While still adjusting to our new school, and the fact that our schedule is not quite yet set in stone, we have shown up to a few classes that were cancelled. Fortunately for us though, Waterford’s City Centre is less than a ten minute walk away so we have found ourselves wandering around town in our free time. As a result, we have gotten to know one store in particular, Penneys, fairly well.  Penneys would be comparable to Winners in Canada; cheap and great on a budget. After walking back and forth from school in the torrential rain, we soon realized that we had not packed adequate clothing for surviving the Irish weather, so needless to say, we have made quite a few purchases from Penneys.

Waterford Clock

For people wanting to stay in Ireland for over 90 days, it is mandatory to meet with the Irish Garda to discuss the reasoning behind your stay. Our appointment with the Waterford Garda was extremely nerve wracking as we had heard a few horror stories of students not being prepared, and not bringing the right documents. When the day came, we eagerly awaited our names to be called and went over our documents more than enough times to triple check everything was in order. We were surprised to find that the appointment was discussed in an open room, in front of everyone in the waiting room, which made it even more stressful.

Thirty minutes after our arrival, and 300 euro each later, we were granted student status cards and were set on our way. The only downside is we have to wait for our official cards to be sent to the Garda and until we receive the hard copy, we are not allowed to leave on any weekend trips outside of Ireland.

For students in Waterford, the big nights out are Monday and Wednesday nights, instead of Friday and Saturday like in Canada.  This was quite interesting to us, considering we have classes every day of the week. As we haven’t wanted to miss out on anything, we have gone to a couple of events which have been fun. On the WIT student exchange Facebook page, events are always posted as a “can’t miss event”, yet they all seem to be similar to one another; drinking alcohol and dancing.  As well, “Fresher’s Week,” a week for students to “let loose” and have fun, is fast approaching which means that the nightlife in Waterford City will be booming.

One of our friends, Chelsea, who is from Atlanta, Georgia, luckily lives in the apartment block right next to ours which means that we find ourselves together most days, and usually end up making dinners together.  We seem to be eating a lot of rice and vegetables as they are quite inexpensive here, and because our kitchens are quite small, with the ovens even smaller, we only have a limited space to cook.  But hey, the saying “rice is nice and half the price” is true to its word. The only good side to all the carbohydrates we’re consuming is the fact that we were able to join the local gym, and with it being less than a five minute walk away, we find ourselves there a lot.

Side Street in Waterford

One of the hardest adjustments in Ireland so far, as silly as it may sound and despite the numerous warnings from Steve McCartney, is crossing the road. The cars travel on the opposite side of the road than in Canada, and it’s something that we’re just not used to. After one of us having an extremely close call, it’s now a matter of us twisting our heads back and forth, excessively, to make sure of the intentions of the cars around us before jeopardizing our lives to cross the road. The streets are much narrower compared to Vancouver roads, which makes it all the more interesting to watch cars pass one another at high rates of speed and wonder how they are able to do so. We wondered why we haven’t seen any trucks while we’ve been here, but we’re beginning to understand why now. Needless to say, we will not be renting a car anytime soon.

Until next week, Jaymi and Connie.

The past two weeks have been chaotic for Jaymi and myself. Adapting to a new culture has been challenging, but exciting at the same time.

Jaymi and I started school last week, and will be taking the following three classes together: Incarceration and the Law; Gender, Crime and Criminal Justice; and Irish Fundamental Rights. So far, the classes have been really interesting, and I’m enjoying every moment of them. The classes here work differently than in Canada. In Ireland, we have one hour of lectures, for each class, three to four times a week, whereas in Canada, we have each class once a week for three hours.

It’s definitely going to take some getting used to but all of our instructors have been really helpful and approachable. I was shocked to find out that for each of our classes, we will either write a paper or a final exam of which will account for 100% of our final mark. I’m slightly intimidated by the thought of having my entire grade determined by one paper or exam, but I’m sure that we will do well, as long as we prepare well in advance for our papers, and study hard for final exams.

Irish Garda on horseback in Waterford

Jaymi and I have been spending the last few weeks familiarizing ourselves with Waterford, and along the way, we have met some really nice Irish and International students.  We also had the opportunity to speak with two guards from the Irish Garda. Apparently it’s a rare sighting as they don’t go to Waterford very often on horseback. It was really interesting to speak with them about the differences in Canadian and Irish policing.

I’m looking forward to exploring more of Ireland and learning more about the Irish Criminal Justice system in the weeks ahead.

Connie

The month before leaving to go to Ireland went by really quickly. Before I knew it, it was the night before my departure. Unfortunately, the night before I was to leave Canada, there was a bad windstorm and many houses in the Lower Mainland were without electricity for hours. Needless to say, all of my last minute flight and packing preparations were made in darkness with the help of a few candles.

On the morning of my flight, my mum and dad picked me up and drove me to the Vancouver Airport. Saying goodbye to my family, especially knowing that I wouldn’t be seeing them for such a long period of time, was really difficult for me. We said our farewells, and then I proceeded towards the terminal. I left Vancouver airport at approximately 0930am, and arrived in Chicago a few hours later. While wandering around the Chicago airport, looking for my flight to Dublin, Ireland, I bumped into five lovely Irish people. They were so nice and helpful, given that the Chicago airport is huge and I was really confused on where I was supposed to be going. Hours later, I boarded my flight from Chicago to Ireland and arrived at the Dublin Airport several hours later.

Jaymi was awaiting my arrival at the airport, and from there we both got onto a bus and headed towards Waterford. The scenery along the bus route is almost indescribable; the roads are so narrow and winding, and the buildings and structures are so different from what I’m used to in Canada. Three hours later, we arrived at our accommodation for the night, the Travelodge, and slept for rest of the night.

The next day, Jaymi and I were given the keys to our student accommodation at Riverwalk; we were fairly surprised to find out that we would be sharing an apartment together, along with another student. The coming weeks will be really busy as Jaymi and I have to prepare for school, as well as get all of our documents ready to present to Garda, Ireland’s National Police Service. I’m really glad that I took on this opportunity to come to Ireland, and I look forward to experiencing all that Ireland has to offer.

Connie

The month leading up to my departure sent me through waves of emotions, beginning with excitement about this amazing opportunity, stress about saving money, and finally sadness with leaving my friends and family behind. However, August 28th arrived (quicker than I thought it would) and it was time for me to head to Vancouver Airport and set off for Ireland. My mother and grandmother came to say their goodbyes and to wish me luck on my journey.

During the flight, I was lucky enough to meet another Vancouver traveler, Chris, who was flying all the way to Ireland, as well, to travel Europe for 17 days.  After 18 hours of flying and layovers, I finally arrived in Dublin at 7 a.m. and immediately set off to find the accommodation I had booked online. Thankfully, everything was quite easy to find but I was extremely tired from the flight since I had been unable to sleep at all. I had exchanged contact information with Chris and we planned to go out together that night. We ended up meeting a lovely Irish couple on the bus into the city and they offered to show us a good local and authentic Irish bar to start the night off with. Unfortunately, the night ended quite quickly for me as I was tired and wanted to explore Dublin the next day.

Before I knew it, it was Sunday and I was off to meet Connie at the airport. After meeting with Connie at the airport, we caught the charter bus down to Waterford and checked into the Travelodge for our first night. Again, as I was still adjusting to the time difference both Connie and I fell asleep immediately. The next morning we were able to check into our student housing, and to our surprise, we found out we would be living in the same apartment. A few hours later, we met our other roommate, named Luis, who is also an international student from Spain.

This past week has been amazing yet tiring at the same time. Everything in Waterford is within walking distance, which is really nice, and the local residents have been really helpful when Connie and I get lost. Everyone is more than willing to help the two lost Canadian girls find their way around Ireland. Between setting up my apartment, trying to set up wifi, finding the campuses, and meeting new people, it has been a very busy first week overall. I am so excited to call Waterford “home” for the next four months and start an amazing journey in school.

Jaymi

August 2015

This fall, two students at the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) will have a rewarding opportunity to spend their last semester gaining an international perspective on law enforcement and criminal justice.

Law Enforcement Studies Diploma (LESD) students Connie Marginson and Jaymi Kuniss will be spending the rest of the year on a student exchange at the Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) in Ireland. Both students were recipients of the LESD International Exchange Scholarship supported by The Justice Institute of British Columbia Foundation (The JIBC Foundation) and the Irving K. Barber One World International Scholarship administered by the Victoria Foundation.

Since 2013, JIBC and WIT have partnered to provide student exchange opportunities for law enforcement and criminal justice students studying at both post-secondary institutions. The goal of the exchange is to broaden the intercultural experience for students and provide an opportunity for them to explore the international dimensions of justice and public safety.

JIBC has partnered with WIT because of its prominent Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice Studies and its robust exchange program.

Be sure to follow along with this blog, as Connie and Jaymi, update us on their adventures at WIT in Ireland.