When you put the words “learning” and “college” into the same sentence, naturally, the first words to come to mind would be “books” or “exams”…or something along those lines. This is because most of what students learn in college is taken from textbooks. But what cannot be read in a textbook, taught in a lecture hall, or given an exam on, is experience. Experiences are something that must be learned on one’s own, and they often happen throughout a student’s college career. After all, they do say that “experience is the best teacher.” Experiences can teach us about a specific skill, about the world around us, but most importantly, about ourselves. For a student, some believe that the greatest way to learn about your self during your college career is through the experience of studying abroad.
So, here I am, in the last week of my own study abroad experience in Dublin, Ireland. I am learning more and more about myself as each day passes through the experiences I am having here. Before arriving in Dublin, I wasn’t quite sure if I believed that six weeks here could really make a difference in who I am as a person, but now I am fully convinced. Some may think that I came to Dublin to meet lots of friendly people, drink my weight in tea, learn the Irish jig, listen to live music, or be taught how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness—but my experience has been so much deeper than that.
Putting into words how a mere six weeks of a life-changing study abroad can do to a student could be indescribable. However, there are specific aspects that significantly shape this experience. No professor or textbook could teach me what I have learned about myself and about life through this experience. After studying abroad and returning to the sweet land of liberty, students often say that the experience changed them, or that they had the best time of their lives; however, this did so much more than that. I don’t think that this experience necessarily changed me, I think that it helped me see deeper into who I am and who I have the potential to be.
Going to school at Temple University, at times, has made me feel isolated from the rest of the city and the world. Temple has a small urban campus, but when I am on college grounds, I feel disconnected to what is on the outside of this imaginary border. There is so much to do on campus and there are so many people to interact with, that it never gets boring. Although I do go off campus and into Center City a lot, I still identify myself as part of Temple’s community, rather than Philadelphia’s. Being on this trip in Dublin has made me really open my eyes to the fact that there is so much more out in the world, and not only that, but in my city, that I have yet to experience. I began to realize that I have met more strangers and explored more places in Dublin than I have in my own city of Philadelphia. I have all of the opportunity to do the same back home, and I know now through my experience that I will.
Adventure is something that most people strive for in life. I am one of those people. Taking risks will teach you a lot about adventure. A few days ago, my classmates and I travelled to Northern Ireland where we planned to cross the Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge. This bridge could be pretty scary to anyone with a fear of heights (like myself) looking down into the dangerous cliffs and crashing waves many feet below it. I was so hesitant to cross this shabby piece of rope they call a bridge, and in the back of my mind I thought there was no way I was making it to the other side without “chickening out.” But, with some convincing from some of my friends and mostly from myself, I did it! Yes, the getting there was scary, but once I stepped onto the earth on the other side, I got this rush inside of me. I was so excited and felt so proud of myself for doing it.
This experience was more than just a rope bridge to me, and even more than conquering my fear of heights. This really taught me that I have the potential to do things I wouldn’t normally do— to step out of my comfort zone and take those risks that come my way throughout life’s adventurous journey.
The other day, a professor I have here, Darren Kelly, mentioned that yes, I will learn a lot about myself during my stay in Ireland; but, those lessons will be proved when I go back home and apply what I’ve learned to my daily life. It is when I have been home for a while that everything will fall into place and this specific experience will be completed.
Living in the city of Philadelphia can sometimes make me believe that I am experienced and live in a diverse enough place to know a lot about the world. Upon coming here, I have learned that is not true at all; now I believe that no matter how many experiences I have, there is always going to be opportunity for more.
– Brigid Cosgrove