Hello, everyone!
This week has been quite the week, let me tell  you! Ireland has been hit by the so-called “Beast from the East,” one of the worst storms since 1982. So far we got about 3-4 inches of snow, but that’s a ton for Ireland. The University of Limerick actually gave us two snow days for it! Yesterday consisted of a mad dash to the nearest supermarket for last minute groceries and a lot of hot chocolate and movies from bed. One downside to being in Ireland is that Amazon Instant Video and Hulu actually don’t work here! I can only watch Netflix, which has different movies and shows than the US version of it, as well.

When I awoke this morning, I was welcomed by a fresh coat of snow on the ground and the sounds of a snowball fight outside my window. The International Society here at UL is actually hosting a huge snowball fight on the main campus at 5 today! UL Accommodation also held a snowman building contest this afternoon through Instagram. It seems funny to all of the American students from the Northeast, as the Irish students are very panicked and awed by the whole situation, whereas it’s a fairly regular occurrence back home.

All of the notifications from the university have called this a “once in a lifetime” experience, as Ireland doesn’t normally get snow. Even though Ireland is further North than Massachusetts, the Gulf Stream comes up and blows through the West of Ireland, which brings temperatures up. Therefore, Ireland gets rain almost every day, but anything more than an inch of snow is unprecedented. There are only about 5 plows in Limerick County! One of my classmates said that she saw a plow and it was a truck with a bucket attached to the front, rather than a formal plow like we’d see back home. The whole experience of having a snow day here is really funny to me, because for once the American students feel more comfortable and like they know how to act and get through it, while the Irish students are confused.

All in all, these past two days have been a great opportunity for some down time and some fun that I haven’t had time for! I can’t wait to see what else the next two and a half months bring me!

Until next time,

Shae