LIFE IN IRELAND: Just an ordinary update

Wow...2 posts in 1 day? I'm on a roll! I realized that almost all of my posts are on big events during my time in Europe, rather than the day-to-day, usual kind of stuff. So, for those of you who are even interested, I thought I would give you an update on what I've been up to and a little peek into what a "normal" day looks like for me :)

CLASS

In order to continue receiving financial aid, I'm taking 12 credits here in Ireland (even though I only need 9 to graduate). My credits have consisted of 3 classes (each 3 credits) and a 3 credit internship.

One of my classes was Irish History, Politics, and Culture, which I got out of the way my first 3 weeks here along with the other American study abroad students.

After much hassle and irregularity I finally got my regular class schedule set about mid-February. I'm taking Sales Management and Marketing Communications, both of which meet twice a week in the middle of the week, so I don't have any class on Mondays or Fridays...convenient :)

Homework is...nonexistent :P I had 4 papers to write for each of the topics in the introduction course, but thankfully those are over and done with. My other 2 classes each have assigned 1 paper and 1 final exam. One paper I've already finished and turned in, and the other paper is a group paper that's not due until the end of the semester. What an incredibly relaxing and enjoyable way to finish off my college career :)

Unfortunately, none of my classmates are Irish. College is actually "free" here in Ireland (thanks to a 50% tax rate), but for whatever reason Dublin Business School charges tuition. Because of this, not many Irish students desire to pay for tuition, so they choose the free schools. The study abroad students, however, are already paying for tuition so paying DBS makes no difference for them. Therefore, my classes consist of American, German, and French students. The main reason why the Germans and the French came to Ireland was to learn and/or improve on their English. Since I'm the only American in my Sales Management class, I do a lot of repeating and reiterating to my classmates what the professor is teaching. It's fun though :)

Oh, and the school failed to tell me ahead of time that classes end April 9...I was under the impression they ended the 23rd, so my flight back to America is for the 24th. I do have finals on the 12th and 13th, but other than that I've got my last 2 weeks in Ireland free (as in, available)! My hope is to visit relatives in Amsterdam and then head off to GREECE during that time :D Oh, I hope, I hope, I hope...

INTERNSHIP

Oh, it was quite a pain getting an internship. But, I've got one! I was hoping to intern with an organization similar to Women At Risk, but unfortunately that didn't work out. The closest organization DBS could get me in to was a nonprofit.

The name of the organization is "Camara" and essentially what they do is refurbish computers and send them to Africa to be used in the schools. They also have people working in Africa who not only install the computers, but also educate the students and teachers on how to use them. If you're interested, you can check out their website: camara.ie

Erin and I actually both got internships at Camara, so not only do we live together and have a class together, but we also work together! Thankfully, we're still friends :)

Our original responsibility was to organize and carry out a fundraiser for Camara. After doing a ton of research and narrowing down our options on what event we were going to do, we received word that they no longer wanted us to plan a fundraiser. So...basically our assignments keep changing and I still don't exactly have a set job. Currently, I'm researching the affect technology has had on developing countries. If you know of any helpful resources, let me know :)

Even though Camara is far away, kind of dumpy, and located in a shady part of town, it's been fun to work with Irish people. Since I don't have class with anyone from Ireland, it's nice to interact a bit more with them!

CHURCH

I'm so thankful to be able to have found a "home church" while in Ireland! The people are very friendly, and I've been able to get pretty involved. One couple already had me and a few others from Cedarville over one Sunday afternoon for lunch...it was so nice! I've also gotten plugged in to a home group on Tuesday nights and a women's Bible study on Friday mornings. I didn't realize how much I would miss being around believers! It's great to know Christians from another culture, interact with them, and learn from and with them.

FUTURE JOB...A SIDE NOTE

For those of you who have not already heard, Women At Risk just recently offered me a job!!! I of course accepted, and could not be more thankful! It was a huge answer to prayer, and it's so nice to know that I have a job waiting for me when I get back! :)

VISUALS

Feeling overly ambitious on this whole blog thing, I decided to photograph different things that I see everyday...so you could know what a basic day in Dublin looks like for me! Each day is different in regards to the order of events, but I generally end up seeing the same things each day. I left a little early this morning for class, so I was able to take lots of pictures...thankfully, since it's the day after St. Patty's there were still lots of tourists and I fit right in with my camera :)

Leaving our little housing community for the Dart station

One of the neighbors' homes...I took this for the sake of the flowers :)

Sydney Parade Dart station...where I catch the train in to the city centre

One of the stops on the Dart...there's almost always a soccer or field hockey game going on that I get to catch a minute or two of as I sit on the train :)

The stop I usually get off of once in the city centre: Pearse Station

The streets that I walk on the way to class...

Trinity College (above)

The famous Molly Malone statue

Grafton Street...the walking-only shopping street

Fresh flowers on Grafton

Turning off Grafton to get to my class

The building where the majority of my classes are held...complete with French boys from my class outside smoking

Inside and up the stairs

Inside my lovely classroom...oh, and while I was early, I actually wasn't THAT early. I'm actually pretty sure I walked in right at 12 when my class starts...that's another reason why Ireland has been absolutely fabulous--everybody runs late and I fit right in! :P

Walking to my internship...

The signs here crack me up...they're quite straight forward. Another favorite of mine is on some of the trash cans which says, "Litter is disgusting...so are those responsible."