Arcadia University- University College Cork

Through UCC I met a bunch of Irish friends which was amazing! They were such genuinely nice and funny people. One of my Irish friends invited us over to her house in Killarney for the weekend. Her father drove us around the Ring for seven hours (generally how long it takes to drive there). It was incredibly nice of them to do and they showed us places that the tours don't usually stop by. It was just an incredibly fun day for me and my American friends to be taken around by the locals. Later that night we met her Irish friends out and it was such a fun and unique experience. It would have never happen if I hadn't met her through UCC or where I lived. It brought me closer with some many cool and interesting people I will never forget. Arcadia allowed me to met Americans to start out and feel comfortable, but it also brought me closer to the people of Ireland and their culture. I am forever grateful for this wonderful experience.

I'd never lived in a city before. The best part of the experience wasn't the classes, though those were interesting, since I've never taken a class with more that 25 people before, and in Cork I got the big-city experience. The best part was building myself a little life.

College students may live away from home and learn a lot, but I'm pretty sure I learned how to be an adult from living in Cork. It was little things, how to grocery shop in the variety of beautiful local markets and then be able to make an actual meal. I started going to the gym, because health was more important in Ireland than it seems to be here. I found a favorite coffee shop, and made friends with the regulars and would sit and do my reading and talk to them for hours. There's the joy of having favorite pubs, and stopping on every bridge walking home at night to enjoy the lights on the water. The city as very busy, and I learned to take advantage of the constant events and concerts and dances and lectures. I took day trips to neighboring little towns to go hiking.

Like I said, it was a little life.

And sometimes, it was annoying. It's really cold in Ireland. My roommates refused to clean- ever- and when the streets flood it gets hard to go to class. Strangers are mostly friendly, but other students didn't really talk after class, or volunteer answers. It was strange to be the only person to raise my hand. It was new to worry about money so often.

My experience is in no way exceptional or outstanding from anyone else's, I'm sure. I can tell you, though, that it mattered immensely to me. Sometimes I dream about Cork and I wander around, walking into buildings and wondering where everyone has gone. I think about it all the time, since I made some wonderful friends, some of whom I am fairly sure I will never see again. I made a little life there, but it was mine, and I loved it very much. Should you ever have the chance, go to Ireland. Sit on an ancient hillside in Kinsale overlooking the ocean and maybe you'll find something intangible there that makes you feel like this is where you were meant to be.

One of the best experiences I had in Ireland was learning how to step dance. Not only did I get to learn a unique part of Irish cultures but I also made some of the best social connections with not only the other students but the teacher as well. We were given the opportunity to go to the Blarney Hotel Pub every Tuesday to play with the local musicians in an Irish traditional session and to perform the dances we learned for the locals.

I had dreamed of going to Ireland since I was a little girl, so my expectations were very high. I had fantasized about this experience to get me through the hard times in my life. Did I ever think I would do it? I'm not sure, I think I knew I would try, but I could never make it a reality in my mind until I was landing in the airport, sick as a dog I might add due to bronchitis and a sinus infection. Now, the actual country was different than I expected. History literally popped up on the side of the road when you least expected it, and you get used to seeing ruins of castles dotting the landscape. The food was heavy but so fresh and lovely! Not going to lie, going in the winter/spring was rough because it was very hard to break into the Irish student scene. However, I made some awesome friends within the international student crowd, and they were the people I hung out with during my free time. There is so much to see in Ireland that I still didn't see everything after 5 and a half months. Cork itself is a cute city large enough to find something new every time you walk around but small enough to feel homey. If you're religious, watch out. The services seemed sort of rushed to me, but the churches themselves are gorgeous. Also, I found much more spiritual connection when I was exploring Ireland and the landscape/castles/monasteries than when I was in church. UCC is a lovely university, and the classes in Irish studies/celtic studies are really interesting! The class style is an adjustment because professors expect more of you as a student than we are used to. There is very little babying there, though professors help immensely with the adjustment. Finally, Ireland could never meet up to those fanciful expectations that I held as a child, but by rating it on its own it was a brilliant experience

It's funny how things turn out differently from what you expected.

For as long as I can remember it had been a dream of mine to go to Ireland. However, I didn't want it to be a short vacation where I spent my whole time seeing the usual touristy spots; I wanted to actually live there for an extended period of time which is why studying abroad was my best chance of making this dream come true.

The application process didn't seem real. Even after I was accepted and bought my plane tickets to get to Ireland, it never really "hit me" that it was actually happening. It wasn't until the week before leaving that I finally started to feel the pressure. I say pressure because, although I felt a large amount of excitement, I also understood that my friends and family were expecting me to have the experience of a lifetime. I was going to grow; I was going to come back a changed person. But what if that didn't happen? What if I didn't become best friends with all of my Irish classmates? What if I didn't get to see every single place on my list? What if I didn't have the experience that everyone was expecting me to have; the experience I had dreamed of for years?

Well, I didn't. I didn't have a large group of Irish friends. I didn't make it to all of the places on my list. I didn't have the experience that I imagined or that my friends and family imagined.

Instead, I had a couple close Irish friends and an absolutely amazing group of American friends that I met through the program. I've seen so many beautiful places that I never expected to see and had so many fantastic moments that, although small, are among my favorite memories. I had the experience that I never anticipated; the experience that I NEEDED.

The bond that I made with my friends is one that I can never fully describe; it is something that I can barely understand myself. There are no words to describe the love I had, and still have, for them even though I've been back in the states for several months now. Cork became my home and those friends became my family.

The memories I made in Ireland are amazing. From making "foam men" at the Giant's Causeway to playing with peach rings in our small Dean's Hall apartment, they range from grand to seemingly miniscule. But each of these memories has brought so much happiness to my life and has taught me how to see the beauty in every moment.

Without a doubt, I can honestly say that this experience made me realize just how brave, strong, confident, and genuinely happy I can be when I let myself live my life. I am a changed person, even if it isn't visible from the outside. This experience, the one I never expected to have, is a defining part of my young-adulthood.

I find it best to bring things back to the beginning, so I'll end with one of my first, and favorite, memories of Cork:

A bunch of soon-to-be friends sitting in a strange apartment, in a strange city, in a strange country watching "Frozen" as the words to "Let it Go" flood the room.

"It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small, and the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all. It's time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through; no right, no wrong, no rules for me, I'm free! Let it go, let it go..."