Orientation and Getting Settled!

Hey Jason! So now that you’re in Ireland, what’s it like getting settled?

Hey there! It’s pretty good. My first day I went down to an Aldi within walking distance of my apartment and got some essentials like food, soap, and of course, chocolate. The apartment I’m in has eight single rooms, four upstairs, and four downstairs, and a common room/kitchen upstairs. The rooms are pretty small, and the bathroom upstairs is tiny, but I figured that would just incentivize me to spend more time out and about experiencing Ireland, so I wasn’t too upset. Now I’ve got food, some hand towels, and have met all my flat mates. Bedding and general kitchen stuffs were already supplied, so that was convenient.

What about school? Are you adjusting well?

So far we’ve been doing orientation for new students and internationals. Mostly they’ve been going over differences in the European versus American and otherwise schooling systems. I’ve got an idea of the classes I will take and even know about the various “clubs and societies” or “clubs and socks” as they are known, which I could potentially join and meet people in. I am beginning to wonder if studying abroad is more popular among females, as I was not only the only male studying abroad from my home university this semester (1 out of about 13), but also the only male studying at limerick from the ISA program (1 out of about 12), and the only male in my flat (1 out of 8). But overall, things are well. And I’m excited for more.