I guess I'll tell you a little about where I live. I live in a great house attached to a crappy apartment complex where other international students live. The reason my place is great is because of the location. We live in front of a bay, or quay as the Irish call it, where huge ships come in and out of daily. I have never lived so close to the ocean and to be quite honest, the view amazes me every time I look out of the huge semi-circle window that takes up the wall.
One of the best parts of my day is between 8:30-9:00 a.m. At this time, if I'm lucky, I wake up before my roommates to sit on the balcony and watch the sun rise over the bay and peak over the Aran Islands while eating a piece of toast or drinking a cup of tea, welcoming the new day. Watching the sun rise gives me the same awe inspiring satisfaction that living near the ocean gives me because I'm never up early enough (unless the night before was a long one) in Chicago. Due to Ireland's position on the globe however, in January the sun rises late and sets early. In a few months the sun won't set until 11:00 p.m. though. That will be a hoot. Yes besides malfunctioning kitchen appliances, constantly dirty bathrooms, very limited personal space, and six other roommates, my place in Galway is pretty sweet.