The Study in Study Abroad

One of the perks of studying in Europe is travelling around to places you've only either read about, seen pictures of, or heard about on tv. For instance, Ryanair has cheap flights to different parts of the continent. I mean whoever thought a round trip (or as they like to say here return trip) ticket to Scotland would only cost $50? Also, roundtrip bus to Cork cost me 2 euros (~$3). Amazing. However, a person must remember that studying must occur since it is STUDY Abroad and not Travel Abroad.

Answering questions from WHS students

Hi to all the Whittier High School students that read my blog. Ms. Cheung recently sent me some of the comments and questions you guys had. Sorry the comment box hasn't been working. I don't know what is wrong with it. Thank you for writing the responses. I enjoyed reading them.

Anyways, this post is dedicated to answering your questions.

Benjamin E. Gilman Scholarship

Most readers of my blog probably don't know the main reason I created this blog. Sure it is a good way to keep my family and friends informed about my adventure abroad but it was created mainly for my study abroad follow-up project as a Benjamin A. Gilman scholarship recipient.

This blog is my Follow-up Project. I created this blog in order to show students at high schools back home (such as El Monte High and Whittier HIgh School) the benefits of studying in another country. It is also to promote the Gilman scholarship and studying abroad in general.

What is the Gilman Scholarship?

Bucket/To-Do Lists

I like to make lists for myself. Whether the list is for school, shopping, packing or to-do lists, I always tend to write out (or type out) things I want to do. I enjoy getting to cross things off. Plus, to-do lists are a great way to organize and plan out things I have to do.

Before I left for my trip, I wrote a list of things I wanted to do and places I wanted to see while I was in Ireland. The only thing I really had on it was  see the Cliffs of Moher. While I haven't been able to cross that off yet, my list has grown quite a bit. With 3 1/2 more months (99 days) to go, I've decided to share my list so everyone who reads my blog can keep track with me.

Food!

When I first thought about studying abroad in Ireland I was hesitant because I wasn't sure what type of food I would encounter. I bought into the stereotype of everything being bland and tasteless. "Meat and Potatoes" is what people told me I'll be eating. I don't mind because I like eating meat and potatoes but bland food...now that's a different story. I love my spice. Luckily, I haven't run into any problems when it comes to food and eating. Granted I haven't had too many "traditional" Irish dishes since I have to cook for myself at my apartment and  I try not to spend too much money eating out. (I wish I could eat my way through Ireland but meals are a bit pricey here). Anyways, I have tried some Irish dishes and have posted them below (with some photoshop to make the pictures look cool).

Dun Laoghaire with Amélie

The first Thursday of school (Jan. 20th), my class was cancelled so I spent my free day in Dun Laoghaire (Dun Leary). It is a seaside suburb of Dublin, easily accessible by bus. Amélie came with me to explore the area. First we went to the shopping center and then walked around the town. We went up random streets to look at the different buildings, businesses and homes, and eventually made our way down to the harbor. We walked down the West Pier and made our way to the light house at the very end of it. From that area we were able to look out at the harbor and the entire town.

After stopping for lunch, we visited the tourist highlights of Dun Laoghaire (People's Park and James Joyce's Tower). We found People's Park easily but did not know where to find the tower. Luckily a nice woman told us where to go. Unfortunately, once we got there the tower was closed. Despite the setback we still took a picture with the tower. We then walked back to Dun Laoghaire and took the bus home.

Blackrock!

January 14, 2011 or as dates are written over here: 14 January 2011

School didn't start yet so I decided to visit Blackrock, where UCD's other campus is located.. It's a 45-50 minute walk or a 10-15 minute bus ride.

I met some friends (Laur and Amelie, both from France) for lunch before we took the bus to Blackrock. Once there we met up with my other friend (Juleah, who is in my program). We walked around a nearby park, found a path to the sea, and then went to the campus. We also walked around Blackrock Center which is an open air mall.  Juleah took us to the Blackrock campus where we met up with another friend, Alex. Afterwards we waited for the bus to back to UCD for the International Office's Movie Night.