So Long, Dublin: An open letter to a city that will always be home

Dear Dublin, I’ve been back in the States for a week and a half. Back in my comfortable life where I spend most of my time at home, petting my dogs and generally doing nothing. Back to being a daughter living with her parents. It’s a strange feeling after living months of complete freedom and …

Where Did The Time Go: My Final Week in Dublin

My last week in Dublin began like any other with the cry of seagulls, the tolling of bells, and the brilliant sun streaming through my window. Nothing had changed except for the sinking feeling in my stomach, the feeling reminding me that time was running out, that I would be getting on a plane in …

A Long Awaited Mystery: The Writers Retreat

If you look up anything about the Dublin Writers Program, you’ll start hearing about the Writers Retreat. You’ll learn that the location is kept secret until you arrive, that it changes from year to year to keep the mystery alive. If you’re curious, keep reading and you’ll find out where I ended up. 🙂 Before …

The Art of Being Alone: A Solo Date to Malahide Beach

They say studying abroad changes you, makes you more independent, teaches you about yourself, and broadens your perspective on the world. All of these things are true, yes, but they are also abstract. Nothing prepares you for what you will see, what you will do, what you will take away.  If I’m being honest, I …

I’m in Oaxaca!

Bienvenidos! I have officially been abroad for four weeks through SIT’s Migration, Borders, and Transnational Communities program! While the first week of our program started in Tucson, Arizona, I have officially been in Oaxaca, Mexico for three weeks now, and I’m excited to begin sharing insights into my life abroad through the Off-Campus Study Blog! …

A Weekend in County Cork

Cork, County Cork, Ireland It’s about a three-hour drive to Cork from Dublin. Piled into the bus, we rode past brilliant green fields, dotted occasionally with sheep and cows. Rain slipped down the windows for much of the drive but the sun emerged as we entered Cork City. Like Dublin, a river runs through the …

48 Hours in London, England

My alarm goes off at 2:30 am, pulling me out of a deep sleep. Despite attempting to prepare for this early morning by going to bed around 8 pm, the sound of my alarm is still painful. Still, I jumped out of bed as quickly as I could, using my adrenaline to motivate me. Flicking …

TYS > DUB: Look to the Stars

I’ve been in Dublin for three days now after what felt like an endless travel day. Most of the people in my program flew directly to Dublin. Not me though–I took three separate flights, each with a hefty layover in between. In a way, this travel day scared me. I’d known about it for months …

Pick Your People

Happy Friday! After the full week of travel during Reflective week, it has been refreshing to be back in Liverpool this week! To echo the words of another friend studying abroad, I hadn’t realized how much Liverpool had started to feel like home until I returned from Italy. On Sunday, I left the city center …

Chau, Hasta Luego

Spanish word of the day: Chau, hasta luego Translation: Goodbye, see you later With finals done and my departure coming up, I’ve been crossing final things off my bucket list and reflecting on my time here. So, for my last blog post, I leave you with this: 10 reasons I recommend Buenos Aires and Argentina …