A full first year in Maynooth

It is now a full year since I first came to Ireland to study at Maynooth University.

This opportunity changed my life: I’m learning every day in my PhD, I’m in contact with different cultures constantly, I’ve made many good friends and I enjoy every day more than ever!

As someone who comes from the American continent, before it was harder for me to travel through Europe, now it is cheap and easy, and I can’t find enough time to visit all the Erasmus friends in their own countries I met in past semesters in Maynooth!

Besides that, Ireland offers a lot of things to do if you can’t get enough with the endless unique pubs with cosy atmospheres and the craic. I wanted to write some memories of things that happened over the year, and I’m happy to share them with you. Maybe in this list you will find something that is interesting to you, which you haven’t before considered.

I’ve participated in Chess championships by the Irish Chess Union (ICU), and a Catan championship by the Irish Catan Association (ICA). ICA’s current logo was made by yours truly!

I attended countless weekly movie nights by the Disney society, played Magic the Gathering draft tournaments with the games society and had burgers at Donabate beach (north of Dublin) with the Language society. Another good place to swim is the Forty Foot, on the south side of Dublin.

I had the chance to do bouldering and climbing in Awesome walls and Gravity in Dublin. I’m surprised with how populated these places are with polite people willing to help you or give you some advice.

I broke my finger playing tag rugby and didn’t notice it was broken until two months later.

I found places in Dublin with food I thought was only available back in my own country.

My friends and I saw the sunrise at the Bull Island (highly recommended), we did some hiking in Bray, tried to make stones rico-o-shea on the peaceful lakes in Glendalough, saw a scary parade in Halloween in Galway and visited its Christmas market as well, felt adrenaline at the Cliffs of Moher, took a lot of pictures in the giants causeway and had the funniest nights in the Maynooth’s Student’s Union and the Roost.

I’ve enjoyed every second here, even with simpler things like having a walk in the Phoenix park, Stephen’s green garden or the old campus in Maynooth, finding interesting musicians in Grafton Street, shopping at Liffey Valley or attending custom parties in Dublin.

I could continue writing and never end. Studying in Maynooth gave me one of the best years in my life!

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