Helen in Ireland: First Days!

Today was my first day of classes here at University College Dublin and I have officially been in Ireland for a week! UCD is a beautiful campus with old buildings that are super super modern on the inside. It's snowing here, but it's not super cold. The walkways around campus have cement ceiling-ish things which are convenient since it really is true, it is ALWAYS raining. There have only been international students around for the last week, but you can feel the difference now that the Irish students are here, not only is the sheer number of people, but also their attitude is more familiar and laid back. I definitely feel like a freshman again, and I'm excited to know my way around campus a little more.
Over the past week, I've been settling in mostly with lots of trips to the department and grocery store so that I have food and essentials for my room/kitchen. I live with one girl (Aly) from my program who is from Long Island, and we have two Malaysian roommates (Sabreena & Faizah) and it seems their gay best friend (Isaac) is also living with us! They are the nicest people and are so curious and caring about my transition here and about my home life. They are here to study medicine sponsored by the Malaysian government to become doctors. Also, the two girls are Muslim so they are completely covered outside of our apartment, but are casual in here, and they don't drink. They are always cooking and wanting to share with me, though I have to say no most of the time because they love spicy food, which we all know I can't handle! Either way I am happy to have them!
We take the bus into the "City Centre" of Dublin where the shops, pubs and restaurants are which is about 10 minutes from my apartment on campus. The fares are kind of expensive, but it's really easy to do and it's so fun there; it's definitely worth it. We've walked around quite a bit and I'm starting to master the south side of the city some. People here are so so friendly and welcoming and eager to have conversations with us about what we are studying/doing in Dublin. Most importantly, though, people are unbelievably helpful with directions and advice about navigating the city which was a life saver in the first days.
There are ten girls and one boy in my program. We have spent a lot of time all together in the past week, but we are starting to split into smaller groups, making exploring a little easier. I really like some of the girls and I'm happy that they also want to go on as many adventures as we possible! Ashley, Julie, Molly, David and I went to the mall in Dundrum (a little outside of Dublin) and had a great time looking at the European fashion and getting some lunch. On Saturday, Ashley, Julie and I ventured into the City Centre and went to the National Library of Ireland and the National Museum. The buildings were so so beautiful and old.
My favorite part about my experience here has been the live music in the pubs. Almost every pub has either live traditional Irish music or live covers of older American/Irish music. It is so nice to sit and listen and sing/clap along, and the singers are always SO good, its unbelievable. Irish people love their heritage and their city and I still can't believe that I get to enjoy it with them.