Spencer Center staff member Kelsey Bantel sat down with Irish exchange student Anna Bruce to explore some of her favorite things about Ireland and the U.S.
- What is your favorite thing about your hometown?
- My favorite thing about my hometown, Magherafelt, would probably be the simplicity of it. I’m from the country, so I am used to not a whole lot of anything. But when I go to the town next to me, which is a small but cramped town, I can get that feeling of busyness. And whenever I’m there, I always see someone I know, which is great. Either seeing a teacher you had, a family member, or someone you went to school with, which can be good and not good in some instances. But you get that feeling of community.
- What is your favorite thing about Ulster?
- I think it’s the opportunities I got in terms of the societies, clubs, and things to engage in with other students. Whenever I came in, the first thing I wanted to do was play hockey. I was out for a bit, and I wanted to get back into it. So it was great to have a female hockey team. I’m a Christian as well, so I was able to find a society, the Christian Union, which I have made lifelong friends because of. So the option is there to engage with things you’re already interested in, but also I was able to find a new hobby, rock climbing. When I went through the freshers society fair, there was so much happening, and I saw the mountaineering club. I was like, this looks kind of fun. So my friend and I went a few times and fell in love with it. I have met so many friends through that, as well. For a smaller campus, there is always something up. I’ve never felt bored.
- What have you found is the biggest difference between Ulster and Mary Baldwin?
- Obviously, academic-wise, it’s different. Here, assignments are continuous; there’s always a quiz to prepare for. Compared to Ulster, where they leave those until the end of the semester. For my course, you’re doing practical assignments and learning about the module at hand. I do quite like the element of being able to take an elective class here. I was able to do ceramics for a semester. Like taking a class purely outside of what I hope to do in the future, just for fun. We don’t get that option at Ulster. If you want to do something like that, you have to join a society or a club. Which is good, but I quite like the aspect of getting graded on a hobby you’re learning. Ceramics is great; I can get so many bowls and plates. Also, with my campus, it’s weird because Mary Baldwin has a bigger campus than Derry, but I think we have a bigger student count. Because when I walk around campus, I’m always seeing the same people over and over again. Which is great because you’re always saying hi to people. But at Derry, you see the same people, but it’s a lot busier because there are more people on a smaller campus.
- If you could bring one thing from Northern Ireland to the U.S. what would it be?
- This is so tricky because I have so many things. Cadbury chocolate, chocolate here is milky. This is really random but roundabouts. Intersections take so long to go through, and it’s terrifying. No wonder you hear about accidents where someone drives into you. You need more roundabouts in your life. Another thing is humor. Like the dry sarcastic humor that nobody gets. I feel like people think I’m either being weird, rude, or somewhere in between. I really just learned to bite my tongue. But sometimes I’m just like, yeah, whatever, you don’t get me, don’t get me.
- What has been your favorite thing about the U.S. so far?
- The buildings and the houses. It’s a very random thing, but anytime I’ve ever walked downtown or driven through, the houses are so good. They are so intricately and uniquely designed. Every house has a porch outside, and we don’t have that back home. I love it. I’ve been telling my family and friends I’m getting one of these porches whenever I build a house in the future. The architecture, even downtown, it’s just such a wee cute downtown. For Staunton specifically, there are shops that close ridiculously early, I think. But you also have a Shakespeare center, which is really cool. There are so many unique things.
- Give us your best pitch for visiting Ulster.
- Ulster is made up of 3 campuses. So if you want to go to like a big lively city, go with Belfast. It’s where everybody’s jobs are, so it’s hustle and bustle. It’s also the biggest Ulster campus. If you want the opposite, and go to a smaller city with a lot more history and culture, Derry is really good. It’s got a really good Mexican burrito place as well called Guapo. That’s honestly the main reason to come. If I know someone is coming from out of town, I’m like, go to Guapo for dinner. If you want to go somewhere coastal near the beach with a smaller town. But when you go around there is so much happening, go to the Coleraine campus. Ulster is great because all the campuses offer something so different. But ultimately it comes down to helping students and giving everyone opportunities. Like I was saying before, all societies on all campuses are so diverse. So, there are opportunities on every campus, but they’re all placed differently. Whenever I visit other campuses, it almost feels like a little holiday.
