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Ireland
"My study abroad experience was
nine
months long (so a full school year) at the University of Dublin
in Dublin, Ireland. I have so many mixed emotions when people
ask me how it was. On one hand I the opportunity to see where my
heritage started. I got to see a brand new BEAUTIFUL country,
meet so many new people, and my parents even came over for a
week to tour the countryside. (They had never left the United
States, and probably wouldn't have ever gone if I wasn't there.) Experiencing a new culture was amazing, and I have so many
pictures and memories that I brought home with me.
"On the other hand, I did have some
hard times adjusting to being away from my family. I am very
close with my immediate family, as well as my extended family.
Living in Ireland made it so hard to communicate with them.
Phone calls were expensive and limited. Email access was
difficult to find. (We prayed that the computers would want to
work.) There were no phones in the apartments, and no computer
access either. There was one small dining hall on campus, but I
had a kitchen, so all of my groceries were purchased at the
store and toted home in reusable plastic bags. I think the
hardest thing for me was adjusting to being alone. I had two
other fellow Tech students with me, but at the same time, I was
completely uprooted from everything that I was comfortable with.
"It was a difficult time for me, but
one that I am very glad I went through. I am a different person
because of being there, and I wouldn't give that up for the
world. I have a greater appreciation for who I am and where I
come from. I developed so many communication skills, had amazing
cultural experiences, and went on great trips not only in
Ireland but England and Scotland as well. Oh, and the chocolate
and beer are AWESOME over there.
"Hope that isn't too much of a
mouthful, but I have so much to say about studying abroad. I
don't think I could go for that long of a period of time again,
but I definitely LOVE to travel now." - Amanda Martin
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