March 5, 2019

Guess who’s getting better at boxing?

The sessions are getting better and I am able to push myself more than I did the first day. I definitely would not say easier because that’s just not true. I also learned what I already knew, I have poor coordination. But that is also getting better as I learn the maneuvers and the difference between a jab and a backhand. I’m not saying I’m Rocky or the next Creed, but I like to pretend.

March 7, 2019

It’s test day!

We have a test in Irish Folklore and honestly it’s always a little difficult to know what this professor wants. He has a great poker face and you can never truly get a read on him. Was the test bad? No. Was it good? Also no. But, it is done and over with.

You better believe that I went and treated myself to a lovely lunch at Pyke n Pomme.

I can finally cross this place of my study abroad bucket list.

After five tries, I was finally able to go to the Blackbird. Some of the other international students and I google famous pubs/ bars in L’Derry, and the Blackbird was high on the list. It also had live music which was a bonus!

The last few times we tried to go it was packed to the point that people were standing on top of each other, however tonight was our night. We only came earlier to beat the rush. The aesthetic was nice, a mix of traditional with contemporary features. The music was not terrible and they made fancy drinks. All in all I would call that a success.

March 10, 2019

I don’t know what Mother Nature was doing today because the weather has been all over the place. In the span of 30 minutes it went from being a little sunny to cloudy to rainy to a mini blizzard of sleet. The weather went through that cycle at least two more times.

There is a saying here about how after St. Patrick’s Day the weather is supposed to get better. I really how that saying is true.

It was the 2nd day of orientation and my 1st full day in L’Derry. We had breakfast in the Student Union Bunker which was an ordeal to find, to say the least. If you can imagine three international students going from one building to another and then doubling back in confusion then you can picture what it was like. We sat down to a full Irish/ Ulster Fry breakfast of baked beans, sausage, bacon, pouched egg, fried bread, and a fried potato patty. It was a lot for 9 in the morning I am not going to lie.

The rest of the morning and afternoon consisted of regular orientation information such as info. on the campus, the community, a brief history of L’Derry, the social makeup, the Irish Studies program, etc.

Lunch was in the Student Union and I got to know some of the other international students better. At the end of the day our international advisor lead us to Tescos. I got to pick up some critical essentials like towels and washcloths because ya know those are important. Two other international students and I went to Domino’s for dinner (there is also a KFC and a McDonalds here ).

It also snowed at one point here which is something I was not prepared for. Apparently, the Ireland doesn’t get as much snow. Maybe the Americans from New England brought the snow with them.

January 23, 2019

Day 3 of orientation in full effect. We got a tour of the library from the lovely librarians and an introduction. Another American student also joined us today! The international group seems to be comprised of mostly French and American students, and I’ve noticed that there are more female international students than there are male. Interesting to look into later.

I got to explore L’Derry more. I just started walking and somehow ended up near the wall. The views were very nice. L’Derry is bigger than I thought and is more of a city than I had anticipated, but very walkable.

A group of us went to a place called Guapo’s for dinner. I would describe it as essentially like a Chipotle but cheaper. Then we went in search of a pub because when in Ireland you have to go to a pub right? At least that’s the vibe we got from orientation.

In L’Derry there is literally a street of pubs. We ended up at The Diplomat which is like a modern take on the traditional Irish pub it seems. I also got to try my 1st Guinness!! To be completely honest it’s not a favorite. It was a lot heavier than I thought and more bitter, but at least I can cross that off my list.

January 24, 2019

Day 4 of orientation and I didn’t have to be anywhere until 1:30 pm. I just walked around L’Derry and along the Foyle River. I got to walk across the Peace Bridge and onto the other side of the river. If I remember correctly the university and my dorm are on the predominately Catholic side of the river and I crossed the bridge of the predominately Protestant side of the city. Of course, the division is not as strict as it would’ve been 20 years ago, but the demographics are still telling of the history here in L’Derry. The weather was not the best between the clouds and the mist, but it was a pleasant enough walk.

I finally got to enroll in classes today and almost had a heartattack when I thought I was late for registration. Cue me booking it uphill towards campus in the rain with no raincoat or umbrella. But I made it, with more time to spare than I thought I had. I am in the Irish Studies course which includes an Irish Gaelic course, one about the Fighting Irish since the 16th century, and Irish folklore. It all sounds interesting and we only have classes 3 days out the week.

There were more international students that arrived today. Five students from the same university in Wisconsin and a graduate student from Nigeria. I can officially say that I am no longer the only black student in the international program. Despite, the population being over 90% white I still see a few people of color around L’Derry and I haven’t had a bad experience here which was one of my worries with traveling abroad. But, everyone has been pretty nice here.

I went grocery shopping for the first time since coming here. It was great timing because going out to eat every night is not the move for me. Plus, I needed something other than air and coffee to eat for breakfast tomorrow.

January 25, 2019

Last day of orientation! It’s been a wild ride of information and making it to places on time. Today we met up with the Coleraine students for a tour of L’Derry and I got to see my roommate! But of course, Alaina and I were sorted into different groups.

But it was still fun and we got to crash course tours of the Tower Museum, the Museum of Free Derry, and the Guildhall. The Museum of Free Derry was particularly interesting because focused on the Troubles and the Free Derry nationalist movement in the 1970s. Our guide was actually at Bloody Sunday and he had a brother, 17 years old, that was killed during the attack. He told us of the inquiry into the deaths and how each death was traced back to a soldier only known by a letter, the alphabet soldiers. The soldier that killed his brother was called soldier F. They are still campaigning for the soldiers to be brought to trial it seems. There are also other people that work in the museum that have had family members killed on Bloody Sunday and during the Troubles period. I definitely need to go back and spend more time in each museum.

We all had lunch at the River Inn after a day of touring and I got to meet some of the other international students at Coleraine. We had the rest of the afternoon to ourselves so Alaina and I did the most sensible thing.

We went shopping.

We went to Primark which I would describe as a better version of Forever21. They had my sizes in all the clothing and it wasn’t like a small plus size collection in the corner of the store.

No shopping would be complete with a trip to the bookstore. I picked up a nice mystery novel from the Irish fiction section which was thankfully in English and not in Gaelic. In all we walked around a lot today and spent a good amount of money, but it was fun exploring L’Derry with a friend from home.

Tomorrow is the Game of Thrones tour put on by the Coleraine campus and for 5 pounds you can’t beat that deal . To bad we have to catch the 8:38am train just to make it to Coleraine on time.

I finally made it to L’Derry (easier than writing Derry-Londonderry)!

The day Alaina and I left our hostel (hauling all of our stuff BACK down 4 flights of stairs) it was, of course, cloudy with a chance of rain. Thankfully, the train station wasn’t too far from our hostel which was in a great location because dragging two suitcases and a backpack across Belfast was not on my to-do list.

For only 12.50 pounds I was able to take a train from Belfast to L’Derry and it was only a two hour train ride. Alaina’s stop was two ahead of mine, roughly 50 minutes before my stop, but the stretch between Coleraine and L’Derry were the most scenic views.

The train travels along the coast and seeing the beautiful beach and the rock formations jutting from the clear blue water was a great sight. Sadly, I was too busy experiencing the sight rather than taking a video but there will be other chances. I made my way to the Residential Services Office from the train station, collected my ID card, and was escorted by a student from ResLife. It has been interesting to see and hear the reactions to the bomb that went off Saturday on Bishop Street.

She mostly laughed it off, casually saying “Oh yea there was a car bomb and like 4 threats, but it’s all good”. She was telling me that people had a different way of reacting here because of The Troubles which lasted from the 1960s into the 1990s, so not too long ago. It’s crazy to think about how the girl showing me around, someone close to my age, has memories of The Troubles as a child.

Back to my riveting arrival store, I was shown around the dorm and left to unpack and crash. It was nice to unpack my stuff after living out of my suitcase for two days. I also have a sink in my room which is different, but very useful. I managed to find my way to a store called B&M which has been a literal Godsent. I got some packs for organzing, some snacks (essential), two fleece blankets for the price of one, and a hamper. Nothing too exciting.

At 6:30pm I went down to find my way to the welcome dinner for international students. I ran into another international student from Chile and we both walked over to campus trying to find our way around the place. Eventually, we did find, thankfully not too late. It was nice meeting other people in the program. There are people from France, Italy, Vietnam, Finland, and some like two other people from the U.S.

That was pretty much my first day in L’Derry.