John Seibels, a 2014 Academic Magnet graduate, is currently studying abroad in Limerick, Ireland, which is the third largest city and located in the south west of the country. From Magnet, he went on to study at the University of South Carolina’s Honors College where he is a junior working towards his second major. With a political science degree completed, he decided that Ireland would be the perfect place to advance his English degree.

He arrived in Ireland on January 16th and is studying at the University of Limerick. John says that it is one of the rainiest places he has ever been and that the city often experiences all four seasons in one day. The city grew from a settlement that formed around the year 150 and is centered around King John’s Castle. In Limerick, he has been to a Munster rugby match and seen many of the touristy sights in town.

John has been to the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, as well as the Burren, which is a famous park. Similarly, he has also travelled to Galway and the Island of Inis where they speak Gaelic instead of English. He visited Dublin for a day and has seen the castle there, as well as a famous library called Marsh’s Library.

As for the rest of Europe, he went to London for a weekend and visited Amsterdam to meet up with five of his friends from USC. As a group, they traveled to Brussels, Paris, Barcelona, and Madrid. In Barcelona, they were fortunate enough to go to the Champions League Soccer game. In Brussels, they saw the seat of the UN and the Royal Palace. In Paris, they saw the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées and Notre Dame. In Barcelona, they went to the beach and Guell Park, which had a view of the city from the top of the mountains. In Madrid, they saw the Royal Palace and the main squares of the city.

John is scheduled to come home in the middle of May. However, before he returns, I will be visiting him over this year’s spring break from April 7th-17th.