With all this talk of studying abroad, it can be easy to forget about the “living” part of the experience. I was assigned to Kavanagh Court through Pitt, and even with a photo gallery on their website, I had no idea what to expect when I got there. It was nerve-wracking – housing can always be a cluster, and the stress was amplified tenfold on my first day. But as soon as I walked in, it was like stepping into my friends’ student apartment complex in North O. Kav primarily houses visiting students, but my apartment is a mixed bag. We have Americans and Canadians just here for the semester, along with two full-timers, from the U.S. and Ireland respectively. All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better housing experience so far. That’s not to say that there haven’t been challenges, though. We each have our own rooms and bathrooms; while I relish having my own space, it was challenging in the beginning. Having all of the essentials in my room coupled with the fact that I knew virtually no one else in Kav was my first big social roadblock. But eventually, I left a hastily scribbled note in the kitchen, inviting my flatmates to come knock and say hi – and the rest was history. Whether it’s cooking dinner together or just a quick chat in the hallway, the creature comforts of my flat have quickly turned it into a place that I look forward to coming home to. 

Just as incredible as the apartment itself is its location in North Dublin. Far enough away from the hustle and bustle of Temple Bar but minutes from central O’Connell Street, Kav strikes just the right balance. It’s about a 20 minute walk to TCD give or take, making the trek to campus a totally different experience than my usual walks from South O. At Pitt, things are a bit closer together, so you’re bound to bump into a few friends on the way to class. Here, it’s definitely rarer since everything is spread out, but it makes those seemingly small interactions even more impactful. Trinity’s campus is only accessible through a handful of gates scattered around the perimeter, so you have to be a bit strategic in which path you take. Keeping that in mind, I’m free to choose from the vast array of routes to school. With practice, I’ve finally gotten a hang of navigating my neighborhood and the city at large. It’s a small joy, being able to take shortcuts or the scenic routes as I please, but a joy nonetheless. 

Sláinte!