Student Ambassador Natalia de Souza Araujo from Brazil tells us all about how proud she is of making the decision to study in Ireland. She has felt at home since day one and isn’t looking back!
Studying abroad has been a dream of mine since I was a kid. As if it was yesterday, I still remember the day I received my acceptance letter from Dublin Business School (DBS) to study Business. I felt a mix of feelings. I was excited and happy since I would finally live my dream. However, at the same time, I was afraid of what would come next. Would I be able to adapt to a completely different country, culture, or the cold weather all by myself? It is normal to wonder about these questions because leaving our comfort zone of family, and friends is a huge step. However, after living in Dublin for a few months, I realise that my fears were all in my head. Thankfully, they did not stop me from going forward with my decision to move to Dublin because it has been the most important life experience that I could ever have imagined having.
The River Liffey (photo: Natalia)
Dublin has had my heart since day one – despite the cold weather. The city is surrounded by nature. There are green areas everywhere in town where you can sit down, relax and be at peace even though you are busy with college, work, housework and many other things. Do not worry if you are not into nature, there are options for every single type of person here. Despite the size of the city, Dublin embraces diversity. Therefore, there are many different places to enjoy yourself or with friends, such as museums, libraries, cosy coffee shops, street markets, galleries, theatres, pubs, nightclubs, etc. Besides that, there are markets and restaurants from different countries which allow us to learn also about other cultures.
New friends, new adventures (photo: Natalia)
Speaking of diversity, DBS has students from everywhere in the world; so you can exchange experiences and learn from different perspectives throughout the academic journey. Although it has been a hybrid system of online and in-person learning, they provide us with a safe environment to develop skills required in a professional world by the immense support from the lecturers, coordinators and student services office. Furthermore, there are vast numbers of societies and clubs that help broaden your knowledge and interests in many other areas – not just related to our course. Finally, it is an excellent opportunity to network, make friends and grow professionally.
In conclusion, I could not be happier with the two most significant decisions I have ever made: choosing Ireland to be my temporary home and studying at DBS. I would highly recommend and support people who want to have this lifetime experience. You certainly will not regret it!
Natalia is doing a BA in Business at Dublin Business School.