Cadet Jacob Haider studies abroad in Ireland

Greetings from Ireland. Life over here, "across the pond,' is absolutely wonderful. School for the most part is much easier than at SJU- although writing 3 essays for midterm last week was not fun! There is no homework, which is fabulous- your grade is based on a midterm paper and a final exam or just a final exam. This will require some studying for a few weeks in May, but until then I am pretty much free.  Every weekend there is an adventure or two out into Ireland, to castles, forts, mountains, coasts, cities, monuments, etc.

The feeling is one of constant adventure, and I love it. During the week I volunteer at two places, a homeless hostel and a community center. Most Sundays I join the mountaineering club for an all day hike- quite challenging but very rewarding. I use my free time to read some of the books I have been meaning to read, and just to contemplate life. This experience is allowing me to step back from normal life; to truly discover who I am and to decide what I want to do in life. Midterms are over, so except for attending lectures I am pretty much set until May.

We are going to Scotland this weekend (starting on Wednesday!), and that is going to be amazing. Then beginning March 20th we have a month long spring break, in which I am going to travel all across Europe by train- I cannot wait! I hope that things are going along smoothly back at SJU, and that the ROTC program is running strong. I look forward to the challenge of forging myself into an acceptable and strong cadet next year. Here are some pictures from my adventures so far- I hope you enjoy them.