Study Ireland – Stories & Guides from International Students

In this personal blog student ambassador Nishant Upadhyay, a Master’s student in Interaction & Experience Design here at UL, describes his experience arriving in Ireland and coming to the University of Limerick for the first time. Nishant offers his advice on how to make new friends on campus with a simple “Hi”.

Arriving at the Dublin Airport, putting my foot on the ground actually made me realise it’s true, it’s true that I was finally in a place I had been dreaming of, waiting for years, working my way through financial crisis and deciding that it was time I move… You dream and you work for your dream to become true and one day realise it’s true…that’s a feeling… 

Wait, what now? Aah the bus, cool, I took the big green bus, true to its name and arrived late at night at Limerick City, hired a cab and apologetically troubled a security personnel to let me in the campus accommodation. Starving, me and my friend ate chocolates and slept for the night. Woke up next day, moved to campus for the orientation and was still daydreaming about how the people would be at the university, will they ask that we speak English or Irish (their mother tongue)? Maybe I just relax and wait till I meet people but again how? What do I say when I see them? Maybe I am thinking too much… 

I am here, my eyes look at everyone, amazed by the diversity of students exciting me to talk to them, but how? Hi… I heard a voice from someone directed towards, not me, but a person standing close, and they began exchanging the conversation about their course, home country and on… wait a minute, really? Is that all it takes to start the conversation and meet new friends? Alright, there I was, started saying the magical word to anyone I see and today I have friends that I can never forget about in my life. We try our best to meet almost every day and go on trips together, I am grateful to each one of them. 

It’s a powerful word, that expresses your emotions, courage that it took to move forward and start, a word that many hesitate to say, it says on your behalf that “Yes, I want to talk to you”. Why sit alone when you can just say ‘Hi’ and make a connection with a new friend, why walk to class alone, why not spend the evening with new friends you make at this amazing place? 

We all need our me time, no doubt about that and it may be necessary sometimes, but if you don’t feel at home on campus, reach out to anyone near you, you are not alone in this, we are all together here working our way through to reach our goals. I recommend you go sit at the Stables, play a pool game in common area at Student Life Center, take a walk to PSU (UL postgrad student’s union), join clubs and societies where you will meet like-minded people. 

Believe me when I say it will bring a new energy into your life, all energy candles of different colours, different emotions, different values which will enlighten your life here and further. You will feel happier in your mind, and hence healthier with your body, just try this formula of ‘Hi’. Away from home, friends are your new home, they are new family members and a few of them become part of your life forever. 

“Every new friend is a new journey, through a brand new road, toward a brand new mysterious heart.” ― Debasish Mridha 

Anyone, anywhere, and me, of course, say hi to me, whenever and wherever you spot me, I will be honoured and happy to be your friend. You are not limited to your course, your accommodation nor your thoughts, you are more than that and this is the year you can explore your true self, you have set up your ambitious goals, and it’s time to join others and collaborate with each other to achieve our goals together. 

Now, we don’t want to start a community with this or a society right now, but if enough of you reach out to me, maybe we will… still not a community, but a family, a family of friends in the clamor of college.