Getting Settled

On Friday, we took the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transport) to the UCD campus for our Welcome Dinner and I got to meet some fellow MBA'ers. Of the "Exchange" students Talia and I are 2 of 6. The other four are from China, and one of the girls is also named Rachel. When one of the Irish students met me, he was like, "wow your English is great!" I was like, "uh I'm from the US". He was kinda embarrassed, but I just laughed. Everyone else is here for the full year program, so we won't have them in any of our classes. They served drinks before dinner, which was nice, considering Pepperdine is a dry campus. It helps a bit more in the mingling with strangers and introducing yourself. The people I talked to seemed nice and friendly.

After being wide awake until 6AM Dublin time, I finally got to sleep and woke up around noon. I then proceeded to go jogging and explore a bit of my new city. I stumbled across a park, which had a nice running path. There were

cool jungle gyms, tennis/basketball courts, and a soccer field. It was a pretty cool place, think I will go back for a run, since I don't have gym access. The only problem will be when it rains, which it does a lot....

On Saturday we went out to a "pub" nearby and I had my first taste of Irish Guinness...well I had a taste of Will's and I have officially decided that I don't like it. Its very bitter and taste like cold coffee, almost. Me and Talia had Bulimers which is Cider. I think I will stick to that, but I may try a black and tan before I officially pick my drink.