This article describes two Ghanaian students' experiences of connecting with learning, faculty, family and friends during an Erasmus+ semester abroad in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic. University faculty members' experiences are also explored. The students describe their experiences of adjusting to new ways of learning online and living through lockdown in a country far from home. These reflections highlight the students' positive learning experiences during a journey of both personal and professional development while also highlighting the challenges of converting to an online learning environment. These experiences illustrate the students' unexpected opportunities and challenges, demonstrating how support from the university faculty, Erasmus+ team and friends, both virtually and physically, helped them through this unprecedented time. This article presents an account of the students' and staff's learning experiences during a semester that was affected by the pandemic.