“One of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.’ Indian student Pratik Hublikar tells us why he loves living in Dublin so much. It’s even inspired him to write a short poem about it!
Dublin is a mix of heritage and culture, modern yet laid-back. I had never dreamt of being away from my home country, India. And when it was time to decide for me to choose a country to study, Ireland was one of the top choices. Before going deeper into why I chose Dublin to be my place of study, I would first like to say that it was one of the best decisions of my life.
Boring journey there, lovely people on arrival
My first international flight was different to how I imagined it would be: a blend of boredom and tiredness because of the 18-hour flight. The whole journey, my mind wandered to the streets of India, the food I was going to miss and my family. My first step on Irish soil was at 8 am in the morning. The orange sky, the cold breeze and busy streets outside the airport freshened me up and gave me a taste of what entering this new life was going to be like.
There might be Internet and Google to help and guide you with almost everything, but the thing you need most when you are in a foreign country is human conversation. I felt so lost as I had to go to the city centre by bus, and I was getting no help from my Internet searches. Seeing me lost, a lovely Irish lady approached me and asked if I needed any help. She helped me in many ways, from buying a ticket to helping me board a bus. It was the first time that a person from another country helped out of concern, and believe me when I say it has been a never ending experience since then.
Dublin has it all
It is not the just the people of this country I have fallen in love with. Each day has been a new experience, from the changing weather to the people performing on the streets. I have seen people talking about the ever-changing weather, but once you get used to it, you become proud of it because you have already started loving it. The evening sunset on the river Liffey, the beach at Bray and the cliffs of Howth – and all in one city. Who wouldn’t love to study here? With heritage like Trinity College, fast-paced University College Dublin in Belfield and the National College of Ireland nestled under the umbrella of the IFSC, Dublin offers plenty of choice for students seeking somewhere to study.
Those orange skies
I would summarise Dublin as follows:
A city of art, continuously decorating itself,
A calm and peaceful river Liffey, flowing by herself.
History on the streets and the blue orange skies,
A city of dreams, where every person flies.