Month: January 2017

Craic, Irish Slang for Fun

Leave a comment

To no surprise I am writing this blog post from a Starbucks. I tried really hard not to go to Starbucks for the first couple of weeks here, but with the gift cards from  Christmas and the sense of home it brings me I couldn’t help myself. So as I sip my nonfat venti latte, I am going to fill you in on the past couple of weeks here.

About two weeks ago my Aunt Nancy and three cousins, Billy, Brennan, and Teddy, came to Dublin! It was so great to have family here! They treated me to delicious meals and got to meet some of their wonderful friends they have here in Ireland. They also introduced me to a girl that attends Trinity full time and is originally from New York. We found out we have two classes together, which is great!

16409184_10209357614551109_1934974834_o.jpg

This past week I turned 21 and even though it’s not a big birthday here, as some irishman pointed out to me, it was some good craic, which is Irish slang for fun. Although, I am counting down the days till I can officially celebrate in the states!

This week, my first real “oh ya I’m an international student here” hit me in my small discussion group for my American history class. We had to go around in a circle and each student had to say what they thought about the reading. After I presented in class, my teaching assistant asked me where I was from because of my accent. That is when it hit me. I haven’t really gotten many comments about my accent here, so I didn’t really think much of it. I went on to tell my class that I live near Massachusetts, because saying I am from Rhode Island just leads to confusion and  I am kind of tired of explaining that it’s not apart of New York. My professor then told me that I could “put people in their place” when discussing American history, which will be interesting.

This weekend I will be traveling to London to visit my best friend and roommate from Brown, Lubna. She is studying abroad in London and I thought it would be a great time to see her since I will already be there to see my two sisters, Mary and Hill! I can’t wait to see them!!! Sadly, we will miss watching the Pats play in the super bowl because of the time difference, but I am sure our sisters weekend is going to be great! We will definitely be missing the rest of the Anderson clan though!

So my Starbucks is almost done and with that I am ending this blog post!

Cheers, Heidi

Irish Slang of the Day: Craic=fun

Week 1: The Walking City

Leave a comment

It’s been about a week since I left snowy Rhode Island for a not so rainy Dublin. Surprisingly, it has not rained a lot here but does always seem to be damp. The city is beautiful and very easy to get around. I now understand why they call Dublin “The Walking City”.

This past week I took part in the Semester Start-Up Program. Its a program made for Non-EU students studying abroad at Trinity for the semester. I was hesitant at first about doing it because it meant I had to leave very early but I am so glad I did it! I was able to meet and make a ton of friends, mostly from America, but hopefully I will meet some Irish students, especially now that classes start. The Semester Start-Up Program consisted of morning lectures on Irish history, architecture, and culture. Then on some afternoons they took us all on field trips. The first one was to Croke Park, home to Gaelic Football and hurling. The stadium was very impressive, but it was not Gillette or Fenway. We were able to tour the stadium, the locker rooms, and even the room where they set up artists’ dressing rooms when they come to perform. Fun fact: the  last performer there was Beyonce. Another field trip we went on was to see a Russian play name “Anna Karenina” at the Abbey Theatre. Our last field trip was to Glendalough, which is home to an old monastic city and a beautiful lake.

Yesterday, a couple friends and I took a trip to Howth, which is a coastal fishing village outside of Dublin. We walked around the village and were able to see some fantastic views! We stopped at Crabby Joe’s for some delicious fish n chips.

Many people I know live about a 20 minute walk from campus; thankfully I live on campus in a dorm called Goldsmith Hall. I have three other roommates. They are all girls. One is studying abroad here for the semester and is from America, one is studying abroad here the whole year and is from Australia, and the last one is from Ireland and is in her last semester at Trinity. They are all really nice and I am able to get great advice and recommendations from my roommates that have already been at Trinity for awhile, which is great!

I am definitely still adjusting, but my jet lag has gone away (thank god!). Still trying to get use to the “Irish Slang” and having to explain to people that Rhode Island is not apart of New York, but an actual state in the USA. Besides all that I am enjoying my time in Dublin and excited for what lies ahead!

Cheers,
Heidi