The one thing you will never accurately
read on a study abroad blog is a testimonial about how easy it is. The choice
to pick yourself up and find a second home in a foreign environment is akin to
pulling a seedling plant from the soil and placing it in a rockier part of a
garden- the time it takes for you (and the plant) to regain any roots may be
barred by obstacles.
At
approximately one month into my time here in Dublin, I feel like that tiny
plant at the stage where it has finally found a good place to delve its roots
deeper. The culture shock phase is over with, I have had my bouts of
homesickness, and I can now see how my daily life will unfold. That is not to
say that spontaneity has flown out the window. From a realistic standpoint, your
time abroad will not be 100% random and unexpected. I, acknowledging my
creature-of-habit nature, can only see unpredicted events taking up about half
my time. The other half, despite the most random person’s actions, will be most
likely occupied with attending class, grocery shopping, cooking or eating, walking
through town, doing laundry, and studying. We are, after all, maintaining our
own mini households here.
The key to
upholding the excitement of study abroad and not getting caught up in a
drudging routine is to learn the most efficient AND enjoyable ways to get your
necessities done with. That way, even the most unchanging part of your day is
not detracting from the reason why you are studying abroad. I wanted to use
myself as an example and go through two of the strategies I’ve developed so
far, in the 24 days I have lived in Dublin.
It was
apparent by our first visit to Trinity College that we would spend at least an
hour of a typical school day walking to and from the college. At a meandering
pace with plenty of window-shopping, the trip can take upwards of 40 minutes.
The bus, while convenient, can be expensive when taken daily. After spending a week walking to Trinity and
already getting sick of waiting for traffic lights and walking past endless
convenience stores, I decided to redraw my route to campus. This time, I
focused on a path that took me past the locations I enjoyed most: down Camden
Street, where there is an amazing gluten free bakery and plenty of thrift
shops; alongside St. Stephen’s Green, where I can feel a little more connected
to nature daily in this capital city; and down Grafton Street, a pedestrianized
road where there is no need to wait for traffic or lights. Once I had this more
pleasant course memorized, I noticed that I had shaved a full 5 minutes off my
commute to Trinity! The same goes for when you need groceries- I have found
that my trek to Lidl and Aldi is much more bearable when I get to watch the sun
set along the Grand Canal.
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| My route home from Rathmines via the Grand Canal walkway. The swans,
seagulls, and other birds are not shy of travelers. |
The second
time-consuming, yet very necessary thing I knew I would have to face was
reforming my study habits. Before moving to Ireland, I never lived further than
10 minutes from my campus library. The shelves of that building seemed to be an
extension of my dorm room, and time was never an issue when I needed to study.
Here at Trinity, the libraries run on a different system and close at earlier
hours, meaning I have had to orchestrate my study sessions more carefully to be
productive. While this has been more of a try-and-fail attempt, blocking out
several hours during the day just to study will keep anyone’s grades above what
they would be otherwise. Let your accommodation while abroad, whether it’s a
dorm or apartment, be a place to relax and have fun. After all, you still need
plenty of time to seek out those adventures.
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| Wandering around Trinity College can reveal some beautiful, secluded spots. |
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Colleen Boardman is a Junior in the Fulbright Honors College
at the University of Arkansas, working her way towards dual majors in English
and Chemistry. She is spending the Spring 2015 semester at Trinity College
Dublin in Ireland. In addition to her college classes and researching her
honors thesis topic, she is also exploring the culture of her new home by
taking Irish language and dance lessons.
