Benjamin Wong, an international student of NCI, describes his experiences of Dublin Zoo
I felt so delighted after spending an afternoon walking around Dublin Zoo with my friends today. It was a bright and sunny winter’s day, something that I have found to be a bit of a rarity during my time studying in Europe.
Dublin Zoo has always been one of the most attractive places to visit in Ireland. Located in Phoenix Park, the zoo is actually the largest within the Republic of Ireland. It has more than 400 animals from all around the world.
Dublin Zoo is an ideal place to relax by yourself, to experience nature, to feel alive, to enjoy some peace. You can’t always be inside during your time studying in Europe, so I thought that it was time to get outside and breathe some fresh air!
Dublin Zoo was like a dense jungle. It was full of trees and vegetation, strange noises and exotic animals, tourists and more tourists. Surrounded by old trees and grasslands instead of cement walls or gates, Dublin Zoo is secluded and separate from all the noise of Dublin’s urban life.
I was so amazed by what I saw after walking through the reception. In front of us was an extremely large lake in which different types of water birds were swimming. I could not tell the difference between the animals except by the colour of their feathers. The water birds, especially the flamingos, were elegant but a little bit arrogant because they refused to take a photo with us. They eventually swam away.
We also visited the places where the big cats - lions and tigers - live. However, they were too lazy to move and showed no interest to tourists who waved to them. Giraffes, on the other hand, stood still and chewed on straw. The ostriches were much funnier. One of them even walked over to us and asked for food.
We enjoyed the trip to Dublin Zoo so much. Even though we are no longer kids, a zoo can always be an ideal destination to enjoy nature and animals. After handing in all kinds of assignments, I feel a trip like the one I just have would refresh me completely from some challenging academic times - studying in Europe certainly has its great days and its hard days! And today was a great, relaxing day.
Thanks Dublin Zoo. Thanks NCI. Thanks Ireland!
Interested in studying in Europe like Benjamin? Then please visit our International Students page for more details or read Vishwajeet's experiences of studying in Europe.
Want to study in Ireland? Hear More of Benjamin's Experiences of NCI:
