Meet Matthew Murphy '16 from Northern Ireland

MM: My name is Matthew Christopher Murphy. I'm 19 years old, from a town called Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, which is in the north west island of Ireland.

News: What surprised you most when you came to Connecticut?

MM: I did not expect the Westminster campus to feel so rural. When I checked the map for the first time to see where I would be going, I thought, "Simsbury. A suburb of New York, if I'm not mistaken." I was. 

News: What do you hope to gain from spending your time at Westminster?

MM: I am here to learn new things and make new friends. The Westminster curriculum is full of subjects not available to me back home, and full of interesting people that I certainly wouldn't have met otherwise. It's nice to leave your home and join a community as an individual without personal prejudices attached. I say "personal" because, as an Irishman, I carry "national" prejudices like an extra suitcase that AA could charge me for. The USA is a fascinating country for so many reasons. A country that is astonishingly mature for its age. I'm not sure what I want to do with my life, but I'm sure the American approach can give me valuable lessons for whatever path I choose.

MM: Hopefully there will be opportunities for me to break out of my comfort zone in various ways. Admittedly, the Westminster bubble isn't the easiest place to do this, such that taking a walk on my own to the CVS Pharmacy the other day felt bizzare, empowering and rebellious at the same time. 

News: What has been your favorite class so far and why?

MM: I'm going to read history at university (translation: "I'm going to major in History at college"), so naturally I have the greatest interest in this subject. Otherwise, something would be wrong. But I'd also like to thank Mr. Cervas for rekindling a love of literature in me. At this stage, every subject offers something that the others don't. Economics offers a challenge, Music Theory offers a friendly and intimate class, and Comparative Government offers Republican-induced headaches. 

News: What is your favorite meal back home?

MM: A "Sunday Roast" is a plate of roast beef or chicken, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, cooked vegetables, all drowned in gravy. To be eaten strictly on Sundays, after Mass.

News: What are most excited to try in America?

MM: When it comes to food, there is definitely stuff I want to try, like Poptarts and deep fried Oreos, but "excited" isn't quite the right word. A large portion of guilt on the side is nothing to be excited about.

MM: I vowed to try skiing at some point and I'm delighted  to say that over a long weekend, thanks to the "Grit & Grace" of a friend, I succeeded...in trying.

News: What is something that Westminster students may not know about your home country?

MM: Many people fail to understand what my home country actually is. I am from Northern Ireland. Some don't know that such a place exists, and many who do aren't aware that it is part of the United Kingdom. But it's also part of Ireland. It's quite interesting. If you enter my room you'll be dazzled by the colours of a British flag and an Irish flag, and if you ask me where I'm from you may see me squirm, breathe deeply, gaze into the distance, say a prayer, and then deliver a university thesis of an answer. Call me a "counterfeit Brit," if you will.

News: Is there anything you find strange about American culture? If so, why?

MM: This question is a trap, and I suspect either Donald Trump or Vladimir Putin for setting it. A few things have grabbed my attention: The male dress sense can be a bit of a shambles. Breakfast for dinner is strange for obvious reasons and should be outlawed. The Superbowl is a farcical reason to round up troops in Afghanistan to pose for TV cameras while the National Anthem is being sung. And yes, Donald Trump is a bit of an oddball.

News: Where is your favorite place to travel? Have you been to the U.S. before?

MM: My mother is from Chile, so without hesitation, Chile is my favorite holiday destination. I visit the country about once a year to see my grandparents and to explore a bit. It is a second home. I was in the U.S. in 2012 on an exchange trip to Cincinnati for a month. Unfortunately, four weeks wasn't quite long enough to figure out this country, hence my return.

News: Are classes different in the UK? Is school in general different?

MM: I certainly wouldn't have sacrificed such a huge chunk of my gap year to do anything too similar to my schooling experience back home. I would say that, very generally speaking, school isn't radically different - we have schedules, bells, uniforms, nice teachers and nasty teachers - but digging a bit deeper reveals a huge range of variations. We have a totally different approach to exams. Emphasis is on A-level exams taken at the end of the year, without so many euphimistically named "quizzes" that have been keeping me on my toes here at Westminster. We study fewer subjects and therefore go into greater depth at A-level. The boarding aspect of Westminster life, of course, is a new experience, leading to a somewhat different relationship with teachers and certain sacrifices in the private realm of life (maybe that's just an only-child problem). The most significant differences for me arise from the specifics of my school back home. I attended an all-boys Catholic school for 11-18 year olds. Therefore, the absence of a crucifix in every classroom and of swarms of prepubescent boys is noticeable - just as noticeable as the presence of girls is, and the air of civilization they bring with them. It's disturbing that boys and girls segregate themselves in the dining hall. Men of Westminster, do not take this opportunity for granted. For seven years of my life having lunch with a girl was, tragically, a practical impossibility.