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.