It is currently day 10 of my trip and it feels like I have been here so much longer than I have! Our days are always busy with class during the week and sights to see on the weekends. Everything sort of blends together and makes me feel like I’ve been here for weeks instead of just over one, but a few things that I learned and saw over the last few days definitely stood out. On Thursdays we do a mobile seminar, which involves experiencing and learning about different parts of the city. I think this is a really great thing to incorporate in class. It teaches you about the place your living in a nontraditional way. This past Thursday we visited the Dublin Docklands. The Docklands were traditionally used when ships would dock for trading, but that ended a long time ago. Since then it had become useless and turned into a bad neighborhood. The Dublin Docklands Development Authority sought to turn this neighborhood around and in my opinion they succeeded. They created in a new professional working area where a lot of companies have their headquarters, built beautiful bridges, a convention center, and a theatre. The Docklands is now a beautiful area, but unfortunately due to the recession in Ireland the Docklands Authority had to cancel many of its projects. From the presentation we were given on the Docklands we were told that the Docklands Authority will probably be shutting down soon and no longer have the reputation they once did. This made my entire group very sad and is another example of how the global recession has affected everyone. Thankfully the work the Dockland Authority has already completed with still be here after they have gone. I personally think they have left behind a great legacy. I’m very grateful that we get to do the mobile seminars each week and I can’t wait to learn about the next place! Aside from our Thursday trips we have traditional classes throughout the week. These are very interesting as well. The classes here are split into modules. This means while we are technically only taking two classes here, they are split into six sections. It’s definitely different than how we do it in the U.S. but I think I like it since we get to look at each aspect of the class individually. Our six modules are Irish History, Anglo-Irish Literature, Irish Culture and Society, Irish Economics, Irish Politics, and Peace and Conflict. The classes have so far been very interesting. The learning and teaching style is a bit different than at Drexel. Here we just have one paper or presentation for each module, whereas at Drexel we would have constant reminders of quizzes and tests. I like the Irish style of presenting the material to you then leaving you alone to complete your work. It lets you better utilize your free time but is still an effective teaching method. Overall I am happy with my first week of classes and look forward to learning more. Today I was at a summer festival at the Docklands, and I’ve attached a picture of the Samuel Beckett bridge that the Dockland Authority built. It is shaped like a harp which is the national symbol of Ireland.

Hi everyone! I’m Megan and currently studying abroad in the Dublin-London Dual City Program. I’ve been in Dublin for a week and I’ve come up with a few key words and phrases to describe my initial reaction to Dublin and the Irish people: welcoming, walkable, environmentally conscientious.

When we first arrived we were greeted with Céad mile fáilte, which is Irish for “A Hundred Thousand Welcomes”. This definitely reflects what I’ve seen of the Irish so far. Since it was my first week in a new city there were some occasions where I needed to ask directions, or questions about things here. Everyone was very helpful and understanding. I often find in America when strangers approach someone that person tends to shy away and ignore the other. That does not seem to be the case here. Everyone seems to embody the welcoming phrase and be as helpful as possible.

Whenever we need to know where we are going we’re trying to walk there. It turns out Dublin is an extremely walkable city. Everyone here seems to walk everywhere! This is a huge change from where I live in Northeast Philadelphia where I usually drive around the corner to the 7-11. That is definitely not how it works here. Our classes are a 30 minute walk from our apartment building, but it doesn’t seem that long since everyone else is out walking around as well. Since everyone walks so much I’m going to assume that’s the reason why everyone seems to be in great shape. I think it is all part of the culture of eating healthy food, walking around, and conserving energy.

People here are much more environmentally conscientious than in the United States. Upon arrival we each received four energy cards to use in our apartment. They each have 50 units of energy on them to use for all of our electronics and appliances. Because we have a limited amount we are always sure to unplug and turn everything off before we leave the apartment. Since I’m not used to this it is an inconvenience, but I can’t deny that this is a great way of doing things. It really helps conserve energy and I think it’s a great idea.

My first week in Dublin has been so new and exciting! I’m definitely looking forward to exploring all around the city and learning more about Ireland! Attached is a picture of St. Patrick’s Cathedral which we saw on our bus tour of Dublin.