It’s a little over halfway through the semester, and time is flying by (cliche). I’m a full year student, so I’ll be coming back after winter break. When I was deciding between applying for the full year or just a semester, I worried that a full academic year would be “too long,” but I’ve really been enjoying my life here. I feel like I made the right choice and am excited to have another full semester to spend with the people I’ve met.

Though I complain to my flatmates about our half hour commute, I enjoy getting to walk through the city and seeing people on vacation walking the same route I’m taking to “just” go to school. I feel grateful that I have experience going to school in a city; it makes navigating so much easier.

For four out of the five days of the week, I only have one class a day. Let me take you through a typical Wednesday (my favorite day because my class starts the latest!)

I’ll wake up in the late morning. and spend the next couple of hours catching up on work in my apartment. I live in West Dublin surrounded by other student housing. In the early afternoon, I’ll occasionally head to Trinity’s campus for tea time; a weekly event hosted by my club. This week, we chatted over tea for an hour (so Irish!) and schemed how we are going to get off the waitlist for our club’s trip to Spain. After that, I’ll head over to the library and wait for my Research Methods (PS0700) class to start. My flatmate has class in the same lecture hall before me, so I leave the library about 15 minutes before my class starts so we can chat for a bit. My class runs for 2 hours from 4-6 (but we really get out at 5:45), and the rest of my evening rotates between a couple of things.

Sometimes I will work on homework for the next hour and then participate in Street Outreach. Street Outreach is an activity hosted by my club where we walk through Dublin and offer hot drinks, food, clothes, and toiletries to those experiencing homelessness. Only a certain number of people can volunteer each week, so other times I will head home and sometimes pick up takeout on my walk. This week, I went to X’ian Street Food, a place that was recommended to me by other Trinity students. They’re famous for spice bags- an Irish take on Chinese food. Once I get home, I’ll do a combination of watching TV and punching out assignments up until I go to bed. Sometimes, I’ll see if my flatmate is around, and we’ll watch TV and chat for a few hours.

I like the slower academic schedule I have in Dublin, but I have found the Irish grading system to be very intense. I was so excited when I found out that I “only” had to get a 70 to get an A. However, getting above a 70 is really hard. Even though I worry about the grading system here, I remind myself of all the positives of studying abroad. Of course the grading is going to be different in a new country. I’m enjoying the uniquely Irish experiences I’ve been having (like seeing Paul Mescal on campus and talking to Sally Rooney at her book signing ) and am hoping to finish on a strong note with final exams coming in a few weeks.