IRELAND - DUBLIN

Now the semester abroad in Dublin is over and I'm back home. When I applied for the semester abroad, I was initially unsure about my accommodation, which courses I could choose and whether I would find friends or be alone for the whole summer. However, I found an apartment before I arrived and my choice of classes went well. I got told from friends that it is difficult to find an apartment in Dublin. The housing market there is very difficult. So it was clear to me that if I didn't get an apartment, I wouldn't go to Dublin. This would have ment to much uncertainty for me. Fortunately, everything worked well and I got an apartment in a student accommodation. 

I had great respect for the challenge of making new friends. As I flew to Dublin alone, I didn't have the luck to know anyone from back home. However, I met two guys in my studio who are from Munich and with whom I found myself immediately on the same wavelength. They also gave me a bit of security, as I simply made friends with whom I could talk in German. This was particularly important in the architectural subjects. Contrary to my fears, I was able to connect directly with other exchange students, as our studio consisted mainly of international students. I also made a few friends from America straight away, I was with them immediately on the same wavelength. Through them, we formed a large group of friends. 

It was also unknown to sign up for a trip where you don't know anyone. However, I got to know Laura on the outward journey. Laura is from Austria and didn't know anyone there either. So we experienced the windsurfing trip together and also traveled through Ireland together. Above all, I felt safe having German-speaking friends who always gave me positive feedback.

Now at the end of my stay abroad, I can only recommend a semester abroad to everyone. At the beginning it is hard not to see your friends and family, who you have seen all the time, for 4 months. Emotions ran high, especially at the beginning but also again at the end when you have to say goodbye to your friends, which was a bit unfamiliar for me. But you learned so many new things. How do I keep myself occupied when I'm out and about on my own? You get to know yourself much better. You realize that the culture is completely different, although it doesn't really seem that way from the outside. I had to adapt to it very quickly, but it helped that my friends are also from abroad and had to deal with that, so we were able to experience it together, which definitely helped us in our friendship. What is also unknown is the sudden appreciation of home. When I think back, whether with myself or friends, the attitude was always, if you go to Germany, you don't have to visit my home area, it's not that nice. However, in Ireland I realized that as nice as it is to travel and live somewhere else, for me, living at home is the best. Even though the nature in Ireland is stunning, I realized how much I missed nature at home and where I feel at home.

Before any big trip in Ireland, I always had a sense of unfamiliarity. Now that I'm back home, I'm looking forward to the unknown and unfamiliar in the future, because if there's one thing I've learned from my time in Ireland, it's that the best things happen unexpectedly. My best memories and moments have come from unfamiliar situations that I never expected. I also learned to appreciate home more and to solve problems. You learn to deal with the difficulties that arise abroad and to solve them creatively and efficiently.