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No matter what country you are in or what university you attend, orientation is always the most boring thing you will ever do. You have a week of activities with people you don't know, with information that is most of the time common sense, and completely reiterates what you learned back home.
However, without orientation you don't make friends... which makes going to orientation essential for studying abroad. Myself and my fellow abroad students participated in a week of events ranging from painstakingly boring (like the public safety information warning or Burglars... funniest video ever) to fun events like the Scavenger hunt or going to Carickfergus. There are students from all over the world. Most of my friends here are from the U.S., Canada, France, Austria, Spain, and Italy. There are also alot of kids from India and China, but they tend to keep to themselves and dont interact much with the rest of us.
After a day of boredom in orientation we generally would do something fun at night. For example, on the Wednesday of orientation week Real Madrid had a big game against some team from eastern europe. So, that night we went into Belfast to a wee pub to take in the game. It was really cool to watch the game in a pub with other locals. We got to watch and cheer with our friends and got a real taste of the local atmosphere. When the game was over we decided to go dancing. One of our orientation leaders had come out with us and she took us to one of the local college bars. It was such a fun night and the craic was very good.
On Friday I went back to Derry for the weekend and stayed at a nice hostel. Many of my friends studying at Magee were either tired or sick on friday evening, which gave me the opportunity to explore the city and shop on my own. I had dinner at a restaurant called Flamming Jack's and had a very very delicious cheese burger and the windows that showed a great view of the street outside provided a prime opportunity for people watching.
When I got back to the hostel that night I was invited out by two of the guys who work there and we, along with a guy from New Zealand and a girl from Sweden, went out to one of the local pubs for the night and took in some traditional Irish music. I really enjoy staying in hostel because you make friends very quickly and see a great mix of generally kind people.
The next day I went to the Tower Museum in the city to look at the History of Londonderry and of Northern Ireland from prehistoric times through to the present. They had a special exhibit on the Spanish ships that had shipwrecked off the North Coast of ireland and the discoveries they had found in the wreckage. I found all of the information fascinating.
That night we went to Jim's house for dinner and spoke with a woman who "writes" plays. I put the writes in quotes because she more or less takes people with real stories from the troubles and organizes them into a performance. She did one last year that was very moving (forgive me I dont remember the name) and she is coming out with another one this year that we will be attending. This one will be from the perspective of Women during the troubles and what they had gone through. It is an event that we are all looking forward to a great deal.
On sunday we all met at the train station at 10 am to take the train to Colerain for our excusion to the Giant's Causeway. While I have been to the Giant's Causeway twice before, I am still awed by the beauty of it. Even on a slightly cloudy day, when you walk along the bluff out above the causeway and get the view of the rock formation below, when you see the Giant's Pipe Organ out along the adjacent ridge, with the water crashing on the rock's below, and the lush green vegitation that grows everywhere you are awestruck by the beauty of nature. It is truely breathtaking.
After several hours at the site we travelled back to the trainstation where I boarded a train for Belfast and the other returned to Derry. On my way home I alternated between napping and thinking about the next day when I wold begin classes. I was nervous and apprehensive, but excited for the new challenge this semester should bring.
Thanks for reading Guys. I'll post agian soon.
Love,
Renate
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