By: Karisa desjardins, ’16 // business administration/global studies When I thought of studying abroad in Dublin, I didn’t expect it to be very different from our Burlington campus. I would be with Champlain students, Champlain staff, and everything would be relatively the same. I soon learned that I was completely wrong! Studying in Dublin is […]
Continue readingI sat down this week with Stephen McMahon and a few other Champlain students in the café of Dublin’s Hugh Lane Gallery. This is how many of Stephen’s classes for Writing in the City go; we explore a site in Dublin, Stephen asks us to take a few minutes to write a response, and then he extends an invitation for coffee and a chat to any students who wish to stick around. There is so much to learn from conversations with Stephen, and as it turns out, he still finds there is much to learn from us.
Stephen McMahon – Adjunct Faculty for Champlain College Dublin. Photo Credit: Kelsey Keown
I honestly never thought I would enjoy apartment living as much as I do. Like many other students studying with Champlain Abroad Dublin this semester, I have lived in dorms up until this point. Therefore, being here in the apartment is honestly the first time that I’m really living on my own. And I have to say; I’m really enjoying it. The student apartments are located in the city center with a 25 minutes walking commute to the Academic Centre.
Roommates
My roommates hanging out at the end of the day. This is a typical living room of a student apartment.
Studying abroad for me was a big step in the next chapter of my life at Champlain College and future career. I have always loved traveling and knew for a long time that study abroad would be a big part of my college experience. What I didn’t know when I decided to study abroad is how much it would change me as a person. Before I left to study in Paris last fall, I was full of magical daydreams of Paris and how I would travel the world in four months; clearly I had some slightly naïve and unrealistic expectations. Over the four months I lived in Paris, I become self sufficient, self-reliant, and by the end I realized I wasn’t the same naïve girl who had left the U.S. in August. Now, I’m in Dublin with Champlain Abroad and I’m glad I have developed the skills to feel more comfortable in a new city and at the same time am constantly learning new skills that are just as valuable.
Karisa Desjardins – Champlain College: A photo from my first week in Paris!
A great deal of Champlain Abroad students go to Ireland because it is the so-called “gateway to Europe.” Dublin is a home-base, and now that you’ve already crossed the Atlantic, almost anywhere you’ve ever dreamed of visiting in Europe is a quick flight away. Cheap flights from airlines such as Ryanair make country-hopping affordable. One thing I believe many of us want to take away from study abroad is establishing ourselves as travel-savvy— able to breeze through the airport with a week’s worth of possessions tucked away neatly in a backpack, scoffing at the newbies frantically sorting through their luggage at security for a tube of toothpaste that exceeds the allotted volume.
View from the roof of the Oslo Opera House
My study abroad semester in Dublin has been going along swimmingly thus far. I’m having a blast, seeing tons of wonderful places all around Ireland with plans to see more of Europe super soon. I can already tell my time here is going to go by way faster than I’m currently willing to accept.
A map of Dublin
After spending my Fall semester in France, I thought it would be helpful if I shared some of my tips and tricks to have a successful semester abroad. By no means am I an expert, but there are a few key tips that I thought were important to mention to those of you who at […]
Continue readingEver wondered why Europeans don’t refrigerate eggs, but Americans do? Believe it or not, but this subject always pops up sooner or later when a new group of American study abroad students arrive in Ireland. We found a great article on thejournal.ie, answering all those egg questions. You can check it out here: https://www.thejournal.ie/refrigerate-eggs-usa-europe-1809120-Dec2014/
Last weekend I took my final trip to Florence to see two amazing friends. It was only as I was boarding the plane to go back to Dublin did I fully realize that I had spent my last weekend abroad in Italy. I have begun the final countdown to getting back to New Jersey. Although I am […]
Continue readingTraveling wasn’t my thing before coming to Dublin. It was something I wanted to do in the ubiquitous future when I had the money or wasn’t as busy or when I could rent a car. I was scared out of my skin to even fly out of the country without my parents and live in […]
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