Holy moly! Have I really been in Dublin for two weeks? I seriously just had to look at a calendar to realize this. Time has done what it usually does and just whipped right by me without even asking for my permission. Time... it is such a little rebel! Nevertheless I am thankful for what my time in Dublin has brought me thus far. Two weeks is all it took to make me fall head over hills for the exquisite country of Ireland. Its bright green grass, extravagant castles and never ending seas make it easy to love. However, it is not just the beautiful sights that have made me adore every moment spent in Ireland. The friends I have made here have really made the difference.

My first couple of days here were all pretty much a blur with running to the stores to shop for essentials, setting up bank accounts, figuring out the campus layout, getting my school schedule perfected and attending international student events. However, these first days were the days I met lots of my friends and from places all across the world. So far I have made friends with people from Switzerland, Chile, France, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Canada, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Ireland and naturally the United States. This has been by far my favorite part. The University of College Dublin has accepted 4,000 international students this year and from over 120 countries. This is amazing and quite a learning experience that has taught me more in two weeks than any class ever has! For example: I now know how to say cheers in about 4 different languages! How cool is that?!

Seriously I am really just blown away with the experiences I am gaining here. When I signed up for this exchange, I knew that I would learn a lot and have great experiences but my expectations have been exceeded to the max. Every day more than one thing is learned and to me that is what it is all about. It is so cool to talk about the differences amongst all our countries and witness all of these cultures being mixed. My mom once told me that she went to a seminar for work and they told her that you are most like the 5 people you hang out with the most. If this is the case, it should be interesting to see what I am like at the end of this exchange. I would be a mix of French, Irish, Chile, German and American and I would not prefer to have it any other way.

Aside from making the best of friends here in Ireland I have also been super blessed with AMAZING roommates. There is Ryan who is from Ireland and a 3rd year studying Chemistry, Mary who  is from Ireland and is a 1st year studying Medicine and Elliot who is from Iowa and is a 3rd year studying Biomedical Engineering. Not only are they super smart but they are three of the nicest people you will ever meet. The atmosphere in this dorm is absolutely incredible. We all talk in our kitchen everyday for hours and laugh until it hurts. It is the perfect mix and exactly the kind of people that I need to not make me feel homesick. We are a family and I love them all already!

Since I am fortunate enough to have Irish roommates I have really gotten to hear some of the crazy Irish slang and have even caught myself  saying lots of the words. Here is a little list of things they say that is different.

Irish Slang:
Shifting= Making out
What is the craic= What's up?
They are good craic= they are good fun
Nickers& Trousers= pants
Bogger= a person from the country
Taking the piss= making fun of ( slagging off)

Words that are said A LOT:
Proper
Grand
Lovely
Posh


Now that you know a little about how the Irish talk, I will now enlighten you on their way of life.

Irish Way of Life:
1. They drink a lot. There is a student bar in the middle of campus and students have the opportunity to go in between classes and enjoy a pint.
2. Not very many students have cars.
3. They are very relaxed on time and are not planners.
4. Many of them curse very often.
5. Their 3 meals are breakfast, dinner and tea instead of breakfast, lunch and then dinner.
6. Most students go home every weekend.
7. There seems to be a divide between city people and country people
8. Soccer, Hurling and Rugby are huge here.
9. They like their potatoes.
10. Many students talk during the lecture.
11. No girls carry backpacks
12. Fake tans are the thing and many girls wear insane amounts of makeup
13. More young people smoke here.
14. Every one knows everyone in Ireland.
15. They blame everything on the English.

Now that you are a little more educated on the Irish I guess I can inform you on my education and how classes are going. I am taking four classes. Three agriculture related courses and 1 German course. The German is my favorite by far and very challenging. I love all my classes and could not have gotten a better schedule because I only have class on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday so I plan on traveling a lot! I already booked a flight to Rome for November 1st and still plan to go to France, Spain, the UK and Greece.

Words can't explain how excited I am for these trips or how happy I am here in Ireland. Thank you to those of you who are constantly checking in and making me feel loved and missed while I am thousands of miles away.  I love you all!

Cheers, Sante, Prost, and Slainte.
Bobbi