Hello from Ireland!
As week seven in Dublin approaches, we’re all happily adjusted in our school placements and to in living in the city. We’ve mastered the public transportation, we’re familiar with all of the best restaurants and traditional Irish foods, and we have a running list of all the best pubs around town! As our time here comes to a close, we’re all happy to be heading home for Christmas but will be sad to be leaving Dublin behind.
Before entering school placement here we heard two contrasting stories about OLI in Darndale and St. Bridgid’s in Killester. St. Bridgid’s is an adorable all girls school with 1950’s vibes. Darndale has a notorious reputation for being tough, ask any cab driver. If you’re planning to come here to teach, either placement will be great and totally worth your while. They’re two very different settings, but unique and awesome in their own ways. You’ll learn a lot and appreciate the experience no matter where you end up.
If you plan to come to Ireland in the coming semesters, bring your umbrellas and don’t be afraid to try the Guinness (it tastes better here!). Some of the best casual restaurants in the city are Trinity Bar Venue, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, The Gingerman, The Bankers, The Celt, to name a few! If you’re up for something a little fancier check out Millstone or the Bank. Live music is arguably one of the best parts of Ireland life, so make sure the stop by the Quay’s, Bad Bobs, Oliver St. John Goggarty’s, Bruxelles, and (of course) Temple Bar. If you are here during the fall semester around Christmas time, arguably the next best thing about Ireland life are the Christmas lights and decorations all throughout the city! Picture the North Pole only better.
After getting used to the inevitable periodic rain throughout the days, anyone who visits Dublin is bound to fall in love. There are so many quick day trips you can take outside of the city to see some green countrysides or ocean views. Ireland is a place of true scenic beauty, amazingly kind people, and a huge amount of fun. Teaching here and interacting with locals has been a one of a kind experience that will stay with us forever. As they say, it’s been “good Craic,” good fun.
Cheers,
Kayla, Caroline, Baileigh, and Leann
Kayla,
I can definitely relate to how you’re feeling about going home. At the beginning of this trip, I thought going home would be easy, but it isn’t! After staying in a new place for a long period of time and meeting new people and seeing beautiful places, it’s very hard to leave!
Maya
Wow Kayla, I really like that despite the reputation of your school setting you went into it with an opened mind and ended up loving it. This reminds me of the way a lot of people made remarks to “be careful” when I initially told them I was traveling to Belize for my student teaching. It must have been really interesting being able to exchange information with each other about the differences in your school experiences at both Darndale and St. Bringid’s!