I’m finally in Ireland! Ever since my admitted students day when I first learned about Bucknell in Dublin, I have been anticipating this day. After a somewhat restless airplane ride, I landed in Dublin with Tyler and a handful of the other Bucknell students. The next few hours of checking into UCD, unpacking my clothes, and taking a nap flashed by so quick yet the following hours felt like an entirely new day. Once everyone in our suite arrived, we decided to go out and play some basketball with the locals. After dominating for the first few minutes, the jet lag caught up to us and we ultimately ended up losing the game pretty severely. Even though we lost, we got to know some of the other students staying at UCD this summer and have kept in touch with them to this point. We then went into Dublin proper for dinner and to watch the Champion’s League final. After the match ended, a live band came out covering everyone from the Cranberries to Taylor Swift, leading to some impromptu karaoke from the Bucknellians.
The next morning was less eventful but allowed us to adjust to the time difference. We had our orientation where we learned how to live a normal life in Dublin with Leap Cards and refusing to take Ubers. Then I went to the Supra on campus to stock up on breakfast and lunch food, a decision I was glad I made when I did. After a sandwich lunch, we took a tour of UCD as a large group. Then Tyler and I went to the gym and met up with a number of the other Bucknell students there. We all went to Mikey’s for dinner (an American food spot on UCD’s campus) where I had a solid chicken sandwich and fries. Our apartment ended the night watching the movie Birdbox and got ready for our first class.
On the third day, our first class began and we enjoyed all of Professor Wilk’s jokes during syllabus day. Then we went to the EPIC museum, where I really increased my knowledge of my heritage. My grandfather immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island, meaning that the exhibits related to immigration in the 20th century were very interesting to me. I also really loved learning other Irish facts including the meaning behind the Irish flag’s design: green represents the Catholics, the orange represents the protestants, and the white represents peace between the two. I also found the laws about keeping the monarchy “pure” very interesting as well, further showing the significance of the divide between the two religions in the country’s history.
Since my internship didn’t begin until Wednesday, I took the time on Tuesday to go to the grocery store and get the ingredients for my meals for the week. This small trip left me motivated to make tacos on my own, a feat I was very proud of as I had never done it before. While I still feel very touristy this day trip to the grocery store made me feel slightly more like a resident of the country. As my internship begins, I am sure I will only continue to feel more immersed in the culture, and can’t wait to meet the Irish E-bike clients at GreenAer.
Airport photo from Newark right before saying bye to our famailes.
The previously mentioned decree imposed to ensure rulers of Ireland remained Protestant from the EPIC museum exhibit.
A fiber-optic cable statue representing how so many people all over the world are tied genetically to Irish heritage (like myself).
A picture of my awesome homemade tacos!
Hi Jack! This is so fun to read and follow some of your adventures.
We are so happy that you are settling in and experiencing the rich culture Dublin offers.
I’m looking forward to hearing more about your internship as well as your live music adventures. Perhaps even a sing-song when you buy your guitar.
Love you!!