Top Ten Experiences in Ireland So Far

As it’s summer now, I took an unexpected break. To be fair it was refreshing not having to worry about a post a week, but I did miss the schedule of it all.

I’ve officially been here ten months, wohoo!

That means I have lived in Dublin longer than anywhere else in the past five years.

Here are my top 10 photos that I’ve taken in the past 10 months. I’ve selected a mixture of travel destinations and just pictures of great memories.

The Beginning

After nearly 8 years I finally returned to this gem of an Isle. This was the first picture I took of Ireland from the plane heading down to Dublin airport.

A Halloween Like No Other

Did you know that Halloween actually originated in Ireland? Neither did I until this past year.

Howth

This side of Dublin Bay has become one of my most frequented travel spots and I plan to go back to this place right outside of city centre. It's a quaint town that's right on the water, and, on the weekends, there is a great market there filled with delicious treats.

The Cliffs of Moher

This is seriously one of the most breath taking scenes I have ever visited. I'd love to go back out west and complete the entire cliff walk someday.

The Festive Season

With all of its small alleyways and narrow streets, Dublin was ripe with opportunities to decorate for the holidays. I loved just going out at night and walking aimlessly around.

Paddy's Day

No it's not St. Paddy's, or is it ever really called St. Patrick's Day. I spent my time watching the parade with my friend Steph from Australia- I hadn't seen her in nearly two years. A lovely member of the garda- policemen- took this photo of us and everyone around was buzzed with happiness.... and maybe a bit too much of alcohol, but who am I to talk.

The Giant's Causeway

I loved learning about the formation myth of this landmark, and I highly recommend going there and taking a tour of it. 

Pentatonix

After years of watching them come together as a group on The Sing Off and then all their youtube videos, I finally was able to see them live in Dublin. If you ever get a chance to see PTX live I would recommend going. They sounded amazing, if not better, live than on their records.

Dublin Zoo

Even though it's summertime and many of my friends have gone home, we were still able to plan a day trip to the zoo. Although I can't say it compared to the zoo in Dubbo, Australia or the Tarangire in Tanzania, I thoroughly enjoyed my day. I especially loved that the peacocks were allowed to roam freely all over the zoo grounds, plus good company always makes for an amazing day no matter what.

Home

After living here for 10 months I can confidently say that I am feeling Ireland is home. I really can;t describe what drew me here, but now that I am, I really do not want to leave. I've made some incredible friends here and I can only hope to make more and gain more fond memories.

xxKim

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Normally I would put a music recommendation here but I've been listening to such a variety that I can't choose.

-Olly Murs: just feel good music, especially his earlier material

-Fleetwood Mac: I was never a huge fan, but they have some great summer tunes

-DNCE: I can't stop listening to Cake by the Ocean

-The Beatles: summer becomes my time where I put on the White Album or 1 over and over again.

Readjusting

Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Day/Moving Day

Everything over the past two weeks has gone by in such a blur. I've been absolutely crazed between moving, schoolwork, and life in general.

Luckily I found a new house to live and it's less than a 10 minute walk from uni! They only downside is that one Lisa and I realized how brutal it is trying to find accommodation this time of the year, so we decide to live in different places for now. Hopefully we'll live together in the future though!

My new roommates are a couple from Romania and then a girl from Africa, Malawi to be more precise- I haven't really had the chance to talk with her and she's moving out at the end of they month so.... I'll save about €50 a month and the rent itself is cheaper so I'm super excited.

Tuesday was a whirlwind of trying to pack and move. I'm still getting reorganized, but I'm slowly getting there. I've been here only five months and I still can't believe how much stuff I've accumulated. 

The beautiful dinning area.

Probably one of my favourite things about the new place.

One of the worst/best things about moving out is buying new bedding, it really makes your room so much more personalised.

I finally feel like I'm living more in my own house than another person's.

This semester is really looking up.

New Room!

Soon it'll be March and I'll get to see yet another Australian friend. Time really is flying by and I soon am going to get out there and look for jobs. The thought scares me half to death but I guess everyone has to suffer through it at least once.

Sorry for the mundane post, hope next week's will be a little more exciting now that I am settled into my new home.

Xx Kim

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Random weird tidbit, but the place I'm living now is the neighbourhood where Luke Kelly lived. He's a great trad artist- traditional Irish music- and I recommend him if you're into that sort.

Plaque for Luke Kelly

Falling into Place

Yes, yes, I uploaded this on a Thursday and not a Wednesday but it was completely worth it since I had a mixer last night to attend.

As I scroll down my feed on Facebook I’m bombarded with photos and status updates that all have something to do with the changing seasons. Now I haven’t felt homesick- I usually don’t honestly- but something about all the gorgeous colors of the maple, oak and birch trees struck a chord with me. After one particular post, I thought I should look around Dublin for some wonderful colors. I know that the temperature is getting cooler and the leaves are changing, but I never really looked at what was right in front of me. I can happily walk around and hear the crunch of fallen leaves underneath my footsteps. 

On the bus to Uni.

I love autumn, I truly do.

Classes have officially commenced, and everything seems to be falling into place. For a person that officially decided to go to an  Irish uni a little over two months ago, I’m pleasantly surprised that everything is working out. However, I need to have more spontaneity in my life so I don’t get stuck in a routine.

That is honestly one of my greatest fears. Doing the same things day in and day out, not meeting new people, and just generally getting stuck in a rut. I really have to put in more effort in that aspect of my life.

Though I live about half an hour from City Centre, I haven’t done much exploring. For the past couple of weeks I have not been able to really take advantage of all that Dublin can offer. I blame this on the endless sorting of financial paperwork, buying living necessities, and trying out the many clubs and societies that my Uni has to offer. Now that I have a Uni routine for the most part, I know when I have free time and I’m excited to start utilizing it!

Look forward to next week’s blog because I have a lot of Dublin adventures planned!

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Besides the fact that there are over 100 clubs and societies to choose from, all of them seem to be quite serious and ‘official.’ Many have outside sponsors, which really surprises me since my college back home had nothing to this scale. Join a club or soc and there are perks besides making new friends!