Bear Abroad Abbey

Abbey G.

Major: Theater & Performance Studies
What led you to study abroad? Why did you choose your country/program?

Both of my older sisters studied abroad (Stirling and Barcelona, respectively), and so I always knew that I wanted to go abroad; I just didn't know where. I was initially planning to study Drama at Trinity College Dublin for my study abroad program, but I ended up choosing English. I chose TCD because I loved Ireland when I visited a few years ago; I saw Trinity in the tv show Normal People and fell in love with what the campus looked like.

What salient identities do you hold? How did your identity/identities impact the way you prepared for, or chose your study abroad experience?

I identify as non-binary and queer/bisexual. I made sure to choose a country that would respect my identity; Dublin is one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly cities in the world. I wanted to go somewhere that I knew I would be accepted for who I was, no caveats.

Describe a typical day for you abroad.

I would wake up for classes around 9:30 AM-ish (depending on the day, because sometimes my classes were earlier or later). I usually took the 27 bus line to College Green right by the campus, but sometimes, if I was feeling energized or running late, I would walk. My classes were always an hour long - never more. It was strange because at UC Berkeley, my classes are usually 1.5 to 2 hours long. I would either grab some coffee at Costa or go to my next class. Then, usually with my friends, we would go exploring or thrifting and then find a pub and grab a pint & some food. Our favorite spots were The Pav (Trinity on-campus pub) and Cassidy's. After, if I was feeling up to it, we might go for a round of pints at disndat or something. Then, since 2 of my friends lived right by me and 1 was my flatmate, we would all walk home together, sometimes stopping at the Spar on Dame Street (colloquially referred to as the "Gay Spar.")

What coursework did you take while abroad? How did courses abroad compare with Berkeley classes?

Irish Writing - Mon/Thurs 
Imagining the Contemporary: No Future? 
Pulp: Intro to Pop Lit 
Modernisms 

It was interesting because some of the classes were 7 units. Since I'm not an English major at Cal, I was only able to take fresher modules (ie, freshman-level courses). I loved Trinity, but honestly I like the learning model at Berkeley more.

Often, studying abroad can influence or shift our understanding of our own identities. How did your experiences studying abroad impact your understanding of your own identities? And/or what lessons did you learn in general related to your identities?

I really learned a lot about myself while studying abroad. I was still sort of shy and introverted, and not very self-assured. During study abroad, it sounds trite, but I blossomed. My self-confidence rose, and my self-worth did too. I also became a lot more comfortable with exploring my sexuality and went to The George, which was my first ever gay bar!

What was the most memorable/meaningful aspect of your time abroad?

It would have to be St Paddy's Day in Dublin. My friends and I did pres at one of their apartments and then went to a bakery and got these fabulous almond croissants. Then, we headed across the Liffey to see the Dublin parade! We were too short to see it, so some of my friends had a blast holding up the others on their shoulders. Eventually, it was too much, and I pulled up a livestream on YouTube. After, we got Indian food and then went to a few pubs. We ended the night at Wheelan's doing karaoke; it was so much fun to sing! My flatmate and I, Layla, sang What is This Feeling? from Wicked and it felt like we brought the house down; both being theater majors, we got INTO it. Then, we rounded off a fun day at 8pm by getting Five Guys haha.

What was the biggest challenge/concern of your study abroad experience? How did you respond?

I struggled a lot adjusting to being in a new environment and not really knowing anyone. The turning point honestly was when my older sister visited me; she told me that I could either spend my days in my flat watching kdramas and being scared of going to meet people or I could really try and live and experience Ireland for all it had to offer. At the time, I was kind of annoyed, but now I'm so grateful for her mini intervention with me. She is the reason that I got so close with the St Paddy's group of people!

What would you recommend to students considering studying abroad, especially if they share similar identities and/or are considering your country or program?

Embrace the unknown, face the challenges, and, most importantly, have fun. You're doing something that not many people can do! You're moving to a completely new country for either a semester or a year, and you are building a (temporary) life there. It also really helped me to write a diary entry every day so that I could reflect on my feelings, but also now, I just look back and read the entries and remember all of the fun times I had. In terms of my identity, it really helped me to find people to hang out with (in addition to others) who shared my experience with my sexualtiy & gender identity.