With excitement four of BISTU’s overseas education scheme students left the School of Computer Science and arrived at Ireland. Blue sky and fresh air, together with eight hours’ time difference, extend warm welcome to us.

Here is our dormitory --- Edenhall on Model Farm Road --- where all students from Beijing to attend oversea education scheme are resided. It is about 40 minutes’ walk to the main campus. It is a beautiful place and there is no need to worry about safety. Here becomes our second home in Ireland.  

This ancient building is the main building of the main campus. It is said that students are not suggested to step on the pebble walk in the middle of the lawn. Once you step on it, you will fail one module. Young and innocent, I have once truly stepped on the walk.    

During orientation week, it is the first time for us to get in touch with students from all corner of the world with different cultural backgrounds and various academic backgrounds. Of course, it is also the first time for us to talk to others in English in Ireland.  

After a long morning lecture, we feel a bit tired and it is the time for lunch. Here is the canteen of the main campus. Various dishes are displayed. One mean would cost five to six Euros. At the beginning, we are not quite accustomed to the western style dishes, to be frank. Potato is essential to Ireland food. It is true that almost in every dish potato is mixed in.  

Lectures and seminars for computing students are delivered in Western Gateway Building (WGB)--- perfect facilities and beautiful sceneries, as is shown below:  

The professors are very nice! (It is true that these professors attach enough importance to undergraduate education and are very responsible for their students. Moreover, they all graduate from world famous universities. Should you be interested, you could check the university’s website and see which universities they graduate from.) Here is a professor kneeing down to instruct us during the lecture.  

Here is a group phone with the professor at the end of the first lecture.  

Recreation activities? Fitness facilities of UCC Stadium are awesome! In Mardyke Arena basically you could find everything you need. Of course, all students societies and associations are also based here. More importantly, UCC students have free access to fitness and swimming in the gym!  

Students are very interested in, and pay attention to, fitness. We have also made our plans: two hours’ running each week in the gym, or taking the yoga class in the gym.  

While we were still here, BISTU faculties also come over for short-term academic visit. Very often we exchange our thoughts and ideas with BISTU teachers. In a place far from home, they are our only families here.  

Every BISTU visiting delegation would spare the time talking to us and caring about us both in living and studying. We are convinced that the overseas education scheme would be further perfected and the following cohorts would enjoy even better learning environment.  

One year of learning at UCC is not long. Yet it is not a short one. What we have learned is not only knowledge but also independent thinking as well as the independent capacity of living by ourselves (of course the important is our cooking!). We owe thanks to BISTU for offering us such valuable opportunities!