Aine made the leap across the water to Miami where she is currently taking part in some international experience for her degree in Culinary Arts
Miami so far has been a very eye-opening experience! Getting to see so many cultures in the one college is very clear here in Miami. The style of college and feel is so different to home.
Class
Classes are laid out a lot different. I choose to do 5 subjects you can do more if you wish but who really wants extra time in college when they can have far more beach time!! Classes are ran so that your labs are for 9 days straight and then you move onto the next lab. Morning labs start at 7am which works out perfectly, so you can have the day to yourself. You may have an evening lab depending on what labs you picked. The best part about being an exchange student is the options of modules. I picked a mix of culinary, pastry, mixology and brewing which I recommend to get a more diverse and broad learning experience while here.
Money Matters
When it comes to finance it is essential to save all you can. Meals are paid for in advance so it's nice to have that paid off and know that your daily meals are covered. The JI Visa we received only permits for you to work for your sponsor which is Johnson and Wales. There are jobs in “The Mix” AKA the cafeteria so that is definitely somewhere to go if you need a little pocket money. Other than that, getting around can be cheap there is very little public transport but by downloading the Uber app it's easy. Us as a group of 4 divide it each journey which works out reasonably cheap. Today I got an Uber pool by myself which I shared with two others this works out a lot cheaper and again so quick and easy. Theirs also “Limebikes” located all over the place which you can rent by downloading the app and scanning for 1 Dollar per half hour. Perfect cycle to the beach!!
Food and Social life
The food scene in the USA is how you probably imagined it. There are endless fast-food chains. The Cuban culture, however, is definitely very clear here as almost every corner you turn there is Cuban from their famous coffees to their breakfast which we are told are great. The social life is great but can be expensive, so we recommend happy hour or stay away from south beach, but south beach is a good place to visit and experience!
Things to see and do
Besides visiting all the beaches there is plenty of cool places to see. One of my favourites was visiting Wynwood, this place is full of art, restaurants, quirky cafes and much more. South Beach also must be seen. The beach is packed with people and has a very lively feel to it. There is no shortage of different events and there is still much more we plan on doing before we head home in 6 weeks’ time. Keep a look out online for not so pricey tickets and see all you can because time does fly by! That’s only a taste of all the perks of going to college here in Miami. So far it has been a very enjoyable experience and I couldn’t recommend it enough to get over here for the semester and live it up!
Enjoy,
Àine Dempsey.
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Main Campus Cork Road, Waterford City, 
