T-minus 6 days until take off

Hey everyone! Welcome to my blog about my travels and adventures to Ireland this upcoming spring 2012 semester. My home university is American University in Washington, DC but I'll be studying at the University College Dublin this semester.


     I chose to study abroad in Dublin, Ireland for a few reasons. I knew upon beginning my studies at American University that I eventually wanted to study abroad. The only question was where I would be going. When I first started researching possible destinations, the choices were limited as a music major through the AU Abroad program. The three main places I was interested in were: London, Australia or Ireland. It would be impossible for me to describe in words the excitement I felt when I saw that Ireland was on the list of possible destinations.

     Although I am not Irish, I find many aspects of Ireland extremely interesting. I began Irish step dancing when I was in second grade and continued dancing until eleventh grade. As I got older, I advanced to higher levels and even had the opportunity to compete at the regional and national level. The music, the style of dance and the overall Irish lifestyle became second nature to me, after my Latvian culture. I constantly had the different songs stuck in my head; I would tap my hands and my feet during class and frequently found myself researching Irish culture.

     While I have been to Latvia before, where I have visited family and have experienced my own culture “hands on”, I wanted to go to a country that I have had almost as many connections with while growing up. With study abroad, I now have the same opportunity to explore Ireland just like I have Latvia. It has always been a dream of mine to go abroad for a lengthy period of time as a student and now I have the possibility of achieving that dream.

The harp, Ireland's national emblem.

Few quick facts about UCD and Ireland:
-  Ireland is unique in having a musical instrument, the harp, as its national emblem.
-  UCD is the biggest school in the Republic of Ireland - about 24,000 students
-  The dancing traditions grew in close association with traditional Irish music
-  The Republic of Ireland covers roughly 80% of the island, with Dublin as its capital. The other 20%, Northern Ireland, is part of the UK, with Belfast as the capital.
-  The Irish look for any excuse to celebrate - my semester will be great!


I hope you enjoy reading this and I'll try to keep it as updated as possible!

The Dingle peninsula. (I had to include it, Kara.)

I'll drink a Guinness for everyone! After all, every day is a lovely day for a Guinness!