Fáilte! This is how they say “welcome” in Irish. When you leave the airport the first thing you might notice is, that Irish is very present in your everyday life.
We were confused about the fact, that English as well as Irish can be found on street signs and busses. But at the same time, we think it’s amazing that Ireland keeps their traditions like that.
We, that means Nadja and Julie, are both studying Media & Communication Management in Munich and Berlin. Both of us will spend our third semester at Griffith College in Dublin, Ireland. Our purpose is to present you with some of the important aspects of student life in Ireland and the country itself.
How to get to Griffith College
You will arrive in Ireland either by plane or ferry. The only way we know is by plane. Once you arrived at the airport you have the choice between bus line 16, taxi or Uber. The price for taxi and Uber can vary between 20 and 55 Euro, while the bus only costs around 3 Euros per person. When you take the taxi, you will be brought directly in front of the Halls of Residence which is located on the campus next to the reception area, where you can check in. The bus stop is a five-minute walk away from campus.
Housing on Campus
Before your semester abroad starts, you will fill out your application form for the halls of residence. There you can also, if you wish take crockery & cutlery, as well as bed linen for your apartment. We would recommend taking the bed linen but get your cutlery elsewhere (e.g. IKEA – bus line 140, 1 hour drive from Camden Street or in the St. Stephens Green Mall on Grafton Street). There you can get some stuff to make your room more comfortable. As soon as you’re checked in you will get a very long list of interiors and applications of your apartment that you need to inspect thoroughly.
For your late-night chocolate shopping we can recommend the small SPAR across from Griffith College, but for your usual meal you should check out Tesco and Lidl which are also not far away and way cheaper.
Living at Griffith College is like living with a huge family, be open and maybe knock on a few doors to get to know your neighbors.
Introduction Week
Griffith College is very good in organizing events, to get to know each other and the College. There is a whole week of evening parties and trips like bowling or going clubbing together called Fresher’s Week. Student’s Union offers the possibility to sign up for sports and other activities. We would advise you to take this opportunity because you will have loads of free time. After you registered online you can pick up your Student ID card in the library. As soon as you have your ID you can get your Student Leap Card, which offers you discounts for specific stores and transport through Ireland. In case you haven’t got your Student ID card, you can show your Letter of application as well.
Activities
At the beginning you will probably have a lot of free time which you can spend clubbing, pubbing, sight-seeing and taking trips through Ireland. In our next blog entry we will tell you more about that. Even though you will have less hours of school, you should not underestimate the workload for the assignments which are due at the end of November. Your exams will be in January after the long winter break.
In the three weeks we spent here in Dublin, we shared some wonderful experiences like walking through the streets accompanied by music and laughing people, dinners with funny friends, extremely kind Irishmen and generally a good atmosphere throughout the city. But just like every other city Dublin has its dark sides which you should be aware of, for example the poverty you are going to notice once you leave the city center, groups of drunken men stumbling across the city as well as a huge amount of homeless people. As long as you stay alert, keep in groups especially at night and don’t provoke anyone you should be more than fine.
Over the next few months we will keep you updated, enjoy your studies and keep well!
