Language

Miscommunicating with my teachers and peers was one of my fears before arriving here.  I was afraid that I would not be able to understand their language/slang as well as their accents.  However, I have realized that communicating is a lot easier than I thought.  Sometimes their accents and how fast they talk make it hard to understand, but generally, the way they talk is not much different from us.  When used in a sentence, I can guess what some of their slang words mean and can relate them to the slang words we use back home.  For example, "what's the crack?" is equivalent to asking someone "what's up?".  Although the majority of the population speaks English, there are also some who still speak Gaelic. It is a very interesting but difficult language to learn. In Irish Experience, we have learned some phrases we can use in our everyday conversations, but I have not yet met anyone who speaks Gaelic, and I am sure I would not be able to pronounce anything correctly.  Overall, aside from the accents, I have not had any problem communicating with anyone.

Landmarks

Carlow is full of historical landmarks, including the very building we attend classes in. One of my favorite places is a landmark we have learned about recently.  During the Carlow rebellion, there was a brutal battle that took place on the street adjacent to our school, named Tullow Street.  Hundreds of people died on the street I walk up and down almost everyday.  It is amazing living in such a historical town and learning about the history that surrounds us. 
As far as my favorite field trip, it would have to be the trip to Glendalough.  The scenery was absolutely beautiful.  We seen forests with beautiful trees and walked to the top of a waterfall.  We learned legends of the rivers that flowed through the county and what monsters where suppose to have lived there.  I usually do not care much for nature, especially when I am back home, however, Glendalough was not like any other part of nature I have seen.  Overall, it is, so far, one of the most beautiful places I have seen since I have come abroad, and it is definitely a place I would revisit. 

Food!

The two main differences between Irish food and American food are the portion sizes and the amount of preservatives put in the food.  Because the portions at home are so big, the portions we get here seem small, but I believe they are the right amount of food we are suppose to eat.  They also put less preservatives in the food which makes the food fresher, but it also goes bad faster.  I find myself having to go shopping more often here than I did when I was home.  Most of my meals are eaten in our kitchen because going shopping once a week is cheaper than going out to eat everyday.  Since I have been here, I haven't really had any traditional Irish food. However, when we were in Paris, I had a falafel and it was the best thing I've eaten since I have been away from home.  I am a little scared to branch out and try new food, but I am sure I will before leaving.

Support

Having a good support system at home has made this trip possible, but having a good support system while abroad has made this experience and transition to a foreign country much easier.  Eric, our academic advisor, has been very helpful with anything pertaining to school.  While we have someone to help us with school , we also have someone who makes sure we are getting along well with living in a foreign place, with foreign people.  Sister Mary has gone above and beyond making sure we are well taken care of and feel at home.  She checks in with everyone as often as she can, has made herself available to us whenever we may need her, and is like a mother away from home to all of us. 
All my professors are very accommodating as well.  Unlike at home, people do not change classes after the first semester and some people have had the same people in their class since freshmen year.  Sometimes a previous class they were all required to take is referenced in class and because I was not in that class, I may not make the connection.  All my teachers made sure to let me know that if I didn't understand something or needed extra help out of class, they are available.  Although I do not have a favorite teacher, I do have a favorite class.  My abnormal psych class has never failed to grasp my attention, and I believe I have retained more from that class than any other class.  However, overall I do enjoy all my classes and all the people who have made this journey much more enjoyable. 

Transportation

Carlow College campus is just as small, maybe smaller than Carlow back home which made finding classes and getting around the school much easier.  At Carlow University, I would normally leave my room about ten minutes before class started depending on which building it was in.  But because all my classes are in the same building here, I leave five minutes before class and usually still have time to spare once I am in class.  One thing I do miss is inner-city public transportation.  In Pittsburgh, hoping on the bus to get from point A to point B was very easy.  Although to go from one town to the next is fairly cheap (with a student discount), I am not able to get on a bus and go somewhere a few miles away.  However, I am glad that transportation is provided at reasonable prices if I wish to explore outside of Carlow, Ireland. 

Class

This semester in Ireland, I did not have to purchase any books.  The majority of them have several copies available in the library for students if they need to access them, and some of them are also online.  Back home, the total cost of books could cost around 200 dollars or more, and that is if I rented the used books out of the bookstore.  Even for the Irish Experience class, which has a required book for the second half of the class, we were given enough books to use and share with someone else.  Because we have to pay everything (food, personal items, transportation), not having to buy all of my books has definitely helped me financially. 
The first week of class was very interesting.  During orientation we learned that in the beginning of class we are given an essay question and a date that essay will be due.  Besides reading, I have not yet been given any other assignments to do outside of class.  Classes are usually two hours long, with a break after the first hour, and the class sizes are bigger compared to the class sizes at Carlow.  Overall the teaching styles are generally the same; teachers have lecture notes or a power point they read from.  Sometimes it is difficult trying to understand the teacher's accent, especially when they begin to talk fast, but it gets easier to understand everyday. 

Electronics

Before going abroad, a good friend of mine who had already studied in Ireland the previous year, offered to let me use her international phone while I was away.  Having a phone here with an Ireland carrier makes it a lot easier to keep in contact with my teachers and fellow house mates.  This generous offer also saved me money, for I did not have to go and buy a new phone.  My only purchase was the plan for the phone, which came out to be 20 euros a month for free texting, internet, calls on the weekend and to anyone else who has the same carrier.  Because I have my both my iphone and computer, I can also keep in contact with friends in family back home with imessage, facebook, whatsapp and other applications that can be used as long as I have a wifi connection.  Every building on campus, including the building we are living in, has a connection. The only time I use my international phone is when I leave campus, and some establishments also have a wifi connection the public is allowed to access.  So far, keeping in contact with everyone has not been as hard as I thought it would be.