In Ireland, Guinness is not merely a popular beverage or quintessential brand. It’s a way of life. Much can be determined from the way a man pours a Guinness and drinks it, revealing both the skill of the bartender and the reverence the drinker holds for alcoholic masterpiece.

There’s something very rigid about the first day of classes. Regardless of what rung of the education ladder you’re on, the first morning you walk to class with a little thump in your chest. You usually have a few new notebooks. They usually smell nice. Maybe you’ve set your alarm earlier than you had to, just to make sure you don’t end up being that person who shuffles in ten minutes drenched in sweat and tears.

There is nothing quite like a visit to Rome. Unless you are literally blind, you will be slapped in the face by architectural genius. At some points it’s so overwhelming you’ll just want to close your eyes, cover your ears and stop learning. But the history will creep in. They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but you begin to wonder how Rome was built, period.

The best way to experience new culture is at the tables of local bars and restaurants.

And so I left Dublin with a hangover, Paris with a stomachache and Barcelona with both.  Heading to St. Andrews for Halloween weekend, I feared the land of haggis and blood pudding would pale in comparison. But I found plenty to enjoy. The birth place of golf and where “Will met Kate!” (as they proudly display around town) boasted a number of delicious Scottish meals.