Arcadia Ireland

What an exciting and busy few days it has been! We kick started 22 with a leap to Dublin airport last Monday morning to welcome our Belfast students.  This was the first official meet and greet at the airport since the Pandemic began and it was wonderful to welcome so many tired but happy students.  What made it even more exciting was to be joined by the very popular and much spoken about New Zealand Resident Director, Jane Gunne Lewis. Wait a minute, New Zealand, what? Well that is a story for another day! Over the morning we were lucky to have had time to chat with students and caffeinate and vegan sausage roll before rescuing a student from the confusion caused by jetlag. It was like the last two years hadn’t happened as we stepped right back into the familiar. We had begun orientations and it felt good!

Over the course of three days this week we welcomed students going to Queens in Belfast, NUI, Galway and Burren College of Art. We walked the streets of Quay street and Eyre Square in Galway and kept students moving towards their final goal of the day, fish and chips! Some of us formed smaller groups and sampled the finest hot chocolate at Butlers and others were happy to find treasures in the much-loved by students shop, Penneys or Primark!

Galway still felt Christmassy. It was crisp, frosty, the lights were still lit and Irish students were trickling back in for the start of Spring Semester in just a few days. It’s the type of place where young 20 somethings are everywhere. Out of a population of 300, 000, there are 25, 000 students and it is clear to see. The outdoor dining has definitely grown in Galway because of COVID and you know what, it suits the place. It had a traditional yet even cooler vibe about it! It was even better than four years ago when I last visited.

Our Burren students were the last to leave us. This morning, after sampling black pudding (pigs blood) and sharing some of our own stories of study abroad with them, they left smiling in anticipation for the road ahead. Ballyvaughan is a special type of place and they were only an hour away from seeing the uniqueness for themselves.

This week reminded us staff of why we do what we do. The resilience, patience, bravery, openness of this group was simply wonderful to see and experience. We will surf, walk, cook, dance, climb, hike, play Gaelic games and lots lots more over the next few weeks and months. If the start is anything to go by, I think we are in for one incredible Semester.