The first day my family was here, I showed them my house and the University of Limerick campus. We ate lunch at Delish cafe before checking in to the hotel. We had tea in the hotel while we waited for our room to be ready. My family brought me a few supplies that I needed. They also brought a care package from church, an Easter card from my grandparents, an Easter basket my mom made, and a letter and Pringles from my boyfriend.

Our second day was spent at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. As soon as we entered the first room of the castle, there was music playing. A crowd had gathered in what looked like a dining room to listen to the Irish music. We stayed and listened for a while before going on to other rooms in the castle. There were so many spiral staircases inside. It was fun to explore. After seeing the castle, we walked around the folk park. The tilty headed geese and green duck were definitely highlights.

The third day, we went to the Cliffs of Moher. It was a windy day, but it did not rain on us while we were at the cliffs. I was excited for my family to see such a famous sight in Ireland. We were able to walk on some of the cliff paths and take lots of pictures. We even saw cows! After seeing the cliffs, we saw the Burren which is a portion of the very rocky coast.

I showed my family around Limerick for their last full day in Ireland. We saw King John’s Castle. I took them to my favorite cafe (the Green Onion). I showed them what the city looked like and where my favorite shops were. That night, we ate at the Locke Bar which is one of the bigger pubs in Limerick.

I am so glad my family could come and visit. I am looking forward to seeing them again when I am home.

• My Ireland
• My Limerick
• My University of Limerick
• Best Travel Photo
• Most Irish
• Funniest
• Most Dramatic

I won the “My Limerick” category of the photo competition!

I am proud to say that I have lived in Ireland. I was able to attend a public university where I could study science and teaching. I learned how to get around a new city and discovered where my favorite places were. Through it all, God made sure I wasn’t alone.

I remember wanting to go to a public university. After sixteen years of Lutheran school, I wanted to know what something different was like. I am content with the taste I had. I feel more confident in my capability to succeed wherever I am.

When I first arrived in Limerick, I set my belongings in my room and joined a group of study abroad students who were going to find where the stores were. I was exhausted, but I went with them. The next day, I walked around with other people as they explored campus and the Stables Club (one of the pubs on campus). Everything felt isolated; here was a building, over there was a store. I felt so proud when I was able to walk around by myself and connect the dots of all the places I had seen. The longer I stayed the more I explored, and my mental map expanded. By the time I had visitors, I felt like this was my city.

My experience was a success, but I would have done a few things differently. I met two women in my ecology class with whom I wish I would have formed a study group. We sat next to each other in lecture and one was my lab partner. We would text about how we thought we did on the assignments, but I wish I would have asked them if we could have studied for exams together. There were times when I felt lost when it came to studying for my ecology exams. Having other people to share what they thought was important from the class would have helped me better prepare.

This semester needed to be low stress. I had been told that studying abroad brings a different kind of stress to your life because everything is new and different. To make sure I wasn’t pushing myself too hard, I took four classes, and joined one society. I was happy with the amount of classwork I had and I really enjoyed craft society, but I wonder if joining another society or club would have been a good idea. I would have had the time for it and I hopefully would have met more native Irish people.

Some of my projects I was able to work ahead on and turn in well before they were due. I was so proud of myself for that. There was one paper that caused me to struggle. I made a plan to work a little bit on the paper everyday for two weeks in order to finish it two weeks before it was due. Then, I would have my Easter break free and the week after to work on other papers or assignments. My plan did not work. I became very lonely when the time to work on the paper arrived. I was sad and unmotivated. I could not get myself to work on the paper before Easter. After Easter, it was so hard to work on the paper since it had been causing me stress for multiple weeks. Finally, I started researching and writing. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning three nights in a row because that seemed to be the only time I could sit down and work on it. I wish I had started the paper early, but it is finished now.

Life in Limerick is a little different than at home. There are some little things that I can take from life here and incorporate them back at home. I have really come to like sticky toffee pudding while I have been here. I even start comparing all the different versions that I have tried and rank them (the little microwave versions from Aldi are very good). I would like find a recipe I like for sticky toffee pudding and make it at home. I have also enjoyed drinking tea here. I have tried for a long time to get myself to like tea, and I think I am finally learning how I like it. I would like to drink more tea at home and even get a yellow tea pot.

Craft society was a great way for me to create things while I was without many of my craft supplies. I love making things. Sometimes I wanted so badly just to make something whether that be jewelry, crochet, sewing, scrapbooking, or something else. I think it would be really cool if I could start a craft club at MLC to help other people take a break from their day and make something fun.

My fellow MLC study abroad travelers shared how they want to explore more of what is around them when they get back home. I feel like my parents were good at showing my brother and me what there was to do and see around us growing up. I remember talking with my mom about where cute places to go with my friends for lunch would be, and she had many ideas of local spots. I would like to keep learning about what my city has to offer when I go back home. I am sure there is more to see.

God has blessed me in so many ways while I have been abroad. I am very grateful for the people he has put in my life. My family, friends, and boyfriend have been very supportive throughout my time here. My ecology friends have been great, my housemates have all been nice, my International Study Abroad group has been fun to hangout with, and it has been wonderful to spend time with Wibke. Wibke helped to encourage me, pushed me to try to things, and taught me a little bit about Germany. Going on walks with Wibke has been one of my favorite parts of studying abroad.

God has made so many events work out well for me here. One of my favorite examples of this was Easter. My family had visited me before Easter, but needed to be back home for Easter Day. I was feeling lonely and most of the university students were gone traveling. Wibke texted me on Easter and asked if I wanted to go on a walk. I had thought that she was still gone traveling but she was back! We went on a walk, chatted, and were able to celebrate Easter in our own fun way.

Another way that God was working in my life was through our International Study Abroad trip to Dublin. There are four of us women studying in Limerick who are part of the International Study Abroad program. We went with the others who are studying in Galway and Dublin on a trip to Dublin. Through that trip I started talking with Elizabeth. A few weeks later she texted and asked if I wanted to get lunch with her. At lunch, we talked about different places we wanted to go. We both wanted to visit London, so we planned a trip to go together. That trip to London also allowed me see Kendra, a fellow MLC study abroad traveler.

My friend Zoe is studying abroad this semester as well. Part of her program was a study trip to Dublin. She was able to purchase a later flight back and stay a little longer in Dublin. We were able to spend a few days together which was probably my favorite part of my time in Ireland. Our schedules are alining again so that I will be able to visit her soon in Sweden.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to study abroad. I encourage others to study abroad if they can. Some important thoughts to keep in mind when thinking of studying abroad are to plan ahead, lean on your support group, put the effort in with your studies, and let yourself relax.

It is helpful to start planning for studying abroad early. I picked up a booklet about different places to study abroad with the International Study Abroad (ISA) program my first week as a freshman at MLC. ISA is not the only way you can study abroad. There are many other programs and you can even apply to study abroad directly with the school you want to attend. If you want to have more group activities planned for you, ISA could be a good option for you. If you would like to set your own travel plans, applying to the university directly might be a good option. Either way, start planning early so you have the most flexibility with what classes you can take abroad. It can be hard to find classes that transfer in place of your required classes, so planning early lets you have the most options.

Never be afraid to lean on your support group. It is completely okay to call home, talk with your friends and family. They will want to know about what exciting things you have been learning and seeing. They can also help to make you feel better when you are feeling down. You will find people you can talk with while you are abroad. They will be a good support system as well, but don’t forget to check in with your parents and let them know you are alright. Your support group also includes God. Read your Bible and continue praying while you are abroad. God is taking care of you no matter where you are.

Studying abroad is exciting. You meet new people, see new sights, but remember you also get to learn so many new things. Try to be excited about all the classes you are taking abroad, even when the big papers and exams come. You are here to learn and your classes abroad can teach you so much. You will be happy you put in the effort.

Let yourself breathe. Try not to over schedule yourself while studying abroad. You will need time to go to class, study, eat, do laundry, hangout with friends, and travel. You want to make the most of your time abroad, but that might not mean doing everything all at once. Much of your time will be spent out of your comfort zone and in your learning zone. You will even surpass your learning zone and enter your panic zone a few times. It is perfectly okay to take a break from your learning zone and go back to your comfort zone every once in a while. If you enter your panic zone, I encourage you to go back into your comfort zone and try to process what happened for a little while. You are already in a new country where everything is different. Challenge yourself, but don’t push yourself too hard.

How was my forecast from my “Playing Weatherman” post?

• More confidence and patience
• Pictures of Limerick, the Cliffs of Moher, and Blarney Castle
• Classes about ecology, music, psychology, and teaching
• Periods of being lost and lonely
• A successful trip because I saw the places on my Need To See List, made new friends, passed my classes, and came back with an Irish accent

3° Guarantee:

• More confidence (and hopefully more patience)
• Lots of pictures of Limerick, the Cliffs of Moher, and many other places. I did not make it to Blarney Castle, but I saw two other castles (Bunratty Castle and King John’s Castle)
• Classes about ecology, psychology, and teaching, but not music
• I did get lost and I was lonely
• It was a successful trip, I made friends, I think I passed my classes, no accent though

I am so happy with my decision to study abroad. The University of Limerick in Ireland was a great choice for me. I have enjoyed what I have been learning, I experienced what I wanted to, I saw the beautiful country, and met new people. I have become more openminded and more confident in my abilities. God has blessed me so much through this experience. Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this, especially Mom and Dad. I love you. Thank you!

God always keeps his promises. As soon as Adam and Eve sinned, God promised that he would send a Savior. That Savior would defeat the devil, pay for the consequences of all the sins ever committed, and win eternal life in heaven for everyone who believes in him. Today, we celebrate that God kept that promise. At Christmas, we celebrate that God sent his son, Jesus, to earth as man and God to live a perfect life as our substitute. On Good Friday, we remember that Jesus needed to die in our place as payment for our sins. Doing wrong has consequences. The consequences for not listening to what God commands is death. Jesus needed to die to make that payment for sin. On Easter, we celebrate that Jesus dying as the payment for the sins of the whole world was not the end, Jesus came back to life. He showed that he has power over sin because he paid for it. He has power over the devil because he fixed the relationship between God and his people. The devil no longer has power over God’s people because all the work needed to be done for their forgiveness is completed. Jesus showed that he has power over death because he came alive again after dying. We have the promise from God that because Jesus became alive again, after we die, we will live eternally in heaven. There will be no more sadness, pain, or death in heaven. There will be joy and peace because we are with our God who loves us.

One way that I was reminded of God’s love today, was by all the people he has put in my life. I was able to stream my home church service. I was able to share in the joy of Jesus coming back to life by texting my friends and calling my family. I was even able to share some of my Easter traditions with my good friend, Wibke.

Wibke and I went for a walk during the afternoon when it stopped raining. We each ate a piece of chocolate cake, she purchased from the store, as my egg bake was in the oven. The egg bake still needed more time in the oven, so I shared with Wibke Easter candy from the United States, like jellybeans and Peeps (thanks Mom and Dad for the candy). The egg bake still wasn’t done, so we went for a walk, drank some tea, and sampled some of my hard boiled eggs. Finally, my mini egg bake was ready to eat. It was fun to be able to share some food from home with Wibke.

I miss all my people back at home. I know that I am very blessed to be here in Ireland studying and seeing the country. I am excited to finish up my studies here, see a few more sites, and be home in a month.

Happy Easter! Christ is Risen!

Food

Wibke was telling me, that in Germany, they have three main meals and a time in the day to have a warm drink and bread, and cake for special occasions. I am used to having three main meals in my day as well. That is common in American culture. When I was a kid, we had snack time at 3:00pm. That was the best time of the day. We would get home from school and have a snack with Mom before starting our homework. My favorite snack times were when it was cold and snowy out so Mom would heat up water with the kettle on the stove for hot chocolate. As I have been getting older, snack time is not very consistent. I would say that this is a difference between our two cultures in this regard, but I would be very happy to adopt this bread break into my afternoons.

We also shared how our lunches are different. I am used to lunch being a sandwich or some sort of cold lunch. I do not exclusively have a cold lunch, sometimes I will eat something warm, but most of the time, supper is the meal I put the most effort into making. I have a warm supper that is usually larger and takes longer to make than my lunch. Wibke is used to lunch being a warm and larger meal. Bread is eaten with most of her meals and potatoes are a common addition in her house.

In Ireland, bread and potatoes are very common for meals. One time, I ordered garlic breaded chicken and they gave me mashed sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and chips (french fries) also. Tea is also a very popular drink in Ireland while ground coffee is less popular (I miss ground coffee. I am tiring of instant coffee and going out for an espresso drink is expensive.)

Clothing

It is hard to miss the clothing differences between the Irish people my age and the people my age back home. There is almost a uniform for Irish guys: athletic pants, a sports shirt, and the standard Irish guy haircut, often called a fade cut (this is of course not a haircut exclusive to the Irish, it is just very popular). The day time outfits for Irish gals has a little more variety. The going out outfits are the most interesting. Guys will wear almost the same thing in the day as they will when going out to the pub or club. The gals will put on their fake tan, eyelash extensions, and short bodycon (formfitting) skirts and dresses before heading to the pub and club.

In Irish culture, they are very conformist in the way they dress. This is different in German and American cultures. Trends are still very popular in both, but people are more open to express different senses of style. The German people may be better dressed though. In Ireland and the United States, people will wear athletic clothes as every day wear instead of solely for athletics. In Germany, it is more common for athletic clothes to be worn solely for athletics.

Transportation

I use the bus a lot more in Ireland than I ever did in the United States. I rode a school bus to school as Wibke did in Germany, but that stopped as soon as I went to high school. In the United States, a person can acquire a drivers license at the age of 16. It is very common for 16 year olds to be driving to school in the United States. In Ireland, a person needs to be 17 years old before a drivers license can be acquired. In Germany, the age is 18. This means that taking public transportation to school is much more common in Ireland and Germany. When I need to get somewhere, I drive. When Wibke needs to get somewhere, she will most often bike. Americans drive more than Europeans because the gas is almost half the cost and many areas are not made to support walking or biking as a primary form of transportation.

I hope you enjoyed learning a few of the cultural differences and similarities that I have noticed. Let me know if there are any other topics you would like me to learn more about or share.

1. How do you feel about your experience so far? Why?

My experience has been very positive. I am learning new information related to my degree in my classes, I am making friends, and I am learning more about Ireland. Classes are different than at Martin Luther College. Part of the differences are due to COVID-19. All of my larger lectures are online. Every once in a while, a lecture or tutorial will be online due to the instructor needing to quarantine. Classes are also divided into lecture periods, labs, and tutorials. If you want to learn more able that, check out my blog entitled, “Seashore Studies.” The University of Limerick has many clubs and societies. I am taking part in the craft society. We meet once a week to do a craft, like making origami shamrocks, or a hangout where everyone brings the project they are working on. I have made a friend through craft society and hope to make more. I have made friends through my Ecology and Inclusive Education classes and I made a friend through the University of Limerick Buddy Program that I joined. It took a little longer to meet friends than I was expecting, but they are worth the wait. We have explored Limerick together, and gone on trips offered through the University of Limerick. I really like seeing different parts of Ireland. It is one of the best ways to learn about the county.

2. Which goal have you made the most progress toward?

When I made my goals for studying abroad, I was still at home. I did not know what to expect. This lead me to make very general goals that I felt confident I could achieve. Within the first week of arriving in Ireland, I was wondering what in the world I was doing. Why did I want to do this? What am I doing here? What was I thinking? This was always the plan though. I had this plan since I was in high school. I was serious about this plan freshman year of college when I started planning when I would take all my classes. My plan, from the start, was to go alone. When I started wonder why I was here, I tried to think of all the reasons I wanted to study abroad. This lead me to add on to my goals from my experience studying abroad by including goals to further my teacher education, increase my confidence, and experience public university.

I have been doing the best with my academic goals. I am learning a lot. I am continuing my teacher preparation. I am learning more about Ireland. I am learning about different cultures and even learning more about myself.

3. What are 3 areas that you can improve on for the second half of your time abroad?

Going forward, I want to focus on deepening relationships, spending more time on the campus of the University of Limerick, and grow in my faith. I have made friends, now I want to make sure I am spending time with them. It is hard when I don’t have class with some and others I only see in class. By asking people to go grab a tea or coffee, study together, or go for a walk, I can get to know my friends better. All of those can be done on the University of Limerick campus. It is a beautiful campus and I want to spend more time appreciating it. I have adopted the habit of working on assignments in my room when there is a perfectly good library to use. There as so many flowers on campus to enjoy too. They are a reminder to me that I want to be growing in my faith at all times.

4. What surprised you? What have you improved on? How have your opinions evolved?

I think my biggest surprise has been the night life. It is common for students to go out any night of the week and come back around 1:00, 2:00, or even 3:00am. The culture here lends itself to later nights since many morning actives will not start until 9:00am. Being exposed to a different college life culture than I am used to has helped me to improve my openness and listening skills. I am able to see how different people live and I see value in how they do things differently than me. I am able to listen and try to understand people better now as well. My opinions have changed while being here even in the small things, like with the weather. I used to not like the time right after it rained. It felt humid and everything was wet. It bothered me. In Ireland, after it rains, it is so nice. After the rain, the air smells fresh, and the sun comes out to reveal a rainbow. It has changed my opinion.

With half my time studying abroad behind me, and the other half in front of me, I have good memories and many more to make. This next half will include more school work, as assignments are coming due. It will also include deeper connections, and more learning. I will be happy when the time comes to return home, but for now, there is more to do.

The University of Limerick has many different restaurant options. The four big ones are Stables, Scholars, the Pavilion, and Paddocks. Stables is pub while Scholars feels more like a cafe, and the Pavilion is a fancier restaurant. Paddocks is mostly a lunch place and has soups and sandwiches. Amanda ordered a BLT and I had a Club sandwich. Both were good. Paddocks is a great place to grab a bite to eat while on campus.

Another great place on campus is in between the stairwells. In the late afternoon on a Tuesday, it will be a quiet enough place to enjoy a snack. These purple and yellow snacks were prizes won from the tutorial Amanda and I attended: Inclusive Education. We recommend these snacks. The purple ones are two biscuits with a chocolate filling and a chocolate coating. They yellow snacks might be the best because they taste like fudge stripe cookies.

Continuing with the snacks, Amanda and I grabbed an array from the convenience store called Spar. The Club Rock Shandy was not our favourite at first, but we came around to the taste as we drank more. We decided the Skittles taste much better with shells versus without the candy shells. Shamrock and sour cream crisps are good but not worth buying again. Tayto crisps are fun. They seem less oily than similar crisps at home. The caramel in the Wispa Gold bar felt out of place. Orange flavoured chocolate is not for us we learned after trying the Twirl bar. The Starbar is good, but it can not compete with a Snickers bar. Boost was the best of all the candy bars. Crunchie was definitely the strangest. The top picks from this bunch would be the Boost bar, Tayto crips, and Club Rock Shandy.

One more stop before heading into Limerick. I was able to show Amanda around my house and we heated up sausage rolls for dinner. A sausage roll is white pudding and sausage in a puff pastry. They can be served hot or cold. We prefer hot. I picked these up from the grocery store.

Moving on to places in Limerick. Katie Dalys is a cute pub right next to King John’s Castle in Limerick. It was quiet on the weeknight that Amanda and I went. She ordered chicken parmesan and I ordered fish and chips. Both were very good. Fish and chips is a safe choice almost anywhere you go in Ireland. It is always good. It is often served with garlic mayo dipping sauce and mashed peas.

We wanted to see if the McDonald’s menu was different here in Ireland. There are a few different items, but we found the menu very hard to read. We resorted to new flavours of McFlurries. The Galaxy Caramel McFlurry is the best. It comes in a paper cup and has a cardboard spoon to go with. Salt packets are given out with fries enough though these fries were pre-salted.

On to my favourite part! It is time to talk about cafes! Amanda and I tried a place called Olio and Farina. The food was good. Bacon is different in Ireland. It is much more like ham. I prefer American style bacon. The tea and latte were good. I love how all the milk foam I have had in Ireland is a thick layer sitting on top of the coffee. I have never enjoyed milk foam this much in the States. I also tried poached eggs for the first time here. They were good, but I still prefer hardboiled or scrambled.

Hook and Ladder is such a great spot. The inside is inviting and they have a drunch menu. Amanda and I went in to warm up and get out of the rain. We each had a scone. Amanda had a mango and strawberry tea and I had black tea. I love that they give you a little tea pot when you order tea. It is enough for two cups of tea. The Irish will not skimp on tea or fish and chips. We had every intention of journaling while enjoying our snack, but we ended up chatting for most of our time. We highly recommend Hook and Ladder.

The Green Onion Cafe is our favourite cafe we have been to in Limerick. It is super cute! This is where Amanda found one of her new favourite teas and where I learned that I like sausage rolls. During this outing, we had waffles and pancakes which were great. The Green Onion Cafe is a cozy little spot with a great location as we walk in and out of Limerick City Centre.

I had so much fun showing Amanda some of my favourite spots and trying new places together. It was really great to have a friend around. Being able to pray together was comforting and encouraging. Thanks for coming to visit Amanda!

On the 3rd of March, I was nervous and excited. After our Google Meet for the study abroad class at Martin Luther College, I was going to Dublin. I packed my backpack, grabbed an apple, and walked to the bus stop. Then it hit me. I had taken special care to reserve my bus ticket back for 13:15. Many places use 24 hour time here. When it come to reserving my bus ticket to Dublin, I had selected 5:00. I had booked a ticket for 5:00am not 5:00pm. I was panicked for a minute. When booking online, a ticket must be reserved 3 hours before the bus departs. That meant I would not be able to book a new ticket. I would have to pray that there was an open seat on the bus so I could buy a ticket from the bus driver when he came. The bus arrived. I waited in line. I asked if there was room. There were open seats! I was on my way to Dublin!

My friend, Zoe, from high school, is studying abroad in Stockholm, Sweden. Her group had a study tour to Dublin. She decided to stay for the weekend after her study tour was over so we could meet up. Thursday night, I arrived in Dublin and we met up at our hotel. Then we went out to Darkey Kelly’s for supper. I ordered seafood chowder. It was good, but it took me so long to free all my mussels from their shells that Zoe had already finished her food. After supper, we stopped by Gino’s for dessert.

Friday morning, we slept in. We ate brunch at this adorable cafe called Queen of Tarts. Their scones were very good. Our hot drinks were served in glasses which was quite fun.

We shopped a little. Zoe and I found some souvenirs and such. Then we walked over to Christ Church Cathedral. We paid for an audio tour to marvel at the inside of the cathedral.

We stopped by a convenience store to grab a snack. Something to drink and a cheap cake did the trick. Zoe found King’s Park where we sat down for a picnic. We sat on the grass soaking up the sunshine. It was maybe 50°F outside. It was so nice to be with a close friend. I felt closer to home and pretty relaxed. We walked back to the hotel for a little rest.

Later that night, we went to a place called Token. It is a restaurant, bar, and arcade. We had chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, fries, and cocktails. We could not finish all the food. This was my first time having a cocktail. I did not like the one I ordered and I liked the one Zoe order even less. Those were not finished either. It was fun to play arcade games. I liked pinball the best. I remember playing pinball in my great aunt’s basement. That was so cool as a kid. Pinball is still just as fun as an adult. I might even be better at the game now.

Saturday morning we ate brunch at the West End Cafe. Zoe and I had crepes. An older Irish gentleman chatted with us. It was a lot of fun. Then we went on our way to walk around Dublin and find the Museum of Archaeology. I was surprised how many objects from the museum were found in bogs around Ireland. Apparently everything makes its way into the bog.

We grabbed an early supper from a take-away fish and chip shop called Leo Burdock. It was good. We had another picnic with our food in St. Patrick’s Park. We ate and chatted until we were chilled. Then we watched the dogs run around in the park and went to tour St. Patrick’s Cathedral. We used another audio tour.

We stopped by the famous Temple Bar. It is funny because the whole area is called Temple Bar after a man who had the last name of Temple who moved the river similar to how one would with a sandbar so that he could build his house outside of the city. This is why locals will look at you weird when you say you are going to Temple Bar. You are already there.

Sunday morning, Zoe and I woke up early to catch a bus to Howth. Howth is a little coastal village east of Dublin. We went to see their cliffs on the seashore. This was the best part of our trip. It was absolutely gorgeous. Along the coast is a walking trail. While walking, you will pass rocks that spell out EIRE and have a number above them. These are restored markings from World War II when Ireland wanted to make sure they were not bombed by planes mistaking Ireland for Great Britain. Walking further will bring you to a lighthouse and a beautiful view of the blue sea, green plants, and yellow flowers. We did not have long to walk around, but it was so worth going.

We ran to the bus which brought us back to Dublin. Then we had a quick lunch at the Stage Door Cafe. After eating, we picked up our bags from the hotel, and hopped on our buses to part ways. Zoe went back to Sweden and I went back to Limerick.

I had such a great weekend. I loved having Zoe around. We saw so much and were able to chat. This was one of the best weekends I have had in Ireland. Thank you, Zoe, for staying in Ireland a few more days to hang out.

Here in Limerick, it has been anywhere between 0°C to 10°C or 30°F to 50°F. There is no snow, but we have had wind, rain, and small little ice crystals falling from the sky that pelted my face as I walked to class. It looked pretty.

On to the flowers. There have been lots of cheerful yellow flowers saying hello as I walk to my classes. Pictured below are a collection of some of the flowers I have seen. Comment if you know the names of any.