Making the Most of Life in Dublin

This is part of a Columbia News series, titled Postcards, which invites members of the Columbia community who are living and teaching or studying abroad, to send us updates on where they are, what they miss about not being on campus, and how they are making the most of their situation during this global pandemic.

Coming to you today from Dublin, where I’m a junior in the Trinity College Dublin/Columbia dual BA program. Although I’ve been taking Columbia classes online, I have yet to set foot on the campus in New York. Learning to navigate Zoom lectures and adapting to the time difference has been challenging, but having spent two years studying at Trinity, I now know Dublin well and love having it as my learning space.

We’ve recently entered another lockdown here, but we can still exercise outside and get takeaway, which my housemates and I have been availing ourselves of regularly. All of us have been using this time to improve our tennis, and my flatmate, Alex, is following a grueling physical challenge every day for a men's mental health charity. I’m so glad that Dublin is a seaside city, so I can enjoy cycling to the water.

Although I’m currently over 3,000 miles away from Columbia, I’ve been able to connect with the community beyond lectures by keeping up with a number of friends with feet on the ground in New York. This contact has been important, especially during this frantic political and COVID time. When I can physically get to New York, I can’t wait to explore the Morningside campus, and finally see the iconic Butler and Low libraries for myself!

Orla Frenoy is a student at the School of General Studies.