Slainte (Georgie)

Pronounced ‘Slawn-cha’, it means ‘cheers’ in Irish. An important word in such an alcohol fuelled culture.

Right now I am sitting in the lounge/kitchen of my college flat looking out from the third floor to below where there are lots of drunken Irish students shouting. I must say, I am a little in awe of the girls who manage to wear skirts out at night when it is cold and normally rainy.

I moved into College last wednesday and have been slowly getting everything set up in my room and getting things for around the house. I’m finding that I take for granted that we have so many things at home that I don’t even think about. It’s not until I go to make mashed potatoes that I realise we don’t have a masher, or go to open a can, but no can opener, And the worst one, on my very first day in the very first hour, going to the toilet and no toilet paper.

The colleges here are a little different from Melbourne uni ones in that they are all self catered. My flat has a kitchen, bathroom and lounge area with 3 bedrooms. It was a little intimidating at first as I have only ever lived with Mum and my brother Tom before, save for a few weeks in summer at beach houses with friends, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. So far it is going well though. I am sharing with 2 other international students, an Italian, Antonella and a Canadian, Mary Ellen, who are both easy to get along with. The place felt quite empty for the first couple of days, but is now feeling a bit more homey. I even made a proper dinner tonight – spaghetti bolognese, which Antonella said tasted nice, but was not real bolognese.

I am feeling a little isolated from Irish people at the moment, but tonight I met the boys across the hall from me who are Irish, so that was good. Hopefully it will be a little better when I start classes tomorrow.

So, so far, all is well and I am excited to start studying, especially if I get the 3 day week that I am currently trying to organise, an even bigger hassle than it was in Melbourne. I am feeling especially lucky that I have a bit of a substitute family in Ireland, though I am still missing mine in Australia.

I hope the weather is better than here.

Georgie