Belfast, Game of Thrones, and Getting Lost

I am the king of the throne! This past weekend I ventured to Belfast, along with many of the Dublin IES Students. It was the best trip I have ever taken. On Friday, we visited the Northern Ireland Parliament (you might know a little bit about BREXIT, and if you do not know what it is, …

Dublin architecture

                        I was strolling around the city one day when I decided to snap some pics of the surrounding buildings. The architecture is very gothic, very fitting for a city that is known for its Gothic culture, especially in architecture and literature. One interesting fact …

Causey Farm

I awoke Saturday morning with a start.  I realized that today I was going to a place called Causey Farms. I did not do any prior research on the destination but was looking forward to a fresh experience. I am still trying to figure out travel plans, foreign and abroad, but Causey was the perfect place to …

Shopping

So I went out on a journey for groceries for the first time in Dublin.  I was surprised at the differences between groceries stores in Dublin and in Holland, Kalamazoo, and all of America. The store is called SPAR and it was hard to navigate.  They did not even have everything I was looking for, …

First Day

Hi guys!  I have just arrived In Dublin.  I took a taxi from the airport, meeting two lovely ladies in the IES program along the way.  The taxi driver was pretty funny, stringing American lyrics to go along with the occasional yank declaration.  Somehow, someway, we made our way to the Binary Hub, which will be my …

Readying Myself for Dublin

I am so ready to leave for Dublin, approximately a week and a half away from September 3rd.  This is my first time traveling out of the country and I am looking forward to two things especially: meeting new people, and immersing myself in the Irish Culture.  I am also looking forward to seeing the …

Reflecting

Looking back on my time abroad, it almost doesn’t even feel real. Did that really happen? Did I actually live in Scotland for four months? A brand new country where I didn’t know a soul? Where I wasn’t able to see my family and friends for a whole season? Yeah, I actually did that. I’m …

Trying to “Hope” Again

So… Hope’s 2nd semester classes are about to start up, and it’s becoming more and more apparent to me that I don’t remember how to be a Hope student. Someone the other day asked me if I have experienced culture shock since arriving home, and I confidently answered, “No!” I mean, jet lag definitely affected …

Flying Home

I haven’t written in a while, and that’s because I’m finally home! Home for me is Southeastern Ohio, so a traded granite Scottish buildings for cornfields and green pastures. It’s exciting to be in America again, weird but exciting, and my adrenaline was high the whole day that I was flying home. My day started …

Scottish Exam Week(s)

The semester is finally drawing to a close, and I don’t know what’s worse: having to leave Scotland or having to take exams. The truth is, my exam week isn’t necessarily harder than my finals week at Hope. It’s just different. First off, Aberdeen’s exam schedule starts with a review week. During this week, students …