On the seacoast of Northern Ireland with a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean is Giant’s Causeway. A historic landmark that is almost 60 million years old with a fun legend attached to its creation, Giant’s Causeway was one of the highlights of first coming to Belfast and getting adjusted to the new environment I was in. The friends I had made on my floor, and I all signed up to take a bus tour to Giant’s Causeway, a tour that will forever be a core memory of my trip abroad. Despite Northern Ireland’s reputation to be wet and rainy a lot of the time, we were fortunate enough to have gone on a sunny day. With picturesque landscapes of rolling green hills, sheep, and the bluest sky, the journey getting to Giant’s Causeway was just as enjoyable as the destination.
While the scenic ride to Giant’s Causeway was beautiful, walking one of the (easier) trails was unmatched. Windy and cold, yes, but the views were spectacular with the deepest blue water I’ve ever seen. With the sun shining, the cold was an afterthought compared to the actual experience of the seacoast. It was here that I felt like I was living the abroad experience through the physical environment. I hadn't fully processed that I was in Northern Ireland until I was up at Giant’s Causeway, amazed by how beautiful it all was. It felt surreal that I not only was in another country but that I was experiencing something I knew I could never witness anywhere else.
Being able to explore and experience what Northern Ireland has to offer outside of my host school, Queen’s University, Belfast, I was pushed out of my comfort zone and forced to engage with the environment instead of staying cooped up in my dorm room. Moving to a new country is scary, and I coped with that by hiding out in my room. However, my trip to Giant’s Causeway not only allowed me to interact with the surroundings that Northern Ireland has to offer, but also allowed me to create better connections with the people on my floor. Thus, showing how your study abroad experience is a lot more than going to class, it is creating relationships with the people you meet, and appreciating the physical landscape of the area that you're in. It’s important to try new things, even if it feels nerve-wracking. Engaging with the community and the environment of a place is the best way to settle in, and doing just that is what ultimately helped me view Belfast as my new home for these next few months.
Kamille Tracy
GW Exchange - Queen's University Belfast
Spring 2023
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Africana Studies major