Goal 9- Diversity-Study Abroad in Limerick Ireland

During my the summer before my senior year I studied at the spectacular University of Limerick in Ireland for three weeks. The experience of studying abroad was eye-opening and absolutely invaluable. My experience abroad was the first time I had ever left the country and actually the first time I had ever flown on a plane. Leaving my mom at the gate to go through security I had a pang of doubt before starting what I will always remember as my first life adventure.

At the University of Limerick, I took the course International Finance and Marketing. The class met twice a day for several hours each time. The first portion was lecturing from our two professors and selected guests while the second portion was spent in the Kemmy Business School’s Trading Floor to work on our stock portfolios. The Trading Floor included Bloomberg Terminals equip with software that allowed us to access real time financial data as well as attain the Bloomberg Certification. To earn the certification you have to complete several modules that explain an array of financial market concepts. While on the floor we were paired together to create our portfolios, and competed against the other teams to see who would end with the highest profile. As a final assessment, each pair wrote an evaluation of our portfolios explaining our strategies and thought process for choosing stocks.

Studying on UL’s campus was different in comparison to Longwood’s campus. UL was many times bigger than Longwood; it took anywhere from fifteen to twenty minutes to walk from our apartments to the main buildings and student center. There was no main dining hall but several pubs with a la carte lines and sandwich shops. The classroom setting was laid back and every professor we met was accommodating and friendly. At Longwood the professors are kind so that was not a difference but the classrooms felt more of a individual freedom and responsibility. It was your own responsibility to learn. The lecturers were laid back, because they were not going to force information in your brain so there was no pressure.

On weekdays, when we out of the classroom, we were able to explore campus and the city of Limerick. The days I explored campus, when I was not absolutely needing a nap, I saw ruins of an old mill and castle. The mill ruins were four minutes away from our apartments, and the castle ruins were about twenty five minutes away on the other side of the campus. It was surreal to be so close to history. The first time I, and a few friends, went into the city by ourselves we got hopelessly lost on were way back to campus. None of us had ever needed to navigate public transportation in our home towns, and we were a little too cocky in thinking we would be immediately catch on. That day was our first day in Limerick, our first time riding a double-decker bus, and our first time flagging a taxi so we could get home. Luckily the taxi driver was incredibly kind and sympathetic to our woeful tale.

On weekends, the university had planned several excursions for the 100 plus group of abroad students. We traveled to Dublin, several places in West Ireland, and the Aran Islands. Dublin is an expansive city and we were also able to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College. When we toured West Ireland we saw a megalithic tomb and the Cliffs of Moher. Sitting on the edge of the famous cliffs was terrifying, of course, but freeing as well. Seeing the cliffs I felt small even insignificant but because I was in awe of such a remarkable scene. Our last excursion was to Inisheer one of the three Aran Islands. This was my favorite trip. Only a about a third of the island was populated with full time habitants, and Gaelic is its primary language. There are castle ruins, and the parts of the island that are not inhabited are sectioned into small squares of stone fences. We walked the width of the island and there was a moment when we stopped. We stopped to look at enclosure of sheep but we realized that we were in almost complete silence. The sheep were quiet and the only thing that you could hear was buzzing from a few bugs. Usually there is a hum of traffic or people, and we were so used to that background noise that we almost did not notice when it was missing. It was a perfect moment.