David Reiter '09

For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of studying abroad in Australia. The perfect climate, the amazing and vastly diverse scenery, and the friendly and welcoming citizens have all added to my desire to spend time in the country. After years of anticipation, the time has finally come to travel abroad for a semester. So here I am, a week into my semester in Ireland.

Wait... whaaaaaat?!

"Life at any time can become difficult: life at any time can become easy. It all depends upon how one adjusts oneself to life." - Morarji Desai

I was home in New Jersey a few weeks ago and at Bucknell less than a month ago, but that all seems like a distant memory. I suppose being on the other side of the ocean will have that effect.

Last Friday marked the end of my first week of classes as well as the end to all the stress and acclimation that accompanied it. So now that the weekend had finally arrived, it was time to go explore the nightlife of the city, right? Or maybe make a daytrip and see some of the sights in the area? Not exactly.

I'm settling into a nice little routine here in Cork and I am starting to feel comfortable with my surroundings. I'm used to my schedule, I don't get lost in the city as often and I am slowly learning how to cook. (I made chicken quesadillas last week. They completely fell apart, but my chicken cheese goo-mush gave me hope for my culinary future.) The more I think about it, however, the more I realize that I shouldn't be getting too comfortable here. Much of my time abroad will be spent away from Cork. Even though I will be away until late May, I have very little class after March 20 (which marks the start of a month long spring break, followed by a week of class, followed by a week off to study for finals, followed by a three-week final exam period when I'll only have a few exams). That is a whole lot of free time that I hope to spend traveling, so I met with a friend last night and we created a tentative travel schedule through Spring Break.

Dear Blog,

It's me, Dave. How are you? I'm good, thanks for asking. Sorry I've been neglecting you these past few weeks, I've been quite busy. Anyway, remember my last post that pertained to my travel plans? I lied to you, Blog. My Spring Break itinerary has drastically changed since then, so I'll take this opportunity to update you.

I've come to the realization that the European economy makes no sense. I can fly from Cork to London for eight euro, yet I can't find a beer for less than four. (Not that I'm looking for beer, it's just an example, Mom). Then there is the cost of laundry. The machines are tiny, and it's three euro per wash and three euro per dry. I'm sorry, but I value a safe flight to another country more than I value two beers or a few loads of laundry.

You didn't think the kid studying abroad in Cork would neglect to write about St. Patrick's Weekend, did you?

As I type these words, the clock says 3:15 a.m. on March 23. My taxi taking me to the airport will be picking me up at 4 a.m. on March 23 .... uh oh.

The task of documenting my 25-day Spring Break trip is pretty terrifying. My journey started exactly one month ago, so remembering the details that made the trip so great might be tough. On top of that, I've written about 4,000 words in papers in the past few days. No time to rest though, because if I wait much longer the memories will be lost forever. Plus, answering the question, "How was your trip?" a million times gets pretty old... How do you answer such a general question? I usually just go with "good." Due to popular demand, here's a more thorough description for your reading pleasure. Ready. Go.