than at Swat! For one thing, the tests aren't in the classrooms on the college campus. All the students take their exams at a place called the Royal Dublin Society (RDS), which is really just a big hall with rows and rows of desks. There are 1,000+ students in the RDS at once, and someone sitting next to you might not even be taking the same exam as you.

Exams are two hours and most of the time worth about 70% of your grade for each course. Needless to say they were intimidating, but I think they went well!

May 3rd - Birthday!

My birthday was in the midst of studying for finals, so my friends and I did a low-key dinner out. We went to a really good restaurant in Dublin called Green Nineteen! We didn't eat out at restaurants too much because we all wanted to save money for traveling and other activities, so it was nice to go someplace kinda fancy!

Weekend of April 25th - Second Visit to London

After classes ended and before finals started, I got to make another trip to London! One of my friends had recommended a section of the city to me which has tons of street art, so I really wanted to go. The place is called Brick Lane - and there is paint everywhere! I got to see a lot of cool art.

In another part of the city, I got to see some of my favorite street artist's work, which is really a dream come true for me. Sadly a lot of it gets painted over, tagged, or removed, but that's just the nature of it. Here's a picture of Banksy's work and me!

April 20th - Beginning of the End

This is the last week of classes! After this week I have a week off, and then finals start. Although I am in six classes, I only have three sit-down finals because the other modules had either posters, a project, or a final paper. Finals are a bit more intimidating here because they count for about 70% of your grade.

Less than a month until my flight home! Time has gone so quickly!

 

April 19th - Kerry Day Trip

Seeing as we only have a few more weekends left in Ireland, some of my friends and I decided to sign up for another day trip. We went to county Kerry in the southwest part of Ireland. The drive was really long (3+ hours, one way), but the views were so beautiful!

We got to see some awesome scenery in the Killarny National Park and have lunch in Killarny. The area is really mountainous, but also full of lakes. My favorite spot was when we went to the Dingle Peninsula, where there was an amazing beach with mountains surrounding it. The Atlantic Ocean was cold, but it reminded me of home.

April 18th - Newgrange & Causey Farm

Today we visited two very cool (but very different) spots in Ireland! The first stop was a tomb called Newgrange, a really impressive sight. This monument is what they call a 'passage tomb' since you have to walk through a small passage that opens up to chamber in the center. This sight dates back to 3200 BC, which makes it older than pyramids or Stonehenge!

There are all these drawings on the rocks, both on the inside and the outside of the tomb. The stones are from different spots around Ireland, and some of them are huge, which means people must have brought them to the site using boats. Some are even from Dublin, which is an hour away by car.

The absolute coolest part is the roof box. On the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, the sun shines perfectly through the opening. Apparently there are other tombs that also have roof boxes that produce this same effect on different solstice days!

The rest of the day was spent at Causey Farm, where we got to see baby sheep and other farm animals, learn some Irish dancing (not the really fast dancing, kinda more like line dancing), play a bodhrán (an Irish drum made of goatskin), and step in a peat bog! Peat bogs are made of decomposed plants and water. The soil barely has nutrients and is slightly acidic, so it preserves things really well.

There are 'bog bodies' in Dublin's natural history museum - people whose bodies were preserved in bogs (haven't visited yet, I probably should). Stepping in it felt kinda like quicksand! Another cool thing about the bogs is that people used to cut out blocks of it, dry it in the sun, then burn it as fuel. There aren't that many of these bogs though, and they are often protected now to preserve the landscape of Ireland.

April 15th - Race Day

Today was a big day for students all around Dublin - student race day! It is a big horse race at Leopardstown Racecourse, and everyone dresses up really fancy, like the Kentucky Derby. There were students from UCD, but also Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University, and other surrounding colleges. 

I am not that interested in horse racing, but I went for the experience. It was a good time! Here is a picture of one of my best Irish friends and me.

April 8th - Learning how to play Hurling!

Today two of our friends taught Nicole and I a bit about the hurling! You play with sticks called 'hurleys' and a small ball called a sliotar. You can pass in the air or hit the sliotar on the ground, and you can catch it in your hands!

The actual sport itself is pretty rough; you can body check and everyone wears helmets. We just passed around on the fields at UCD. The weather has been great!

 

April 5th - Dinner with Iris!

We actually didn't even get to see Iris until Sunday since she was away traveling for Easter break as well. For dinner, she took us to a very cool spot on the North side of town. We had to take the ferry over!

The restaurant was right on a canal, and had a very cool atmosphere. Iris had actually never been there either, but she said a lot of people who live in Amsterdam enjoy it. The menu was all in Dutch, so she had to translate! We had a great night catching up with her!

April 4th - Anne Frank House and Canal Tour

In the morning, Kat and I woke up really early and got in line to tour the Anne Frank House where her family hid during the Holocaust. It is possibly one of the biggest tourist attractions in the city, and the line was massive. We got there early enough that we didn't have to wait that long though. The tour was very sad, but I'm really glad we went.

Later we took a boat tour through the canals! Amsterdam is full of canals, cute houseboats, and leaning canal houses! I loved the city and have never been anywhere like it.

April 3rd - Exploring Amsterdam and Van Gogh Museum

My other American friends from UCD came to Amsterdam too, but they stayed in a hostel downtown. Today we spent the day exploring with them! We ate a nice lunch outside and walked around in the outdoor markets. At night we went to the Van Gogh Museum, which has the largest collection of his artwork. I really enjoyed it. Here is one of my favorites!

April 2nd - Arrival in Amsterdam!

For Easter break we didn't have class on Good Friday or the Monday after Easter, so we took this time to take a trip! We headed off to explore Amsterdam! My best friend Kat from Swat actually joined us too!

We stayed in our friend Iris' apartment, which was super nice of her! We know Iris because she played field hockey at Swarthmore for a year with us, but then decided to go back and study in Amsterdam where she is from.

March 31st – Last Lab

Today I had my last lab for my biology class, which marks the end of all my labs! The semester is really going by quickly now. This picture isn't even from lab, but I walked by it in the science center and had to take a picture!

March 28th - Street Art Jam

Today Joel and I went to a really cool venue in Dublin called the Bernard Shaw. They were having a street art jam, so you could watch multiple Dublin street artists at work on walls near the venue! The atmosphere was really cool and the place was packed! They had inside seating and outdoors, and a pizza bus.

I have no better way of describing it, haha. It's basically a food truck that is situated outside and always present at the Bernard Shaw! And the pizza was phenomenal.

March. 26th - Joel arrives!

Today my friend Joel from high school arrived in Ireland! He's been studying at Oxford since the fall semester, and he is doing a full year there. We hadn't seen each other in over a year, but honestly it feels like I just saw him yesterday. I had a great time catching up and showing him some of my favorite things around the city.

March 22nd – Mom’s Last Day in Ireland

On my mom's last day in Ireland, we went to a seaside fishing village called Howth. It was a really nice day out, and surprisingly there were lots of people around. There was small market where we got really yummy homemade bread.

Then we got to walk a mountainous trail along the shore! After our hike we ate great seafood for lunch. I'm so glad I got to show my mom Dublin!

March 21st – Guinness Storehouse

On Saturday we did the number one tourist activity here in Dublin - Touring the Guinness Storehouse! In the storehouse you get to learn all about the Guinness family (actually great philanthropists) and how Guinness is made.

I also showed my mom Phoenix Park, where all those wild deer are! You can get pretty close to them, and two male deer were actually fighting with their antlers.

March 20th - Visiting the Countryside

Today we took a day trip to see some of the countryside of Ireland. We got to walk around Glendalough, a beautiful spot that used to be a monastary. It has two beautiful lakes - here's a picture of us in front of one! We got to do a lot of exploring.

The trip also included a drive through the Wicklow Mountains and to a great spot to view Guinness Lake. Much like a pint of Guinness, the lake is almost black in color, and they actually brought in pale sand to make it look even more like Guinness! It was really windy, hence my hair being a bit crazy in the picture.

March 19th – Touring With My Mom

In the morning my mom and I took a tour of Kilmainham Gaol, an old jail in Dublin. This is where many Irish Revolutionaries were held. Later we walked around the National Botanic Gardens, which was free! There were lots of cool cacti and bonsai trees.

The picture is from our walk around the University College Dublin campus - this mural is right in front of the science center!

March 18th – Visit From My Mom

My mom arrived in Dublin today! We had a low-key day but did a lot of walking. I showed her a bunch of the 'must-sees' in Dublin - St. Stephen's Green, Trinity College, the Spire, and more important things like Butler's, a cafe with the absolute best hot chocolate and lattes (just kidding, but they're seriously amazing). We had lunch at the Brazen Head, Dublin's oldest pub!

March 17th – St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Paddy's Day! Paddy's day here isn't that huge for people who are actually Irish, and they tend to avoid the massive crowds downtown. Surprisingly, we did not do the very touristy thing of going to the parade downtown. Instead we visited Croke Park, the stadium in Dublin where Gaelic sport matches are held.

If you haven't heard of Gaelic Football or Hurling, I strongly encourage you to look them up on YouTube! These two Irish sports are like combinations of multiple sports, and they're both contact, so they are very intense to watch. Croke Park is the third largest stadium in Europe, and we got to see both a Hurling and a Gaelic Football match. So it was still a pretty eventful St. Patrick's Day.

Later that night, we got to catch up with Ainsley, my teammate and the goalie of the field hockey team - Swat Reunion! She's studying in Scotland and was visiting Ireland with her sister.

March 16th – Return to Dublin!

We are back from our trip but on to more activities! Tyler Zon of the men's soccer team came over from London to see Dublin, and two of my Irish friends took all the Americans on a coastal hike!

We walked from Bray to Greystones - over a hill (not technically a mountain) called the Bray head. Sometimes being in the city makes me forget we are so close to the ocean. The trail was beautiful, and there were lots of people paragliding above us!

Mar. 14th – Visiting Milan

We were supposed to have another full day in Cinque Terre, but Italy was unfortunately having a train strike so we had to catch an earlier train to Milan, where we were flying out from. Cinque Terre was my favorite spot on our trip, so it was sad to leave.

We explored Milan a little, but we were all pretty tired so we picked up groceries and made dinner ourselves. We flew back to Dublin the next day since we had to get back for St. Patrick's Day! More to come!

Mar. 13th – Continuing Our Tour of Northern Italy

In the morning we took a train from Riomaggiore to the northernmost town of Monterosso al Mare, where we started a hike to Vernazza, and then Corniglia! In Monterosso, we had focaccia bread with pesto, which sounds pretty boring but it was definitely one of the best things I've ever eaten. I didn't even like pesto before this trip but I ended up loving it!

The hike was so pretty. There were parts with a lot of stairs, but also portions where we were walking right along the coast, and other parts where the trail dipped into the mainland. We stopped in Vernazza for lunch and gelato, then continued the hike to Corniglia. Usually you can hike between all five towns, but some of the trail was closed since we were there in the off-season.

We ended up taking the train to the last town we hadn't seen, Manarola, and just sitting near the shore and watching the sunset. We had dinner back at the hostel, and became friends with some of the other guests staying there. Such a great day! The picture is from our stop in Vernazza.

Mar. 12th – Cinque Terre

The next stop on our trip was Cinque Terre - a group of 5 coastal villages in the northern part of Italy. Our hostel was buried in the mountains in a place called Biassa, a little outside the 5 villages. Each town has amazing, colorful buildings built into the steep landscape. Once we dropped off our spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the first town, Riomaggiore. We had an amazing lunch, the calamari was the best! Then we walked along the shore and lounged on the rocks. The weather was probably in the 60s, which felt very warm to us!

Mar. 11th – Climbing to the Top of the Duomo

Today we saw Michelangelo's statue of David, and we climbed to the top of the Duomo (really huge and colorful church in Florence) to see great views of the city! It was over 400 stairs, and a little cloudy out, but we were so glad we did it! Here is a picture of all of us at the top. 

My friend Jessica from home had studied in Florence and had given us so many great restaurant suggestions, so we ate a classy dinner outside for our last night in Florence. We shared antipasto, salads, and eat had pasta dishes. So perfect!

Mar. 10th – First Full Day in Florence

Today our other friend Grace (blonde) joined us in Florence! We had a low-key day; basically just explored the city! We walked along the river Arno, explored the outdoor markets, and ate amazing pizza for dinner.

Here is a picture of us joking around with an art exhibition we found!

Mar. 9th – St. Peter’s and Arriving in Florence

We still had the morning in Rome before heading to Florence, so we walked around in St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel. The Basilica was huge, and so impressive. So much stonework and incredible statues! The Vatican museum was also cool, but there were so many tourists it was a little crazy.

My absolute favorite thing was the Sistine chapel, the famous chapel where Michelangelo painted beautiful frescoes all over the ceiling and walls. Sadly you can't take pictures in there, but pictures wouldn't even do it justice anyway. It's a true masterpiece; the painting above the alter alone has over 300 figures in it.

In the afternoon, we caught a train to Florence and made our way to the Airbnb we rented. Airbnb is a website that lets people rent out free space they have to travelers! We stayed in one offered by Spanish female students studying abroad in Florence. They were really nice and the location was great!

Mar. 8th – Visiting the Vatican, Pantheon and More!

Today Hannah, Nicole, and I (Hannah is the brunette, Nicole is the redhead, for future notice) walked all over the city and hit basically all of the tourist sites! In the morning, we started at the Vatican and actually saw the pope speak! Even though it was in Italian, it was still a really cool experience!

We also got to see the Spanish Steps (we stopped for gelato and ate it on the steps in the sun), the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain (sadly it's under construction and not running).

We ate an awesome dinner at a place called Tony's in Trastevere. We each had heaping plates of pasta and then we shared desert. On the walk back home, we passed the Colosseum! It is all lit up at night.

 

Mar. 7th – Spring Break in Rome!

Two weeks of break has started and two friends and I have hit Rome, Italy! Our hostel was called "The Yellow;" it was pretty easy to find, and we had a private room with our own bathroom - so nice! It is run by all young people too.

We got dinner and had a low key night. We met lots of other travelers, and chatted for a while with two guys - one from Mexico and another from the Netherlands. So cool to meet people from all over the world!

Feb. 28 – Snow in Ireland

This weekend was pretty busy because I had a midterm on Monday to study for, three assignments due this coming week, and games for hockey on Saturday and Sunday!

We won on Saturday, but unfortunately on Sunday we drove all the way out to our game (an hour away) and it got canceled because of snow! It really only flurries in Dublin, but since we were more inland the snow was actually sticking!

The rules for the game of hockey (field hockey) are the same over here, but its funny how the girls have different lingo over here! Instead of calling penalties in the defense "corners," they primarily call them "shorts" for "short corners." Then the hit from the sideline of the field is a "long corner" when we call them "long hits." Also they never say "field," only "pitch!"

Training is their word for practice. And I've heard the phrase "gum shield" used for what we call a "mouth guard."

 

Feb. 22nd - Cork and Blarney Day Trip

Three friends and I woke up bright and early to catch a bus to the city of Cork, located in the southwest part of Ireland. We arrived around 11 a.m. and had a nice brunch. I had heard the oatmeal (they call it porridge) was really good here in Ireland, and that was true!

We took another short bus ride to the Blarney Castle. This spot is a really popular tourist attraction, and the home of the Blarney stone (legend has it if you kiss it, you'll be given the "gift the of gab" - or eloquence). This is the first castle I actually got to go inside of! It was really cool - the base of the castle contained small passageways and crevices to explore, and on the inside we got to walk around the bedrooms and banquet hall. We also climbed through the tiny spiral staircase all the way to the top!

The top of the castle is where the Blarney stone is (and of course we kissed it, despite how unhygienic this seems). The grounds of the castle contain lots of walking paths and gardens as well.

Next, we explored another town called Cobh (pronounced "cove"). This small town had an array of tiny, colorful buildings, and a beautiful cathedral called St. Coleman's. We climbed up and walked around a bit in the cathedral. The interior is just as pretty as the exterior with multiple windows of stained glass and stone Celtic crosses.

Right before we left, there was a rainbow right above it! We had enough time to eat dinner in Cork then catch our bus back to Dublin - pretty perfect day!

Feb. 21st – Architecture Photography Class

In the morning my hockey team played a match (we won!), and then I spent the afternoon working on some homework. One of the classes I am in is an architecture photography class, and we had an assignment called "On the Street," which is up for interpretation by each student.

Basically, the only guidelines were to explore around where you live and try to capture interesting compositions. Then we have to edit the photo based on a tutorial that was demonstrated in class. I took a photo of a cute bike shop, and here's the final project!

Feb. 17th – The “Secret Pond” at UCD

School seems like it has started to kick in since I have a couple reports and group projects. In the research lab. I will start doing some of my own experiments this week!

On the walk to the bus stop, I found the "secret pond" on campus, which is just secret because it is not on the campus map.

I am continuing to explore and see new things every day!

 

Feb. 14th – Valentine’s Day

 

I had a very romantic Valentine’s Day with my friend Nicole (we even shared noodles, but not Lady and the Tramp style). All joking aside, we did walk through a big park in Dublin called Phoenix Park. A couple other UCD students were on the bus with us, so we walked around with them too. It is huge, and we didn't even walk around the whole thing!

The park also contains a zoo and the President of Ireland's house. The coolest thing about the park is the wild deer! There were probably 50 of them. They came close to us and ate carrots out of some people's hands! There was also a big rugby tournament going on between Ireland, Wales, England, Italy, France, and Scotland, so later we watched some of that!

Feb 10th - Research Project

One course (or module, as they call it here) I am taking is a research credit. I have been placed in a laboratory that studies gene regulation and biomarkers in cancer progression, specifically in breast cancer and colon cancer. Today was the first day that I spent time in lab!

I am currently shadowing one of the graduation students in the lab to learn some new techniques, but eventually I will be running some experiments on my own. Today I looked at cells he has been growing under a microscope, and he showed me how to "seed" cell cultures. This is when you transfer the cells to a new plate with more nutrients so that they have more room to grow. I think this is a good experience for me since I work in the biochemistry lab back at Swarthmore, and I am considering graduate studies in biochemistry or pharmacology.

A graduate science degree is mainly research though, and I am not sure if that is what I want to focus on. However, I think being in another laboratory that focuses on a different subject will help me decide if that path is right for me!

Feb 9th - Colours

Today was the annual event called "Colours," this year hosted by UCD! It is an event where every club hockey team (both men's and women's teams) plays the club teams at Trinity College Dublin, the other major university in Dublin.

We played a match in the morning (we won!!). Then in the evening, everyone dressed up really fancy and we had a formal reception and dinner at a hotel! It was a great way to become a part of my new team. We all got together at one of my teammates' houses before the dinner. Here is a picture of everyone dressed up!

Feb 8th – Playing Hockey!

On Sunday, I played in a hockey match! Since Ireland is small and there are not as many colleges like in the United States, there are many different leagues and teams that could be made up of people who just live in certain areas of the country. Therefore, ages can vary too!

We lost by one, but it was a fun and fast game.

Feb 7th – Day Trip

Today we took another day trip with the International Students' Society to Northern Ireland! Our first stop was at a place called Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge. It is a famous bridge that connects the mainland to a small island called Carrickarede. It is almost 100 feet above the rocks and ocean - I am not really afraid of heights, but it was definitely a step out of my friends' comfort zones!

We then headed to the Giants' Causeway, my favorite part of the day trip. The causeway is a series of basalt columns formed from volcanic activity. There is much folklore associated with the site since it is so remarkable. Legend has it that the causeway was a bridge built by a giant to get over to Scotland, and then destroyed! All the rocks were really fun to climb on.

After this, we also got to explore the city of Belfast for a short period of time. Then we headed back to Dublin. Great day!

Feb 5th – Class & Watching Hurling

Today I had my first laboratory associated with the chemistry course I am taking! My schedule was confusing at first, because unlike at Swarthmore where laboratory courses meet once every week, I only have a total of four chemistry labs for the semester (in addition to the lecture portion of the course). It was from 10-1, I had a break for lunch, and then from 2-5.

I also had to write up a report right after and it hand it in on the spot! That was a little nerve-wracking, but I think it went ok.

During the break, I watched a hurling match for about 20 minutes - hurling is an Irish sport which basically looks like a mix between field hockey, baseball and rugby. It is a really rough game, but it is really fun to watch! Definitely find a YouTube video of it if you are curious!

Feb. 2nd - Playing "Hockey" in Ireland

Today was the first day I got to play field hockey (or just hockey as they say here, I like this better) with Irish players! Hockey is so popular with women here that UCD actually has seven club teams and three men's teams.

I started playing with the 5ths team and felt pretty good. The team was really friendly! The surface they play on is more rubbery than at home and kind of like a tennis court. The game is quicker, which I love.

Feb. 1st - Exploring Dublin City Center & Watching the Super Bowl

Today was very low key. A friend and I went into Dublin city center for some lunch and exploring. We actually ate burritos - and trust me, they were just as good as the burritos from the United States. We also got ice cream for the first time since being in Ireland! We went to a place called Murphy's, which had funny flavors like Irish coffee and guinness.

Back on campus, there was actually a showing of the Super Bowl. But because of the time difference, kickoff was at 11:30 p.m. in Ireland! We still stayed up for the whole thing. 

Way to go Pats!

Jan 31st - Day Trip to the Coast

Today we went on a day trip to the eastern part of Ireland, around Galway. We had to leave at 6:30 a.m. from Dublin, but it was so worth it!

Our first stop was in Galway, which is located straight across from Dublin on the east coast of Ireland. We spent a little bit of time walking around and exploring the city. Then we made our way through the wonderful Irish countryside, past fields filled with sheep and cows, castles, and hand-built stone walls. We were on a bus, but if I had been driving on my own I would have made countless stops to try to record the beauty of the landscape.

The main attraction of our trip was the Cliffs of Moher, one of the must-see sites in Ireland. It is located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare. Pictures definitely do not do this site justice. We spent an hour and a half here just walking along the cliffs, but you could have spent all day!

One of the last stops on our trip was Poulnabrone Dolmen, a portal tomb made over 5,000 years ago!

It was truly an amazing day.