Italy, Germany, Denmark, Malaysia, Belgium, India, Singapore, Czech Republic, France, Finland, Australia, Austria, the Netherlands, China, Switzerland, Taiwan, Canada, Chile, of course Ireland, and even Luxembourg and Malta (with a combined total area of a just 1,000 sq. miles). Amongst a menagerie of orientation week meals, events, and trips, I have amazingly met fellow students from each of these countries here at UCD. The school has five thousand international students, more than the population of my small home town (according to Wikipedia), and I am really excited by the diversity of people I have befriended here in just a few days.
I have to say UCD has done a great job of making sure there is always something to do, it's just a matter of being aware and taking the initiative to take advantage of it. There have been plenty of avenues to settle in to the new campus/area, including free events like trips to Ikea, tours of campus/Dublin, buses to shopping areas, gym tours, movie screenings, and receptions. Other subsidized events I took full advantage of included dinners and visits to the Guinness Factory, Croke Park (Ireland's largest stadium), the National Botanic Gardens, Howth, and Malahide Castle. The castle was particularly amazing in it's age and grandeur - let's just say there were even two trees right outside that were older than the U.S. Constitution. With classes starting this week I'll certainly be continuing to keep busy, please see some photos from orientation week below!
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