Category: 2020/21 Henrike S. (Germany) Blog Blogger Guardianship High School Exchange School Year Abroad Study Abroad

Hello and welcome back to my blog!

Time flew. It is strange to know that it is already May and that I only have one more month left. When February began, we were still in lockdown and not allowed to go further away than 5 km from our house. Although the restrictions were strict, it was possible to meet some friends for walks and to get takeaway food from the restaurants nearby which I did.

The Irish winter, especially in February and March, was not as cold as I expected it to be. It was raining and the wind was very strong and cold but I also had a lot of sunny and dry days, not that typical for Ireland.

March started with a highlight: Saint Patrick’s Day (Paddy’s Day) on the 17th. Unfortunately, due to covid, all of the parades were cancelled so because of that, I only went for a walk in really nice weather and got coffee which was great too.

 

After having a lockdown for over 4 months we finally got good news during March: 5th and 6th years were finally allowed to go back to school.

It was a very strange feeling to go back to school and to see a lot of people again. Although there were not as many people as in December, I definitely was not used to sit in a full classroom anymore. The positive thing about going back to school was that I could see my friends again who I missed in these 3 months.

Furthermore, I expected it to be very stressful but thankfully we did not even have many tests or exams. We still had to wear masks the whole time and have this one-way-system in school where you are only allowed to walk in one direction which is shown by arrows.

We only had 2 weeks of school before our Easter break which felt way less because of the excitement that came with seeing everybody again. During this break the restrictions changed and we were allowed to travel within our county and 20 km outside the county which was great.

I have some friends who live in different counties but within these 20 km so that I could see them again after a long time. I met some of them at DCU in September and in December and they are all really good friends now because of the situation we were put into. During that break, I went for a lot of walks and hiking trips around Dublin and Bray.

It was very warm and I saw places where I have never been before which was great, especially because during the first lockdown, I always walked the same ways around Dalkey, where I live. Unfortunately, all of the restaurants and shops were and are still closed which was a bit annoying because we could not really do anything when we went into town.

 

The break and the weeks after it went by so quickly because of all the work we had to do for school.

Now, I only have one month left before I will go back home which is strange to think about and I really want to use that time to see more from Ireland which I could not do because of the lockdown. I need to organise a couple of things as well before I leave such as sending parcels home and another covid test which is mandatory to have.

I have made great friends over the last 9 months; I did not only meet other exchange students but also incredibly nice Irish people and I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to make all of the experiences.

Ireland has become a second home and I will definitely come back and remember the good time I had.