Kaylynn Bryan, Summer Nursing at Trinity College Dublin Summer 2023
Interacting with locals has been one of my favorite things about being abroad. Walking around Dublin, you are surrounded by equally the same number of Irish accents and accents and languages from around the world. Ireland is a popular location for tourists to visit as well as those from other countries to move to. There was not once when I felt uncomfortable being from a different country. In the school setting, we met the dean of Trinity College of Dublin and all the department heads, who all said, “A thousand welcomes” and “You are very welcome here”—their way of saying they are glad we are here. These professors were extremely excited to have us and asked all sorts of questions about where we were from. I had the opportunity to observe in the Emergency Department at one of the biggest hospitals in the country. It was a dead giveaway when they saw my nursing uniform and heard my accent, but each time I was approached it was always with a huge smile on their faces. Nurses, doctors, and other students would ask what I was doing there, how I was enjoying it, and about the differences compared to home. It was very cool getting to interact with the nursing students because I got to see they were just like me. They had the same struggles, accomplishments, and things they were interested in.
Outside of school and work, pubs are the epitome of the social scene. People of all ages gather to listen to live music, eat food, and dance. At each pub, the live musicians would mostly play songs that I knew, which was very interesting to me. Not only did it make me feel more comfortable in my environment, but it made it easier to bond with the locals. However, not everyone in the pubs knew these American songs, so it was obvious we were from the states. People were very intrigued to talk to us and were always very friendly. Their culture is very similar to ours, but they are even more friendly, especially to tourists. I never felt unsafe talking to anyone or walking around, and if I did others around immediately noticed and helped. In fact, one of my favorite parts was talking to the locals but also other travelers from different countries. No matter where I was, there was always someone new and interesting to talk to and learn from.
Picture Caption – Here is us with our two tour guides that we went to see Blarney Castle with. We chatted the whole day and ended up befriending them throughout the entire trip!
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