Melissa's Exchange to University of Limerick | Ireland
My name is Melissa Dawes and I studied abroad at the University of Limerick (UL), Ireland in semester of 2014. The two hardest parts of this experience were having to leave my family at friends in Australia and then having to leave my Irish family to return home. From the first day I got there I didn’t feel homesick or lonely at all. I lived in Plassey village in an eight bedroom house, which was so much fun. My roommates were a diverse group of Americans, a Canadian, a Dutch girl, some Irish, and me the Australian. We got along really well and it was amazing how similar we were despite our contrasting backgrounds.
There was always something going on whether it was a party, a trip around Ireland, a trip to somewhere in Europe, catching up with people, or of course studying. I joined two clubs at the university which were the International Society and the Outdoor Pursuits Club (OPC). The International Society organised lots of trips around Ireland to all the iconic tourist destinations, whereas OPC took you to the more isolated parts of Ireland. The International Society also organized an International party every Friday night at Stables, the campus pub. There is a great university spirit at UL and you really feel like you are a part of it.
Travelling around Ireland was amazing, and there was so much to go and see. The main highlights for me were the Cliffs of Moher, Giant’s Causeway and Kylemore Abbey. Even when we weren’t going away for the weekend to travel, we would walk around the beautiful campus which was cut in half by the Shannon River. We went on walks along the river and discovered many beautiful sights including ruins on the campus. The landscape there was just breathtaking and so different to the beauty that you see in Australia.
The support there was great too. They had people who would show you to your classes for the first seven weeks and there was an International office where you could go if you had any worries. I always knew that there would be someone there willing to help me out during any emergencies. During orientation they did a great job of introducing you to the culture of Ireland. This included a performance by the Celtic Steps which just blew everyone away.
Overall, this has been the best experience of my life and I would recommend it to everyone. Don’t worry about not knowing anyone, there are so many other international students in the same boat and they are just as willing to make friends as you are. It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity and you learn so much about other cultures. I was surprised how much I learnt not only about the Irish culture but of the culture of the many International students I became friends with.
- Melissa studied at The University of Limerick in Ireland
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