Week 1: Arrival and Restricted Movements

 

   Our travels to Limerick were smooth and fairly uneventful. Naturally, masks were required throughout the journey; airports and airplanes were eerily empty compared to pre-COVID times.

    The overnight flight was so sparsely populated that the stewardesses encouraged us to "Claim a row for yourselves- there's loads of room!" During the night, the aurora borealis was visible from the plane; it was entrancing and breathtakingly beautiful.

    Upon arrival in Dublin, there was a brief scare at border control; thankfully, we could fill out blank copies of the required documentation on the spot. A friendly bus driver then transported Emily, myself, and a student from North Carolina to our UL accommodations while we watched the misty sunrise.

University of Limerick flagpoles

    Arrival from out-of-country requires a 14-day restricted movement period, so our first week has been pretty low-key. The country is currently in Level 5 lockdown, which means that our quarantine period does not look that different from the general guidelines: non-essential activities are cancelled, non-essential businesses are closed, most places are offering only takeaway or delivery options, and social gatherings are limited to same-household (or one other household when outdoors).

    Honestly, the period of temporarily dampened social interactions and obligations is not all bad. The slower pace is a pleasant recovery from the demanding fall semester and busy Christmas "break."  Online orientation provides a light level of structure while also allowing us to sleep in every morning (bless the Lord!)

Walking over the Shannon River

    The days are filled with long exploratory walks/runs around campus, regular orientation meetings, and leisurely learning. One major blessing has been the availability of various resources, such as podcasts, documentaries, and online internship applications. Having margin for these educational resources has been a definite perk of quarantine. A few recommendations from the past week:

• Relationship Goals: 8-week sermon series by Transformation Church (available on podcast)
• The Social Dilemma: a documentary about the effects of social media (available on Netflix)
• Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend: excellent book about healthy boundaries from a Christian perspective
• The Green Road by Anne Enright: an Irish novel provided by our generous on-site coordinator

A closer view of our apartment (Wagtail House in Thomond Village)

    In-person interactions are currently limited to our new roommates, Suyash and Hugo (a vegetarian and vegan, respectively). Suy is a graduate student from India, whose main cooking capabilities include chapati and chai; and Hugo is an undergraduate student from France who makes "bomb banana bread." The co-ed living situation was initially a surprise, but has been working out well so far. Thanks to group zoom calls, we have already befriended other international students to spend time with once the isolation period is over. One week down, one to go!

The bridge leading to Thomond Village (on left)