Orla Murnaghan, Junior Freshman Law and Politics
Freshers’ Week was in full swing on Tuesday as I arrived in the Front Square at noon. Everything was a magical whirl of kaleidoscopic colour in as I rushed for my first lecture, Introduction to the Law School, in the Davis Theatre.
The lecturers’ message was unequivocally clear – the Leaving Cert was finally nothing but a fading nightmare, and now, we were starting a new chapter in our lives, in a world-class institution that values originality, creativity and critical thinking. Even more exciting was meeting my classmates, whom I instantly resonated with.
Suddenly it was if the final piece of my life’s puzzle had clicked into place and I knew instinctively I was exactly where I was meant to be.
Afterward we met our S2S mentors- my beautiful mentor Aoife has taken us under her wing, doing the inaugural Trinity tour, vowing to show us rookies the ropes including how to reference essays correctly. Somewhere, amidst all the manic laughter and zealous discussions, we found friendship.
Then it was time to trek off to the Free Legal Advice Centre stand to score some free piping-hot pepperoni pizza. How could I have possibly resist this tantalizing temptation?
At 3.30pm, we ventured into the Graduate Memorial Building to listen to the LawSoc’s Comedy Debate. The motion? “This House is Overworked and Undersexed.” Never before had I heard the word “Sex” used so frequently and audaciously in public.
No topic was off-limits in this very -pun intended- hot session, including everything from forensic audiology, to a political double-entendre about Eastern European trucking, to prostitution. My personal favourite quote from the facetious event, “Look up. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s sex.” My sides were in stitches from the incessant laughter as I doubled over with a goofy grin on my face. After all the theatrics and witty repartee, the opposition were declared winners with a rapturous roar.
The Provost’s Talk took place at 5pm in the Burke Theatre, with yours truly shamefully seated in the front row. His wise words of wisdom struck a chord with me- “Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone”- perhaps even solidifying itself as my new mantra.
My last activity was an exceptionally passionate talk by Green Party Senator Grace O’Sullivan, who recounted her amazing experiences of working in both the Seanad and with Greenpeace. Her sheer enthusiasm was so palpable it was overwhelming, talking about political activism and conservation. She is a true inspiration.
Finally, it was off to the Academy for the biggest night of Freshers’ Week- Freshers’ Ball. To say the night was amazing is an insulting understatement- how many people can say they saw both Wild Youth and the Magician live, as well as dancing with friends to “Mr. Brightside” at a silent disco, all in one night?
This fairy-tale dream sequence, one of the best days of my life, is a meagre flavour of everything Trinity has to offer.
Katie Lynch, Junior Freshman European Studies
As I washed last night’s club from my hair, Tuesday morning’s sun penetrated my groggy mind. The choice between late nights and early mornings plagues the fresher student. On one hand we have all those fabulous events that you can’t miss. On the other hand, there’s General Orientation the next morning.
We sat and listened to a robed man telling us about our support systems, much of the important information going over our heads. You could almost hear the collective hope that we could find this information online later. It was, however, comforting to hear that the staff care so much about the wellbeing of the students.
The people in my course decided to meet up today, so we went to the cricket pitch and played some ice-breakers together. We had never met each other so it was such a relief to see how friendly everyone is. It really took away that nervous edge associated with starting in a new place. Even though there were so many different backgrounds in the circle, we had come together with one purpose.
I took a trip to Blazing Salads later – the tofu was incredible and the price was very attractive for a fresher. Food is a beautiful thing. After finishing my frozen yoghurt later, I remembered that I am a student and immediately put a stop to this spending extravaganza. I don’t regret the FroYo though.
The Trinity Fresher’s Ball is a strange event because classes haven’t started yet so no one knows each other. I was dancing in a room full of the friends I haven’t met yet. With this in mind, my pal and I took a shot of vodka and proceeded to throw shapes among the strangers. Another odd thing about the ball is that it’s the furthest thing from a ball I could imagine. It is more of a club with the occasional sighting of a suit and bow tie.
I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. This student thing is exhausting. I’ll have to get an early night soon. Well, eventually.
