One of the study abroad lessons I have learned this week is adjusting to new situations.  Specifically: Trinity College Registration.  At Penn State, we are all accustomed to punching a few numbers into the computer and being registered in about two minutes.  This is a far cry from the way Trinity does things.  We spent the past week trying out classes and then we will fill out a paper indicating which classes we would like to take.  Each class has to be signed off by the perspective department head.  Then we have to submit it by next Friday.  This process drives the “type-A” part of me a little crazy because I like to have all my affairs in order and to be settled in my classes by the time the term starts so I don’t fall behind in any way.  But Trinity has been using this system for a long long time, so I am going to trust in it.

Although it’s taken some adjusting, trying out the lectures this week has been enjoyable.  I’ve found all of them to be engaging and the professors were great.  I went to a few more classes than I would normally take, but it gave me a chance to make an informed decision about what classes I will enjoy the most and which ones will be the most interesting.  I am going to take some classes that will be really cool from the Irish perspective and I’m pretty excited about it! I’m taking an irish history class, a class on globalization and development, and a class on racism and identity.  I’m also taking two psychology classes.     

Another thing I have really liked so far about classes is that I am in them with a lot of Irish students!  I plan to make it a goal to not stick close to my American friends from my program so much and build some relationships with Irish students at Trinity. 

Location: Dublin, Ireland