Exploring Dublin

January 12

Stocking the Fridge

On our third day here, we decided it was about time to get some groceries. We made our way to a shopping centre in Stillorgan that had a Tesco and Dunnes. This was a great one-stop shop! I needed a duvet cover and storage containers, which I got at Dunnes, and some groceries, which I got at Tesco. It was so interesting to see what brands from the U.S. made their way overseas. I picked up some Barilla pasta, but the names of the pasta shapes are different here! In the U.S., it's rotini, but here, it's "fusilli." I saw Philadelphia cream cheese and Cheerios, except they only had honey, not honey nut. Doritos nacho cheese is "chili heatwave" and cool ranch is "original cool."

Every trip to get food somewhere has been extremely interesting, as we get to see what types of food are eaten here and which U.S. customs really don't exist here.

Hitting the Town

That night, we got into Dublin a little after 6pm and decided to get off the bus at a random spot and pick a random pub to go to. We got off the bus when our surroundings seemed cool and picked a random street to start walking down. As we were walking down the street we chose, we kept seeing signs that read "Temple Bar." All of a sudden, we were at the Temple Bar. We knew the bar was one of the most touristy ones we could go to, but we also knew we had to go at some point, so in we went. I tried an espresso martini (it was delicious!) and my first Guinness! To end the night, I tried a local Rockshore Lager.

The 8pm curfew was strictly enforced at Temple Bar. By 7:30, they stopped serving cocktails, and by 7:40, security was going around telling people to finish up their drinks. By 8:02, we were out of the bar. From that night, we learned that it is definitely better to head into the city early and take the time to enjoy your drinks. The inside of Temple was extremely pretty, though, and I can't wait to go back at some point!

January 13

Stocking Up Some More

The next morning, we decided we needed more food, so off we went to Aldi's in Nutgrove. Nutgrove is located west of UCD and not near Dublin city centre, so the bus ride to it featured more neighborhoods and smaller town centres. Aldi's was great because the groceries were relatively cheap and good for in-a-pinch. We decided to take the afternoon off and get some rest. We had been spending days and days going nonstop and all needed some time to relax.

January 14

Exploring Campus Part II

In the morning, a friend and I decided to wake up early, get coffee, and find our classrooms. I tried an iced mocha, and it was much better than my iced latte from my second day here. I think that's going to be my coffee order until I gain more confidence in my coffee-ordering skills here.

We walked all around campus and found some of our exact classrooms. Some of the "classrooms" are really 100+ people lecture halls, so that is something that is extremely different from classes back home. Most of my classrooms are a bit smaller with stadium seating, so it'll be interesting to see how big or small those rooms really feel. The Quinn School of Business building is extremely pretty and modern inside with lots of study spaces, so I'm excited to explore those in the coming weeks!

Our First Friday Night in Ireland

To celebrate our first Friday night, we decided to go out! Our plan was to go to Grafton Street and find a pub there to enjoy for the night. We left campus around 4:30pm and got into Dublin a little after 5pm, so we had much more time to enjoy the city. We quickly learned that Grafton Street was filled with more shopping than pubs, so we decided to make our way to the Temple Bar area where we knew there would be pubs upon pubs to choose from. On our walk to Temple, we found a bar called "The Bankers Bar" and all ordered Guinnesses. Bankers was much more casual and suited for locals. One person in our party did not really enjoy her Guinness, but she was determined to finish it anyway (such a trooper). After our round there, we moved on.

We walked to Temple and found a pub called "Quays Irish Restaurant" where there was live music and good vibes. The inside was very casual and what I would think a traditional pub looks like. I tried ordering a cocktail and was told that they did not serve cocktails. I then asked if they had a food menu and was told that the restaurant was upstairs (a.k.a. not where we were). I struck out for the third time when I tried to order a local Harp Lager and was told that they no longer served that. Every minute has been a moment of thinking you know what you're doing and then realizing you actually don't. It's all in good spirit, though! Quays was very nice because we were not rushed to leave right at 8pm. They continued serving drinks until 8pm and then let you stay to finish up until you were ready to go. I would definitely go back!

My whole experience here so far has been so amazing. I am learning so much and have already felt like I'm gained so much more independence. There is still a lot to explore, and I cannot wait!

Cheers!