Settling In

I have officially been in Ireland for three full days. It seems like forever. The combination of the 5 hour time difference, and keeping myself busy, I have been so exhausted at night that as soon as my head hits the pillow I fall asleep.

My time has been divided between getting things to make my new apartment feel more like home, groceries, and trying to remember how to get to the new places I find.

I was pleasantly surprised that when I went to the grocery store for the first time, I didn't spend nearly as much money as I expected. I was expecting to pay around 100 euro, or maybe even a little more to get all the basics. To my surprise, I only spent 36 euro and purchased almost everything I need. Grocery shopping was basically an all day adventure.

Today was the first day of orientation. I learned where the college campus is. It took us 40 minutes as a group to walk there, but I'm sure it will take less time when I'm not walking with 50 other kids. At the college we had time to explore the building, and then had a meeting about everything that we need to know. Yes, it was boring. However, after the meetings and lunch we were divided into groups to do a scavenger hunt of the city. Everyone was already exhausted by the time we began the hunt, but we decided it would be best if we did participate. We figured that we have the time, it's a nice, sunny, day out and we need to get to know the area. So, me and my four group members started walking around the city. We weren't looking for things on the list as much as we were just taking in what we were seeing. It was nice to find places that I hadn't seen before. I found a clothing store called Penneys and their items are extremely cheap. I could buy a nice jacket for 15 euro. It's kind of like a Forever21. It was a new part of town that I hadn't seen before, but it's easy to get to.

Everything is very exciting and new. It's also a little intimidating, and definitely an adjustment. There are a few kids who are already thinking about going home, and for once a feel a little brave. I haven't had a huge wave of homesickness yet, and that's a good thing. I keep thinking about the semester ahead of me and getting more exciting. I am beginning to think about other places in Europe that I want to travel to when I have free time. Rome and Paris are on my list so far.

After exploring the city the group went out to dinner courtesy of Champlain College. I'm always up for a nice, free dinner.

Another long day has left me exhausted and ready for bed. (BTW my bed is a twin sized....excelllennnnnt). I will have to take a video of my apartment and post it so everyone can see!