Hi, My name is Nathan, I’m a 3rd year Music student, and I’ve recently returned from my year abroad in Cork, Ireland.
Arrival
I was really nervous when I first got to Cork. I completely alone in a country I’d never been to before. It didn’t help that I was the first person in my accommodation, so I had nothing to do but unpack and wait for the others to arrive. Fortunately, someone started moving in soon after I arrived, and he was really nice. He’d just come back from a year abroad in Germany, and he told me everything I needed to know about my host university, University College Cork.
First weeks/Getting into a Routine
I spent a lot of my first week wandering around town, getting my bearings and taking in the sites. It’s a very scenic town, the buildings are old with so much history, and the town centre is wide and open with loads of places to eat and shop. I spent a lot of time on Oliver Plunkett Street, the place to go for pubs and bars, with my new friends as they showed me all their favourite spots. I felt quite lucky to be living with the people that I was because they were all UCC students and new the town well, so I essentially got free tours and lots of insider knowledge.
Getting into a routine was tough, as I was so used to my way of life in Southampton. I found myself overwhelmed with the new campus, schedules, and people, but fortunately my new classmates were very friendly and were more than helpful with telling me where to go and when to be there. I was able to find my footing fairly quickly, and got into my routine of going to lectures, cooking, and going out easily after being helped.
Societies
I was excited to see what societies UCC had on offer, and societies fair didn’t disappoint. It was great to see almost as many stands as we have back in Southampton and with a large variety too. One that caught my eye was WARPS, the tabletop gaming society. I play a lot of Dungeons and Dragons, so I was glad to find people to play it with. I only went for the first semester as I found that I had to focus on my work more later in the year, but for the time I did go I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was nice to meet so many people that play DnD and to share our common interest on a weekly basis.
Night Life
From my personal experience, Irish night life is different from English night life. When me and my friends went out, it would always be to a pub to drink and talk rather than a club. I don’t think I went clubbing once during my time there! I actually preferred this to clubbing as it helped me get to know the people I was living with and form strong bonds with them. When I’m back in Southampton, I’m going to take my friends to the pub more rather than the club, as it’ll be nice to actually talk to them rather than dance all night.
Traveling
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel around Ireland a little, going to nearby towns like Cobh and Kinsale, and places further away like Dublin, Kilkenny and Wicklow. Cobh and Kinsale are both seaside towns with big cathedrals and castles, and me and my friends had a great time exploring what they had to offer. I went to Dublin for my birthday, where I visited the Guiness factory. I’m glad I got to see the capital, and it was so different to Cork! I was invited to my friend’s house in the countryside in Wicklow, and it blew me away with how beautiful it was. We visited a hill fort and the view was phenomenal.
Reflection
I really enjoyed my time abroad and found it to be very valuable. I had the privilege of being able to live in a country I’d never been to before and learn about their culture, and I can now say that I’ve studied at two universities! To anyone wondering if they should do a year abroad, I would strongly urge them to do so, as it’s an amazing experience. And to those, like me, who were nervous and having second thoughts about going, don’t worry. You’ll make many friends, it’ll be ok and you’ll have a great time.