If you think Pullman winters are wet and windy, try living in Ireland. What it lacks in ice, it makes up for in wind and rain.

This semester, I decided to study abroad in Galway, Ireland, at the local campus for the National University of Ireland (NUIG). In this column I will share the different experiences I have while studying abroad and share tips with students planning to do the same.

I won’t lie, studying abroad isn’t entirely glamorous. Coordinating international travel, wrestling through bureaucratic tape and coping with jet lag aren’t easy, but already I’m convinced it was worth it.

For one thing, it’s fun. Always fun.

But the preparations can be tedious and require a lot of paperwork. I chose to go through a program provider called CEA. I won’t divulge into my personal opinion of the program, but I will say I had several documents I had to turn in for the application.

This is everything from official transcripts to personal statements. Then, after approval, I had even more documentation to submit for both CEA and the WSU study abroad office.

The pre-departure process requires almost constant communication with advisors, directors and site specialists.

But it all became worth it when I finally landed in the Shannon Airport.

Here’s a tip for avoiding jet lag. Do some serious research into the time differences between here and the country you’re visiting. Then look at what time your flight is. I got lucky having an overnight flight, but still ended up with minor jet lag that resulted in a three-hour nap.

The next few days after arriving at the flat (that’s the fancy European word for apartment), I spent time walking around downtown Galway to get to know the area a little more. I also had to go to two orientations: one for NUIG to welcome visiting students and another for academics.

Throughout this process, the CEA group talked with our program director about how the semester would go down, including planned excursions included in our program price.

Of course, before I went abroad, I had to get classes approved by my advisor. My major is in English – Creative Writing, which is a good fit for Ireland given its rich history of storytellers and poets.

This past week, I had to find the classes that were approved or look for ones that would be the equivalent. Once I found classes I liked, I calculated the number of ECTS credits that would count for WSU credits and sent the classes back to my advisor for approval. This way, I can be sure that everything I study counts towards my major and ergo graduation.

Can you say “Awesome!”?

This does put some restrictions on what I can take given the structure of the courses. The English department at NUIG has a handful of lectures and then a long list of seminars, but I can only choose one seminar for the semester. This is why the trial week is important and then I have another couple weeks just in case I change my mind.

The somewhat strange structure of class schedules and the school lay out will take some getting used to, but that’s part of the experience. I already know the way to walk to campus, which is good because I don’t think I’m ready to drive on the left side of the road.

As the semester goes on, I hope to offer insight on things to be aware of when studying abroad. I look forward to comparing Galway to Pullman.