Psychological Science student and our ambassador from China, Jingru Yan, tells us why Ireland is so irresistible.
1: The lovely people
I have met a lot of people since I arrived in Ireland and most of them have been really kind to me. One of the most memorable moments of this kindness was when I was walking home with a big bag of groceries. A wonderful woman had just parked her car to go pick up groceries but when she saw me with two heavy bags, she offered to give me a ride home before she even went to buy groceries herself. It was so touching that she offered to help and it has happened more than once to me.
The next story I want to tell happened in the Epic Irish Immigration Museum in Dublin. I went to the museum, and was wandering around by myself so the museum workers offered me a lot of help that I hadn’t even asked for. It was so helpful when they explained how these immigrants were connected to China and what they had done that it made me feel more interested and connected to the museum, or even to the whole of Irish culture. It was so lovely that they cared where I was from and wanted to make my visit more personal to me. The whole experience was amazing — I would definitely recommend this museum to other friends.
2: Fifty shades of green
The whole of Ireland is so beautiful; especially as it all so green everywhere around the country. I knew Ireland was called the “Emerald Isle” before I came here but when I travelled around, I was still shocked by the green fields with their sleeping cows and happy sheep. Every time I see the beautiful shades of green, I can’t stop thinking about how great it would be to be a cow or sheep here — The environment is so relaxing. More importantly, all that green makes me feel like life is excellent and full of hope!
3: Irish pubs and bars
I have tried to go to a different pub or bar each time I go out. It has surprised me that the music and dancing in these bars can be so enthusiastic and powerful but then again, the people here seem to be born with music in their blood. There was one time when I was in a bar in Galway and a band was performing live music. A sweet old man approached the band between their songs and performed a few songs—with his own flute—together with the band. It was so amazing to me that he could improvise and how well it went.