Of IRELAND

'7 years ago, I prepared for UPSR...no problem. Then, I sat for PMR...ok, can manage. SPM came after that...shoot, this is challenging. A-levels, give me a break...Medicine...you gotta be kidding me...coughs, chokes on phlegm....drops dead on floor.'

It's officially week 5 of my course in Trinity College Dublin, so far so good. Interestingly enough, there are not many Asians in Dublin compared to in the UK. In my class of 173 students, there are around 40 international students. 16 Malaysians, 14 Canadians, 6 from the USA and another four from countries like India, Switzerland and China. We've had some pretty interesting lecturers, each with distinct teaching methods. Some of them tend to engage with the student audience more than the others. Others just make the students fall asleep.

Our classes are held in the spanking new Biomedical Sciences Institute. With all the modern facilities a medical student can dream of. The dissection theater is top notch, equipped with high definition cameras and large plasma displays. I can't tell you much about the dissections because I've agreed to keep things confidential. In physiology labs, we operate medical equipment via Macs. Awesome isn't it?

The medical course is demanding, many students break down midway...not that I've seen any. You fail your first year exam, you'll have to repeat the year. Pay another 30k Euro. Unlike the A-levels in which we were guided and monitored, University life is different. No one cares whether or not you attend the lectures, don't attend, and risk missing out on some really important teachings. Then you'll suffer in misery trying to understand that simple concept. 

The weather in Dublin is extremely unpredictable, one minute it rains, the next minute, sun comes out. When it rains, it RAINS! Plus the wind, it will give the average warm blooded Malaysian the chill of his or her lifetime. The other day I was riding my bicycle, and the wind blew me off the pavement. Imagine that! Just this week, major parts of town were submerged in ankle deep water, tram services were cancelled and many people fell sick. 

Plenty of Chinese/ Malaysian restaurants around town. Prices here are significantly different. 9 Euro for a plate of Nasi Lemak, no way. If you want to survive in Dublin, you'll have to do a lot of home cooking. Some things are cheaper here compared to back home, but rarely. 

That's all for now folks, stay tuned for more, Cheers!