My name is Aine Fannon and I studied in at University College Cork during the spring semester. Leaving the white winter of my home in Vermont I was greeted with the green grass and mild temperatures of Ireland. Immediately, Cork proved itself to be a welcoming and accessible city. I was able to take the train from Dublin and easily get to my accommodations in Cork.
Checking into my room I realized that I was truly in a new place and was going to be there for a while. The tiny room with my bed, bathroom, desk and closet squeezed in was overshadowed by the floor to ceiling window that overlooked the Lough. That first day I was just happy to be done moving around and to be able to see more of the city without having to leave my room. By the end of my time there I had spend countless hours at the Lough, watching the swans or sunset or enjoying a piece of cake that a friend and I had brought from a restaurant in the city center. Before I could enjoy that though I felt in desperate need of a call to my parents, a good cry, and then a really long nap.
Watching the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Cork City
At UCC I was able to take classes that focused on my theme of Global and Public Health. I took a class that compared the health systems of Ireland, France, and the United States. This class allowed for me to not only learn about the Irish and French health systems but to learn about my own health system through an outsiders perspective. In this class there was me (a US student) a French student and the Irish students. I felt incredibly lucky to be able to have all of the countries represented as we were able to talk about the practical experience of the health system and challenges that may not be known otherwise.
In addition to exploring Cork City, I often spent weekends seeing other parts of of Ireland or other cities in Europe. I think that this gave me a lot of confidence as I was truly on my own for the first time. This travel always required planning with friends around what to see, where to stay, and the best way to get there. One of my favorite memories was in a pub in Kildimo Village, outside of Limerick, where a local band played "Wild Montana Skies". I feel so much more comfortable doing new things by myself, a skill that has long evaded me. While there were some lonely times and bouts of homesickness, I came out of this experience a stronger, more independent person.
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