By Samantha Berkhead
Associate Editor
Late last night, I ran down the stairs in my apartment building, shouting “WHAT’S THE CRAIC, LADS?” to the people at the bottom.
No, I didn’t drop out of school to dabble in illegal activities. I’ve just begun my time at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland — my assimilation into Irish and British culture that I’ve dreamt of for years.
They call this island the Emerald Isle for good reason.
When I stepped off the plane at Belfast International Airport, I felt like Dorothy when she realized she wasn’t in Kansas anymore. The ground screams an electric technicolor green. Cows and sheep loaf around the countryside in sublime laziness. The River Bann snakes past the windows in my apartment up to the north Atlantic. A cat named Rabbit wanders the grounds around student housing, fiercely lunging at airborne leaves whenever the wind picks up. I might have to bring Rabbit back to the U.S. with me in January.
Even compared to a place like St. Bonaventure, the pace of life here is never rushed, and the atmosphere is always friendly. Ask someone for directions here, and he or she will physically lead you to the place you’re looking for instead of just talking at you. At least three people helped me carry my 50-pound luggage Monday who didn’t have to.
The people here won’t hold a door open for you like they would at Bonaventure. That’s probably because all the doors on campus open by themselves using a motion sensor, though.
I can’t comment on how good the Northern Irish are at driving. However, being in a car that’s driving on the opposite side of the road would make even a grown man want to sing “Jesus, Take The Wheel” in hysterics.
At the university, I live in an on-campus apartment complex called Cranagh Village. It doesn’t have wifi, but I do have my own bedroom, bathroom and shower.
I walked through the door of my building Monday to the sound of three girls screaming “SHE’S HERE!” At first, I thought they were just really happy people or something. I didn’t know they’d turn out to be my housemates. I was afraid I’d hate them or that they’d hate me. The fact that neither of those things came true makes me so happy.
At press time, I haven’t had any grand adventures or tales of life-changing experiences. It’s only my first week here, though. Give me a little more time.
