Registering for classes at NUI is very different than registering for classes at SU. Most study abroad programs will have students schedule their classes before even arriving in their host country, this is not the case for NUI. At NUI you do not schedule your classes until orientation, which occurs a few days after your arrival in Galway. At first I was kind of annoyed that I did not know what classes I would be taking because I am a person who likes to plan everything out and not knowing my class schedule in advance really threw me off. However, I now understand why NUI has its visiting students wait to register for classes until they are on campus in Galway. This is because the registration process is very intricate and requires a lot of explanation. At Susquehanna you are given a lovely newspaper that lists every class offered the next semester along with the times the class meets and how many credits the class is. At NUI students have to find all of this information on their own. Each academic department posts the course timetables on their department’s website. Each department posts these timetables in a different location on their website which makes locating the timetables very difficult. Some departments neglect providing the timetables at all and instead students have to call that academic department directly to inquire about any class times or locations. The wonderful staff at the international affairs office explains this process in depth during orientation and they are always willing to answer any question you may have about registration. Once you have found a handful of classes (classes are called modules here) that you are interested in taking and have located the timetable for each course you must officially register your course load on the NUI campus portal. This process is very similar to registering for classes at SU and there are detailed instructions provided to students during orientation. This semester I am taking five modules. This may seem like a lot because a normal course load at SU is four classes, but classes here usually only meet twice a week for about an hour. If a class meets for two hours then it usually only meets once a week. So, even though I am taking five classes I am not sitting in a classroom for nearly as many hours a week as I would taking four classes at Susquehanna. (See my schedule below) I am currently taking Irish, Landscapes, Culture, and Literature, Music, Gender, and Ireland, Celtic Mythology, Religion, and Folklore, Modern Political Thought, and Irish for Beginners. I am excited about these modules because I will learn so much about Irish culture and history. So far my favorite class is Irish for Beginners. This is an introductory course to Gaelic for visiting students only. Many residents of Galway speak Gaelic as well as English. Bilingualism is typical of Irish people from the west coast of Ireland more so than it is for those who live on the east coast (Dublin area). Because so many people speak Gaelic in Galway many road signs, building names, menus, etc. are printed in Gaelic and English. I thought learning Gaelic would be a great way to connect with the Galway culture and already I am able to identify words on signs and can say basic phrases in Gaelic. (Below is an introductory conversation in Gaelic) I am really excited to see what I can gain from my other classes and in what other ways I am able to use what I have learned in the classroom to connect with Galway in a cultural sense.
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After choosing Galway, Ireland as the destination for my GO Long over a year ago it is crazy that I am actually here now, sitting in my room and writing my first blog post. Preparing for a GO Long may seem a bit intimidating but it is definitely manageable as long as you break it down into small tasks. The GO office helps you do this by providing deadlines for things such as uploading your passport information, attending safety workshops, and sharing your travel details. However, there are a few things that you must prepare on your own. For instance, you need to make sure that you have exchanged your American dollars to the currency of your host country. Don’t wait until the last minute! Unfortunately, I waited until the week before I left for Ireland to exchange my dollars for euros and I ran into a problem when the company I went to had a nationwide system error and I was unable to obtain my euros before I left. I would highly recommend exchanging your currency as soon as possible because it will be one less thing for you to worry about when you finally arrive in your host country. Another important element of studying abroad preparation is figuring out your phone plan. This is another thing that you must take care of by yourself and needs to be thought about well in advance. Personally, I purchased an international phone plan from my phone company in America. With this plan I have a certain amount of texts, calling minutes, and data that I am able to use each month. Another option is to buy a new SIM card for your phone when arriving in your host country. This is an easy task in Galway as there are many electronics stores in center city. It is also a good idea to begin packing a few days before you leave. I started to pack about four days before my flight and that was the perfect amount of time for me. Four days left me ample time to remember certain small items from around my house like chapstick and sunglasses; both items I probably would have forgotten at home had I packed the night before my flight. When I was packing I was worried that I had packed too much and that I would exceed the 50 pound weight limit for your checked luggage. Fortunately, I weighed my bag before leaving my house and was able to take certain things out of it so that I met the weight requirement. Weighing your luggage at home is much easier than weighing it at the airport. If you realize it’s too heavy at the airport then you will either have to pay extra money or root through your luggage in the airport and get rid of unnecessary items. The flight I took was direct from Philadelphia to Dublin. My flight arrived an hour early in Dublin and I found myself with way too much time to spare between then and when my bus was supposed to come. I purchased my bus ticket in advance but found this to be a mistake because I ended up changing it anyway to get on an earlier bus. I suggest researching what bus company suits you best and looking at their bus timetables online and purchasing your ticket at the airport to avoid a long wait for the arrival of your bus or not enough time to catch your bus. Once I changed the time on my bus ticket I was headed for Galway, which was only a two and a half hour drive. After the bus ride my journey to the university was still not over. Outside of the bus station I caught a taxi which took me right to the reception desk at Goldcrest Village, which is a residence hall on NUI: Galway’s campus (pictured below) and is where I will be living for the next four months. Overall, preparing for my GO Long was fun and exciting. Of course there were stressful moments like when I thought I didn’t pack enough socks or when I dropped the straw of my water bottle on the airport floor, but I am glad that I made the journey to Galway because it is a vibrant city and I am looking forward to exploring all of its corners during my time here.
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