Field trip to Ferrycarrig: a blast into Ireland's archaeological past

For my archeology class we went on a field trip to Ferrycarrig Irish Heritage Park. The park has different sites that highlights the archaeological history of Ireland from the pre-historic period to historic period (medieval and viking). History, according to my professor, in Ireland begins with the introduction of written work around the time of St. Patrick and the arrival of Christianity.

They have recreations of things associated with life in Ireland during the Mesolithic period (pre 4000 BC), Neolithic period (4000-2500 BC), Bronze Age (2500 BC - 700 BC), Iron Age (700 BC-400 AD, Medieval period (400 AD - 900 AD, 1100 AD - 1600AD) and Viking period (900 AD-1100AD).

The park is in Wexford which is about a 1 1/2 to 2 hour drive south of Dublin.

Exams have come a knockin'

Today I took my first exam at UCD. Finals here are different than exams back at UCLA. They are more strict here and are structured differently.

First of all, exams are done off campus (well almost all, I know someone who had an in-class exam, which is what I'm used to). Anyways, the exams take place at RDS which is this big showground area. Ever been to the LA fair? Think of taking a final in one of the exhibition buildings. About 3000 students take their exams at the same time in the same room.

My exam was at 9 am so I woke up at 7:15 in order to make breakfast (oatmeal) and have plenty of time to get to the exam location. I hoped onto a bus, went 3 stops down (less than 5 minute bus ride) then walked for another 5 to the exam hall. (Side note: Yesterday my Irish flatmate told me that it would be easy to find the place and to "just follow the crowd of people." He wasn't wrong.) There were so many students walking to RDS. A man on a bike heading out the city even asked if it was the first day of exams (I guess they're used to it).

Anyways, when I got to the exam hall, there were so many students there. Many were cramming in last minute studying. I used to do that but I've since stopped. It only makes me nervous. I've adopted the ideal that if I know it then I know it, if I don't I won't learn it in the next 30 minutes or so. So in order to ignore the other students and get into my zone, I tried to think happy thoughts. Of course my happy thoughts only reminded me of the final I was about to take, Geography of Latin America. I started to hum "Cool" from West Side Story but then it made me think of Puerto Ricans and from Puerto Ricans I thought of the development of Salsa and cultural geography. With that thought in my head I figured I was ready as ever.

After I arrived, I checked the board for my name and seat number. I was 1879. >.< Next they announced that the exam room was open. As I entered the room I couldn't get over the fact at how the room was set up. Individual desks lined up in neat rows and columns. I think each row had about 100 seats in it. It was a bit ridiculous and quite petrifying.

I've never felt comfortable in big exams rooms. I was even more scared when I entered the room and saw how many chairs and tables were in there. After finding my seat, I tried to relax and calm my nerves. The exam is supposed to start quickly at 9 am but most students didn't even get into the room until 8:55. It was distracting to see students gathering in groups trying to quick study and quick fire terms and what not. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore my surroundings.

Although I was nervous about having so many people around, once I got my test, I zoned in on it and was completely able to ignore the people around me. I stayed the entire exam period and afterwards decided to walk back to campus in order to relax some more. I'm not sure how well I did but I'm 80% confident that I answered things correctly. I learned after I had turned in my test that I could actually keep the booklet with the questions but I'm sort of happy I didn't. If I did I would be tempted to look and see if I answered things correctly.I figure this would only distract me. If I did poorly, it would damper my spirit. I can't let that happen now especially since I have 3 more finals to do: 2 on Thursday and one next Thursday.

Here's a quick breakdown about the differences in taking exams:
 UCD:          

• off campus, one big room, 
  3000 students taking different subject exams at the same time
• PA announcements distracting
• mix of 1 hour & 2 hour exams taken during the same period. 
• There are exam regulations, part of policy
• no cellphones in exam hall
• no bags/backpacks in exam halls
• no pencil cases
• must have Student ID on table
• must sit in assigned seat

 UCLA:

• exams are usually in the classroom where lectures are held. The most people I've ever taken an exam with was about 350 (I think) in Ackerman Grand Ballroom. By the way, RDS is about 4, maybe 5 times bigger than AGB.  
• only taking exam with students in the same class
• Informal exam regulations, decided by professor
• bags allowed but must be under seat, one professor made us put them at the front of the class
• can sit wherever, sometimes professors make students sit one seat apart

Overall there are some part of the exam process I like and some that I don't like. But I do understand why UCD sets their exams up this way. It standardizes the procedure, makes it easier for them to regulate the exam process, and prevents cheating.

Well I would type more but this post is getting long and I really must study for my exams on Thursday. 

Class, Finals, and London

Today is the last day for lectures and tutorials at UCD. In approximately 2 1/2 hours I will be walking into my last class, a seminar on designing a research project. Although it's the last day of lecture, school won't officially end for me until May 12th at 8pm. That is when I will have finished my last final.

Finals are spread across 2 weeks here, from May 3rd - May 14th. Some people can have a Saturday final, luckily I don't. I only have 4 exams because I have final projects for my other 2 classes.

I've been working a lot on one project that is due next Wednesday because I'm heading for London tomorrow and won't be back until Tuesday. I'm hoping to get my paper done before the end of tonight. I'm about a 1/3 done so I have hope. With this project out of the way, I will be able to relax and enjoy my time in London.

Next week is the reading/study week. The purpose of the week is to give students the time to catch up on reading and prepare for exams. My first final is one of the first exams this term (9 am on the 3rd).

Taking exams here is different then back home because most of the finals are held off campus.  I'm not sure the purpose for this. I think it's to curb cheating or maybe the university doesn't have enough room on campus. Whatever the reason, I'll have to wake up super early to catch the bus in order to take my exam.

I'm excited to have most of my finals in the first week. I have a week between my 3rd final and the last final. In between that time, I plan on going to Belfast in Northern Ireland for a day and spending another with my older sister when she comes.

I'm looking forward to my Mediterranean vacation but first I must finish my project and study for exams. Until next time!

P.S. I've been slacking on posting more trips because of school but I hope to include more pictures and write about my various trips after my finals are done.

Approximately one more month of school left

There's approximately one month of school left for me. 9 more days of lectures and tutorials and then it's time to read and study for exams. I'll be done with exams on May 12th. After that I get to go on a crazy Mediterranean adventure through Greece & Italy with two of the most amazing people that I know (my sisters. =]). I'm quite excited for our little adventure.

I'm back Stateside on May 26th. I can't wait to go home to SGV and gorge on banh mi, pho, dim sum, Alberto's burritos, etc.

Being abroad has been a great eye opening experience. Before I came here I didn't know what I was going to do after I graduated and what not. I'm still not completely sure what I want to do but I've started to think about my future.

I didn't think about going to grad school but now I'm considering coming back to UC Dublin in a year or two to get my master's in Geography here. I haven't really looked into it but the program here seems like a choice I should consider when thinking about grad school. It's a one year program and one of the tracks is in Urban Studies which is something I've always been interested in. I have to look into programs back in the States but it's an option to keep in mind.

School & Classes: UCD vs. UCLA

This week marks Week 8 at UCD. With almost 4 1/2 weeks of the teaching term left, I should mention the courses that I'm taking here. I'm also going to highlight the differences and similarities.

Study abroad blues

If there is one advice I can give any person who is thinking about studying abroad is to do it before your final year or to do a program where all you need is for the credit to count. The reason I say this is because I am currently feeling very stressed out.

Being in EAP means that I am also enrolled at UCLA. Unlike most study abroad students, my grades at UC Dublin will affect my final GPA. Most students are in programs that will transfer the credit only. This means that the grade won't affect their GPA but they will still earn the credit to complete their degree. I chose EAP because it was the easiest way to transfer credit to UCLA but I do wish I explored different programs.

Studying during my final term freaks me out because what I do here will affect the outcome of my final GPA and what not. These classes are the last ones I will ever take as an undergrad (unless I decide to take summer classes) and if I do badly then my high GPA that I've worked very hard for at UCLA will go down the drain. Because of this, I wish I had study abroad earlier in my undergrad career. This way, if my GPA goes down, I have the chance to take courses back home to raise it up.

In no way am I trying to keep people from wanting to study abroad. It is a lot of fun and I have met so many new people and seen so many pretty places. I just wish I had gone earlier in my undergrad career so I wouldn't be so stressed about doing schoolwork right now. The combination of senioritis and being abroad is not good. Well I'm off to get my schoolwork done before this weekend.

"Fear of Failure."

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.