“DUBLIN” OUR FRIENDSHIP ABROAD
BY BROOKE RUDISILL
Editor-in-Chief
If there is one word in the dictionary to describe myself, it is most definitely ‘impulsive’. When it comes to planning a trip that will most likely change your life, majority go through a tortuous thought process on whether or not they are ready to travel to a completely different part of the world all by themselves, and live in a country thousands of miles away from home.
I did not fall anywhere near that category. With only two weeks left in the semester last spring, I made the decision to pack up my life for six weeks and travel to Dublin, Ireland where I took two communication courses during the summer. I remember lying in my bed after a week of diving into the Irish culture in the ever so charming city, wondering why people kept telling me that I would come home a different person.
Little did I know that this one impulsive decision would become one of the largest defining moments in my life. I was living in a city with people who have different beliefs and lifestyles. I found myself questioning every single moment that I came across. I loved that the locals were extremely friendly, learning that majority of their cinema films did not have Hollywood endings, that with just one walk down Grafton Street, music would play from every corner. It was exciting to understand the Irish beliefs on fairies and superstitions, mainly diving into a culture I knew very little on, and adapting to all of the new and thrilling experiences at hand.
We live in a world where it becomes easy for individuals to forget about how many people there really are, and the issues that occur everyday. I also spent time traveling to Berlin, London, Amsterdam and Rome once my term was over. After my time in five different countries, my perspectives on life changed drastically. I cannot explain enough on why students should take full advantage of the opportunities that Lynn offers for studying abroad. In just six short weeks over seas, I learned more about myself than ever before.
