Study Ireland – Stories & Guides from International Students

In this personal blog, Siva Murugappan, a PhD student in Physics, details his first flight experience, his first time falling in love with Limerick, and the fond childhood memories that triggered this desire to travel.

A small flashback.

It was the year 2002, the closest I had ever been to an aeroplane. It is only now we call them, simply, “a flight”, an airplane, a plane and all things sounding a little less fancy. Back then it was aeroplane (pronounced eh-row-plane). It sounds funny to hear myself saying that back then. Fond memories. It was simply magic for me to watch a small dot disappearing into the sky. I often used to see the sky as monstrous (in a good way) when close by. This happened at the Chennai Airport Runway in India. I had gone to the airport to send off my cousin who was going back to the States (Only now its US, back then it was the States). Obviously, as a child of 5yrs, I asked my dad to take me on an AE-RO-PLANE. My dad used this opportunity to inspire me and it worked. He told the whole story of how my cousin worked hard to enable him to go to the States for work and if I followed his footsteps, I could fly in an aeroplane one day. But as a 5-year old all I understood was I have to study hard before my parents will take me on a flight.

After this nice memory, air travel became more common but still we couldn’t afford to fly. Then in my teenage years it became more affordable and I decided that since everyone is flying, I will fly for the first time to a country abroad, not even a domestic trip, which didn’t make things easier for myself. But this simple goal (as it now seems) did take place in my life on the 13th of September, 2022 after almost 20yrs of my tryst with that aircraft.

In August 2022, I finally got the position I was striving for at the University of Limerick. Though exciting, it was scary to leave my family, friends, food and mother tongue.

I got the visa and it was time to get the tickets for the first flight of my life. There were no direct flights to Dublin. Lay overs were mostly in the Gulf region or Europe. The European layovers required transit visas. So, I decided on the Gulf options. I flew with Emirates on a Boeing 777 carrier and had a layover in Dubai. The 12th of Sept crept up fast and suddenly I was at the airport, the time read 10.30pm. It felt special to be at the same airport after 20 years. This time for my send off. It was an emotional moment for me and my family. But when you have your best friends near you, they don’t leave room for an emotional meltdown. They were making fun of how I couldn’t even move my own baggage and asking how could I reach Dublin safely in this condition. They all showed up to send me off once and for all. On the other hand, my parents were still concerned about the baggage weight, rechecking and recollecting, whether everything was packed. But luckily, we had a proper organizer with us, my sister. Her planning and packing skills were what got me there without issues. With all these last minute jitters, it was time for me to bid adieu to my parents, sister, a family friend who got me to the airport and friends who are family. Of course, my family teared up. For everyone there, we were dramatic. For them, it was just another flight journey in their lives. For us, it was the first. My parents had sacrificed their lives for this, without them getting to fly even once. It was special.

Somewhere around 12am or 12.30am, I went through check-in. There were a number of Emirates counters, checking the baggage, travel, and health documents. I checked in my baggage, praying I get them back in Dublin without any issues. Got my boarding pass. Finally, I bid goodbye to my parents who were still waiting outside the glass. There was an airport check where my passport was sealed. A proud moment. Then another security check. Now ready, I walked towards GATE-17. Called my parents and informed them that things went fine. In approximately 1hr, I would board the first flight of my life.

3.45 am : Boarded the flight. Emirates welcomed all, giving us masks and sanitizer.

4.00 am : The flight took off. I had booked a window seat to take the mandatory flight pictures. The view was magical.

5.30 am : Realization that flight journeys are as comfortable as they sound.

6.00 am : Got a wonderful breakfast.

7.20 am : Flight got delayed and landed 40 min after the ETA. Entered T3 of Dubai Airport via Concourse B – Gate12. Had to spend my next 8hrs alone.

Students taking the same flight from Dubai to Dublin had created a WhatsApp group. So I messaged them to see if anyone else had already arrived.

Then, I went from one gate to the other watching in awe the shops and taking a break when my legs started aching. During one of these short resting sessions at some random gate. This happened:

There were a lot of people from all around the world. There was a call for the people boarding the flight to Boston. An Indian lady was sitting near me and appeared to be upset. She saw I was Indian too and spoke to me. She said she wanted to talk to her son (in the US). Though I don’t speak her language, I understood. I asked her for the number through some sign language and other cues. I tried to call him on WhatsApp only to realize, WhatsApp calls don’t work there. I messaged her son and went to the Gate Staff to ask about the situation and why this lady was not allowed to board. They told me they needed her Vaccination certificate and proof of identity to cross-examine both and verify. I messaged this to her son. He gave me his sister’s number informing me that she had them. I messaged her but she was not online. The lady was understandably very upset, now crying, so I tried my best to reassure her that everything would be okay. Soon after, two students passed by and I sensed they were from the same state as the lady. I talked to them and, fortunately, they were. I repeated the story to them once and asked them to help. As they spoke, I got replies from her daughter. We showed the Gate Staff the soft copies and the girls took her to board the flight. I was happy that everything went well.

Around 10.00 am, one person from the WhatsApp group had arrived. We introduced ourselves and planned to explore the ever expanding Dubai Airport. It was humongous. Adding to the beauty was the fleet of Emirates carriers, easily 50+ waiting there, either arriving or ready to depart. Terminal 3 is only for Emirates. It is also the largest terminal building in the world and it has 3 concourses, each having around 50 Gates. We admired the beauty, forgetting where we were. Our plan was to reach the Concourse A by 2pm for our 3.25pm flight. Unfortunately, we were going in the wrong direction and over a period of time we realized the path to Concourse A was nowhere to be seen. The other person suggested we may have to go out. I was sure that Concourse A was somewhere around as I had seen Concourse B and C. After sometime I was ready to explore the other suggestion as we had plenty of time. So, we went out and waited for the Shuttle bus. It came, clearly written Concourse A. Good for us, I thought. But in the back of my mind, I couldn’t get over how big the airport is, just to go between terminals one has to take the shuttle bus or metro. This also made me realise why we have to arrive early to an airport and why sufficient time gaps for connecting flights are needed etc. And finally there we were, at Concourse A. Other people from the WhatsApp group were already there. We had some more introductions and some discussions about University and accommodation.

3.15pm : In Flight EK163.

Flight was delayed due to some air traffic.

4.25pm : Flight takes off. (By then I realised this was going to be tough with 8hrs of sitting without much movement)

In my mind, I started panicking as this delay might result in me not being able to catch my bus from Dublin to Limerick at 10pm Irish time. Now, questions like, will there be buses at midnight? ran through my mind. I thought €25 was wasted, converting to Indian Rupees (INR) it’s a big amount for a bus journey.

While I was trying to process my thoughts and get some clarity on how to proceed next…

Emirates in-flight meal arrived. They gave me the meal option I had already chosen while booking the ticket. I don’t know why, but I felt a sense of pride while I saw my name on the food carton. I had a really good meal which helped me sleep. I only woke up between 30 and 60 min before landing. The landing was delayed, as expected. The flight landed by 8.50pm if I’m right. As soon as I got off the plane, I started walking in a manner which could be considered running. With the thought of missing the bus in my mind, I forgot about the immigration check. When I saw the queue for the check, I figured I would miss the bus for sure.

It’s my turn for the immigration check. Hoping everything goes well (Fingers-crossed), I went to the counter. The immigration officer asked the purpose of my visit to Ireland and then let me through. That’s it. Done and dusted. Now it’s only 9.20pm. So, with high hopes that I can make it to my bus, I go to collect my baggage.

Just two rounds of the conveyor, I recognized one of my bags. As soon as I saw it, the fear kicked in because only one of my two bags were there. My thoughts were racing, I gave both of my bags together, one after the other so I wondered why they weren’t both there. I waited….waited and waited. It was not there. It was 9.40pm. I contacted the staff nearby, he said not to worry and asked me to wait for some more time. But I couldn’t be patient as it had my certificates, also I was running out of time to catch the bus. I felt I had been watching this conveyor belt for about 30 min, same baggage again and again, and I wondered how could a bag pop-up out of nowhere? Right then, I saw a new bag coming, I was confused. Did I check well? Yes, for sure. Then a few more popped-up. Then I waited for my bag. Once I got my second bag, I literally started running as it was now 9.55pm. I had to be in Zone 10 for the bus to Limerick. But I didn’t have any clue of which direction to go. Still, I was running randomly. I saw a pedestrian crossing but a car was coming. I stopped to let that car go but for the first time in my life, it didn’t. The driver told me to cross first. I started already falling in love with Ireland as back in India the car drivers/owners show their superiority as though they own the road. These thoughts in mind, I was still running, now based on some directions given I reached the bus stop. The time was 10.06 pm.

I showed my ticket to the driver, and he said the bus had left already. Now, in the back of my mind I was thinking India was good in these situations. If it is a 10pm bus, you can confidently arrive up until 10.15pm ad hop on. Clueless of what to do, I asked him where I can get the next bus to Limerick. He said that I can use the same ticket if I want to but the next bus doesn’t leave until 12.30am. Without a second thought I said okay. I was about to hop on the parked bus to wait when he refused to let me do so. He said only after 12am, he can allow me to wait on the bus. Confused as to what to do now, I waited outside. After some time, I started feeling the cold. The temperature said 12°C. That’s the lowest I had ever experienced. Then some others from the same flight showed up. Same bus issue. One guy spoke to me, asked about me and what I’m planning to do now. I said I’m going to wait, and he said we can wait in the airport which I assumed was not allowed (ignorant kid you see). Then we spent the next 1-1.5 hrs in the airport. I messaged my parents that I landed safely and of the situation, it was around 4am in India and I didn’t want to wake them up that early. Then, I called my uncle and told him of story you are reading. I informed the person in the house where I was going to stay that I would be late. I boarded the bus around 12.10 am. The bus left on time and reached Arthur’s Quay by 3am. I booked a cab and reached the house around 30 minutes later. I spent the entire next day in the house.

On the 14th of September, I took a walk through the blissful scenic streets of Limerick City, calm and serene. No pollution nor overpopulated. The wind was cold, but the people were warm. Strangers, who ask, ‘How are you?’ or say, ‘Have a good day.’ The combination of greenery and old castle-type buildings along with the modern structures seamlessly merged beautifully. Not to mention the lovely riverside, with the sounds of water soothing your heart. The ducks giving more life to it. The short arched bridges reminding you of the movies set in the renaissance. Just parallel is the city canter with a great vibe of people shopping, waiting for buses, and people, like me, taking a slow stroll, breathing in some fresh air.

The University is just 20 min away from the city centre. Making it the right place to study, peaceful with great ambience. The signature flag poles represent the entrance of the University. This gave me the realisation that I’ll be spending the next few years of my life in the beautiful cradle of learning. The University has something for everyone, highly inclusive and diverse. With almost 100 clubs and societies to do more than learning, to remain stress-free while studying. Due to its wide spread campus size and the options it offers, it takes some time to not get lost physically and mentally. There is guidance for both. The facilities are really nice, there’s everything more than necessary; easily satisfying the needs of the current students, and future too, with big investments from various sources. If you are up for research, there’s some great work going on under some of the finest scientists in the world here doing world-class research, collaborating worldwide. All that said, the weather can be weird playing “find what weather I am now” kind of a game, for 5 minutes its sunny, then it rains then sunny again then a windy, chilling air gushing on you.

At the end of the day, it’s the place for all kinds of people. Whether you are a party lover or a calm, peaceful saint. It has the best of both worlds. I’m happy that after all these years, I got to be in this beautiful city and University. Beautiful things do take time; now I realise it’s for the best. I think this has made me appreciate what I have got, and more. It’s just a matter of time!