Classes

Three classes done for the first week and two more this afternoon. Here's the recap so far if you're interested:

Financial Institutions Management- This seems to be primary about financial regulation. It is taught by an Irish professor (who has ten children) and I would say about one third of the class is American. This week we talked a lot about what happened in Ireland when their economy started going downhill.

The EU and the Business Environment- This class may be a lot of work but learning about the EU can only be beneficial. We're learning about the EU and what it can and can't do, plus the pros and cons of having a supranational organization.Currently, the EU consists of 27 states, with Croatia and Turkey petitioning to become a part.

Cross-Cultural Management- I just had it this morning and, although it is at 9 am, it seems like a fun class. I am one of only 3 Americans and the class has 16 people counting me. I don't, however, think there are any Irish students in it. Actually, they are enrolled in it they just didn't show up. We have many French students, plus Australian, Spanish, Austrian, and one kid from the Netherlands. Today we talked a little about cultural differences and it should be a good class for discussions.

Right now I'm on my way to get a brouchure about taking Irish here. It's only a 6 week class and it could be fun, and I'll know how to use words like "craic" without sounding like a tourist.

On that same idea, I am trying to look more and more like a local as I settle in. There is one problem- everytime I open my mouth it is plain as day that I am from America. So I can either be an articulate American or a mute Irish. I'm working on a fake Irish dialect currently, but my best line is "they're after me lucky charms."

A Beginning...

Hello All!

For those of you who don't know, I'm going to be studying abroad at Quinn Business School in Dublin, Ireland. It is going to be quite an experience and I hope to share it all with you through this blog. I'm leaving January 12 and coming back to the States May 27 so I should have plenty of juicy material for my blog!

I will be attending University College Dublin's Quinn Business school taking five courses: From Colony to Republic: The Making of Modern Ireland, International Marketing, Cross-Cultural Management, Financial Institution Management, and the EU and the Business Environment. It should be fairly interesting taking International Marketing because in Ireland, I'm going to be an international student!

Three other girls (Stevie, Stacy, and Brittany) from U of I will be attending UCD with me. Before we started this whole adventure I didn't know Stacy or Stevie, but I knew Brittany from my business frat Delta Sigma Pi. It will be very comforting to have a brother in the same country as me.

I'm also going to have my first taste of apartment living while I'm at UCD. Although I will be living in University housing, I will have my own bedroom and bathroom with a sitting room and kitchen that I will share with my five roommates. The three other U of I girls going to UCD with me will be in the same building but not the same room so I'll have plenty of opportunities to meet new people. This next semester is going to be quite the learning experience for me because not only will I be thousands of mile away from home, but I'm going to have to cook my own meals!

I think that answers all the frequently asked questions, except of course "how many cocktail dresses do you bring to Ireland?" I honestly have anxiety nightmares about packing for a 4 month stay in Europe, so if anyone has any insight please let me know!

I promise the blog will get more entertaining once I'm partying with the leprechauns and they make me their queen.

-Claire