Tired and worn, our whole group pushed our way through our first day at Dublin and had a great time by the end of it. I can already tell that the next two weeks will be filled with so many great experiences so I am very excited to keep traveling and learning about Dublin. Having never lived in a city before, it was easier for me to see the similarities between Dublin and Oakland. Both appear neighborhood-oriented and care about their homes and I also could see that there were lots of culture to be found among the people living in both cities. For differences, downtown Pittsburgh was more business driven than the parts of Dublin we toured today. The shopping strip in Dublin was tight and crowded, but it was more welcoming and bright in comparison to the glooming Pittsburgh buildings. I loved the buildings of the Dublin because of the older aesthetic they carried.

One thing that stood out about the Dublin neighborhoods was their “uniqueness”. As Hailey described, Dubliners pride themselves on the bright colors of their house doors, they even have an Instagram account just for the doors of Dublin. I thought this was very unique to the city because they value their community and creativity.

Our day was filled constantly with many interesting things. We started with a general walking tour just to get a feel for our campus at Griffith College and the surrounding shops, as well as some stops downtown. At the shopping strip, we were able to see The Temple Bar and go to Butler’s chocolate shop. We also went to a park where we messed with Brad and saw many beautiful churches. All-in-all it was a very exciting day and a lot to take in. It was difficult enough to get used to Oakland, so being in a new city in a new country will definitely come with challenges. Seeing the people, community, and culture alive in Dublin was something I have been anticipating for months so I cannot wait to keep living through it.