Josh's Blog

Two weeks into our international exchange and it feels like I’ve been away from home for months. I’ve already experienced more in my time here than I had ever imagined, and there’s still an entire week left that’ll be capped off with St Patrick’s Day in Dublin. The whole whirlwind tour started off with a pint of Guinness when we landed… ‘when in Rome’…and has been a continual cultural and educational experience.
So far I’ve been on a magical mystery bus tour around the rural Irish countryside to see ancient ruins and historic buildings, as well as an impromptu weekend road trip through the scenic fishing villages and impressive mountain ranges of southern Ireland. I’ve cheered for Ireland at an international soccer match in Dublin and caught Matt Anderson play a show at a pub in the middle of nowhere that holds around 30 people (one of the most powerful shows I’ve ever been a part of). I’ve been on a riveting tour of Belfast in the back of a black cab and spotted a herd of red deer on a hike through the national park. I’ve biked the streets of Groningen in the Netherlands where bikes rule the streets and taken a rickshaw through the streets of Amsterdam to the Van Gogh museum. I’ve visited more towns, castles, cathedrals, and pubs than I can recall, but the beauty of the countryside and the cordiality of the people has left the biggest impact on me.
Aside from the many adventures, we’ve also come together to participate in a great research project. I’ve been working with people studying programs very different from my own. They’ve come from NSCC in Nova Scotia, Holland College in PEI, and IT Carlow in Ireland. It’s been a great experience to see the different methods and approaches that we all take to the project but the real benefit has been the purpose of the project. We’ve been tasked with creating a retrofit design for a house in order to make it more energy efficient. This duplex home provides some means of independence for people who require assisted living and is owned by a volunteer housing association. Participating in a project like this that may have a positive impact on someone’s life always makes it much easier to get motivated for doing the work.
This exchange has been a great experience. I’ve made a lot of new friends and I have yet to be disappointed with the cultural experience. So with 7 days to go, the project and the adventures continue on….

Josh Murray
Electrical Engineering Technology Student
Waterfront Campus