When first landing in Dublin, I looked out the window from my middle section aisle seat to see nothing but empty green fields and it did not even look as if we had left Pennsylvania. Being my first time out of the country, I had always wondered if foreign air would smell different, if I would feel far away from the States, or if I would simply just feel out of place as a foreigner. Being in Dublin for almost two days now, I can reassure you the air is exactly the same and I do not feel far away at all. As a foreigner, Dublin has been welcoming with every single person we have come across.

My first impressions of Dublin have been contrary to my initial thoughts about the country. Initially, I thought Dublin to be an aged and old city. Contrary to my belief, Dublin shows modernity in various ways everywhere I look. For example, the public buses in Dublin offer free Wifi and USB charging ports to charge your electronics on the go…step it up, Pittsburgh. Dublin may be a booming technological city, but its old brick-style architecture and low rise buildings give it a feel of a small town. The product brands offered in Dublin are very different than what we have in the United States. For example, today at Tesco (small grocery store, almost like an Aldi) I was searching for Silk brand almond milk yet could not find it. I spent about two minutes looking before I realized all of the almond milk options were right in front of me and I just had not noticed because it was so normal for me to spot the Silk brand and pick it up. Though, brands that we do have in the States offer products that we do not. Today I saw a peanut butter Kit Kat — which is something I have never came across in the US.

StayCity, our Dublin residence differs greatly from our hotel, Hyatt Place, in Charlotte. Our apartment in Dublin has doors for every single room, including the living room, which close naturally and may not be left open unless physically propped open. It created a very closed-in space which differs from my Charlotte Hotel where it was a very open layout. This leads me to believe that Dubliners stress privacy. I was also surprised by the beds in Dublin as there is no fitted sheet on the mattress but rather a regular sheet simply laid over and there is no regular sheet on the bed itself, just a duvet cover on the comforter. So far, Dublin has reminded me a lot of home in its culture and welcoming environment which has provided a sense of comfort thus far during my time in Ireland.