Enjoying life in Ulster!

Welcome to my blog, I’m Hannah Roche and a 3rd year student in the SETU Culinary arts degree. I’m currently studying in Coleraine’s Ulster University for my Erasmus study placement. Arriving in Northern Ireland was more different than I expected. I was preparing for a similar life as home but it became apparent that the culture, food and people have their own unique persona.

It took a few weeks to understand the North, the transport, the accents and the people but I soon found myself comfortable with the change. I decided to get a job in the local hotel as a waitress to earn some extra cash and meet some local people which was probably the best idea I had. The group of people I work with are amazing and so welcoming. After work we always have a drink at the bar and most of the we go out afterwards.

Life in Coleraine is a bit slower paced then Waterford in terms of social life. There is various pubs, restaurants, nightclubs but with a slightly less population but thankful the options of traveling to Derry or Belfast for a trip is an option. Considering it was halloweekend a couple of friends and I decided to go out in Belfast for a night out rather than staying Coleraine like usual. The trip to Belfast was a perfect way to spend weekend, we got to eat out in various nice restaurants, we got to go sightseeing and most importantly we got to experience Halloween weekend nights out in different bars and nightclubs in Belfast. The transport we took was a train which only took an hour and a half, only in Belfast we used uber which was cheap and fast. University work is enjoyable and easy to do, there is no stress about deadlines or missing assignments as the UUC have a very relaxed approach to education which is very positive for me as I work better with space and time. In terms of university, I haven’t had much opportunity to meet up with any classmates due to busy schedules but in terms of my part time job I am thriving. We all travelled to Belfast last Monday for a staff night out in which we rented out tour bikes in which we travelled around Belfast on a bar on wheels which we had to pedal all while getting free drinks. The staff night was brilliant as most of the staff are my age and we all have a lot in common. We ended up in a lot of different bars around the city.

If I had to summarize my time up here so far, I would most definitely state what a great time I’m having and how grateful I am that I’ve met so many wonderful people in my short time up here so far. I am so grateful that I came up here with an open mind and am willing to meet new people, I strongly believe that it made me settle so much easier along with being able to go out with new friends to enjoy what the north has to offer.