黑料不打烊

Take it from an introvert who’s been abroad three times in their academic career: finding places to go while you’re abroad is extremely overwhelming. You have so many expectations of where you’re going to go and what you’re going to see. You think you will spend your weeks crunching on homework and at least every other weekend traveling to a new city to make the most out of your visit. I’m here to burst that bubble, sorry. If you’re anything like me, you’re going to be spending at the very least 3 evenings a month at home ordering takeout from that one place down the street that’s the closest thing to Chipotle you can find, and your weekends catching up on homework and meal prepping. If you’re lucky, you might go out to a pub or club, but it will most likely be because your friends are dragging you. Or, if you have better friends than that, you’ll share tea desserts from the grocery store at home and talk about your favorite pieces of media instead of doing homework. (Shout out to Milda, I know you’re reading this!)

The truth is, studying abroad is exhausting as an introvert. Even if you’re doing it all alone. You want to go see all the sights you’ve heard about, but you think to yourself that you can't be bothered to leave your dorm room. And it’s daunting! Especially seeing all your new friends’ posts on Instagram with their picturesque photos of architecture, street markets, and restaurants. You feel paralyzed by the options and the fear of getting it wrong. I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to do that. It’s okay.
There is no one right way to spend your study abroad. You’re going to go home, and people aren’t going to ask how many places you went. They were going to ask what your favorite things were, and that’s what I’m here to help you with.

1. Thrift, thrift, thrift (ft. Lucy’s Lounge: Temple Bar, Dublin)
   Okay, the section title is a bit misleading, but I’m using the American terminology. The truth is that thrifting is a really American thing, at least the way we do it. There tend to be two types of “thrift” stores in the countries I have visited (France, Germany, and Ireland. I’ve heard the UK is the same too) and that is charity shops and vintage stores. In the States, you can get some great finds at your local Goodwill, but in Ireland and the UK, Oxfam might not have your back. Vintage stores are where you want to look. In America, vintage stores are often very expensive and selective. But abroad, I’ve found that if you find a good vintage store, it will be the same price as the average retail store. One of my prized scarves is from a tiny vintage shop in Paris.
   
   My favorite vintage shop in Ireland was this place in Dublin called “Lucy’s Lounge.” It’s hard to describe what makes it so special, but to the best of my attempts, Lucy’s Lounge is as if Weird Barbie from The Barbie Movie opened a vintage shop, and I mean that in the best way possible. The store is a magical kind of chaos that’s worth the trip. I got this one-of-a-kind Hobbitcore vest for €25.
2. That One Place You Find Unexpectedly (ft. The Irish Potato Cake Company: Temple Bar, Dublin)
   You’ll be walking along one day on the outing you have dragged yourself to do, and something will catch your eye. Whether it's casual or desperate, you will feel drawn to it. Do not resist. It is for your own good. If you can’t do it now, take a picture and come back to it later. Trust your gut. If you think you’ll like it, you probably will. If you don’t, the world keeps on turning.
   
   It happened to me one weekend. I had things to do and a bus into Dublin to catch, but the bus comes on the hour, and I would be late if I stayed at home to get breakfast. Breakfast in Dublin it is! Luckily for me, I found The Irish Potato Cake Company right next to the bus stop. Just in time too, because I felt like I was going to pass out. When I tell you those sausages and potato pancakes came to me on a platter like a gift from the heavens, I mean it. They were unreasonably good, and not just because I was desperate. I’m still craving them. The atmosphere was quaint and friendly. They had luggage tags that people could leave on the wall, expecting tourists to leave their mark. It felt homey. I cannot recommend it enough. Despite being famous, the waits are relatively short, and the service was wonderful.
3. The Campus Cafes (ft. Phoenix and TSI at Maynooth University)
   There’s no shame in the campus locations being your favorite! Heck yeah, it can be your favorite! Once every other week, when I was tired, running late, and unable to pack a lunch, I would get a great sandwich at the Phoenix Cafe in between classes. It was nothing special. It was just a long French roll with breaded chicken and garlic mayo. But sometimes that’s really all you need. Sometimes it touches— nay— hugs your soul.
   
   As far as coffee, the TSI Building was my favorite. Not only was it conveniently placed in the building I had most of my classes in, not only was it a great hang out location, but it was without a doubt, the best mocha I’ve ever had. Dunkin doesn’t compare, Wawa doesn’t compare— I don’t know what witchcraft they put in that thing, but I was addicted. In fairness, I’m a tea person, so I haven’t had a wide variety of coffee. But again. I’m a tea person, and I was addicted. Proceed at your own risk.
4. The Expensive Bakery (ft. The Rolling Donut)
   You’re gonna be in need of a pick-me-up treat every once in a while… or every thrice in a while if I’m being honest. Overpriced sweets are a pretty guaranteed dopamine hit. No one can stop you. (Except maybe your wallet.)
   
   The Rolling Donut is an Irish donut franchise. But they aren’t Dunkin, donut be fooled. This hipster bakery makes sourdough donuts! They cost six euros. Is it worth it? …Honestly, for the blueberry cheesecake one, maybe. (Not pictured. This is red velvet. I ate the blueberry one too quickly.)
5. That One Niche Museum (ft. The National Leprechaun Museum: North City, Dublin)
   Niche Museums are always fun. You will always have a great story to go along with your visit. There will be plenty of laughs and plenty of fun facts learned. You will remember your visit for many, many years to come.
   
   Because I came to Ireland to study fairies, the National Leprechaun Museum was a perfect fit. It was a storytelling museum, less centered around objects, but entirely focused on preserving oral tradition. While our expectations were a bit different, it did not disappoint. My friend and I took the night tour, which had more mature themes and was 18+. In layman’s terms: there be violence and vulgarity here! I love dark fairy stories with blood and horror more than I do the clean Disney ones, so the night tour was a must. I cannot speak to the daytime experience, but the night was hilarious. With our very talented storyteller, Misha, it was essentially nerdy standup, and it was incredible. I cannot recommend the museum enough. It gives wonderful insight into what experiencing the oral tradition was actually like. It has a great collection of books in the front of the museum too, and they even have a podcast with all the museum’s storytellers! Go check it out! It’s amazing!

Do Your Research:
Take it slow. Your expectations will not be met, but you’ll still have a great time. My time in Ireland was really rough, but I still loved it all. Travel is like that. When looking for places to go, just go where you want to. Don’t let anybody tell you what to do. No, that place is not “too popular,” and no, that other place is not “not important enough to waste your time on,” only you know what’s best for your time and interests. Research is your best friend. If you want something, it will probably be out there. And if you want something enough, you won’t feel intimidated by going out to do it.