Farewell Ireland

Believe it or not this is my last week of classes in Ireland, which also means my last blog post! These past 12 weeks have flown by, and I’ve had the most amazing time through my travels. One assignment that we were given was to do a service-learning project. This is were you reach out to the community and try to build some lasting relationships. After looking high and low for something we could do in the small village of Spiddal, we finally found something! Hannah and I got into contact with the schools girls basketball coach and she let us help out with a few Monday practices. This was a great opportunity to hang out and get to know a few of the kids that lived in Spiddal. During the arrangement we didn’t really know what was in store for us, but when we got there, the coach let us take the reins on the practice and show the girls what we know! It was a fun activity, and after the practice we got the opportunity to sit down with the girls and really get to know them. I learned a bit of what they do in school and how they live their daily lives. I think the service-learning project was a good opportunity to get out into the community after finally finding something to do.

Overall, my time in Ireland has been one of the best experiences of my life. I am so happy that I got the opportunity to study abroad and live among a different culture for these past three months. I’ve learned so much from this country and the people I’ve spent my time with. It’s truly amazing and I would 100% recommend studying abroad to anyone that has the chance.

 Sending my love!

Regan

Belfast

Protestant Mural

Protestant Mural

Our second to last field trip was to Northern Ireland. We spent five days visiting various cities throughout Northern Ireland, but two of those days were in Belfast, which is what I’m going to discuss in this weeks blog. During our time here in Ireland, our history professor has briefly discussed the conflicts that have and still are happening in Belfast. I didn’t quite comprehend how extreme and present the issues still are today, until I was right in the middle of this city and it’s history. Luckily, we were staying in the city center, which was a tame part of Belfast so we didn’t come across any conflicts first hand. On the second day in Belfast, a couple of my group members and I decided to take a taxi tour of the city, just to see all the murals that we’d heard so much about. This was by far one of my favorite experiences in Ireland. The taxi driver took us to both sides of the peace wall that was put in force to split up the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods. We saw the Protestant side and he told us stories of people that they glorify for their time as members of the UDA. Then we were taken to the Catholic side, and shown memorials of all the volunteers and innocent people that were killed during The Troubles. Seeing these murals and memorials first hand, and hearing the stories of what happened in the place I was standing, was truly moving. I’ve never experienced something so surreal. Belfast has been through some really tough times, and although it is progressively getting better, there are still conflicts to this day between the two sides. I’m thankful to have seen Belfast and all the baggage that comes with it, it was truly moving and definitely something I would recommend. But at the same time, I’m also thankful that I’ve never been exposed to such discrimination growing up. It reminded me that there are conflicts and events happening outside my little world of Nebraska, and that’s something I think we all need to keep at the front of our heads.

Catholic Mural

Sending my love!

Regan

Catholic Memorial

Westport Fun

 This field trip was so far one of my favorites. It was a quick, one night trip to Westport, but we all accomplished so much on this quick weekend trip. We made a few scenic stops on our way to Westport to take some pictures. One of these stops was at Kylemore Abbey (bottom left side picture). Kylemore Abbey is a Benedictine monastery and it’s one of the more beautiful buildings that I’ve witnessed on this trip. Then we took one major stop at Crough Patrick. This mountain (which is shown in my first two pictures) is 764 meters high, and is extremely steep towards the top. There is a church at the top of Crough Patrick, and they still hold services there! The journey to the top is a pilgrimage, which was a really awesome experience and there’s an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment when you finally reach the top. It took us about 2-2.5 hours to get to the top, and only 1 hour to get back down to the bottom. About nine of my group members made it all the way to the top, and the view was phenomenal. It was well worth the sore muscles the next day. After the exhausting hike, we finally made our way to Westport where we spent some time in the town that evening. The next day, a couple of the girls and I went looking for some bikes to rent and ride around the coast, instead we stumbled upon the Westport House. We decided to tour the house, which was originally build for a pirate queen, then we did a few activates that they had on the house grounds. Such as a quick little train ride, some slides, a swan pedal boat, and swinging pirate ships. We all felt like little kids again. Although it was a quick trip to Westport, it was packed full of activities, and we kept ourselves rather busy. I think it’s safe to say my body is feeling it this week!

Sending my love!

Regan

Westport House

Kylemore Abbey

Language

As some of you may have already seen on my Facebook page, I visited Rome a few weeks back. I’ve never really been thrown into a country that wasn’t primarily English speaking until my weekend in Rome. This city was absolutely gorgeous and had so much to offer, but it was a struggle trying to navigate in a city that had limited English. Luckily English is a very common language, and most countries that don’t speak it primarily, at least teach it in their schools. We were always able to either find someone that spoke a little English, or mime our way through the conversation. Rome was the only place I’ve traveled to thus far that I’ve had any difficulties with language barriers. It was frustrating at times, not only for my group but also for the locals attempting to help us. One thing that I learned in Rome, that I’m definitely going to try and continue to do for my future travels, is to learn a little bit of the primary language spoken. By at least attempting their native language, the locals seem a bit more willing to help. Plus I just think it’s more respectful to try and emerge yourself into their culture and try it all out, even if it seems a bit uncomfortable. All countries are proud of their history and culture, and they all appreciate the effort when travelers jump right in to their surroundings. I did my best to speak a little Italian while I was visiting this wonderful city, (granted I said everything horribly wrong) they assured me that it was the effort that counts. My advice for world travelers is to really jump in head first to the culture around you. Although it can seem uncomfortable at first, you might find things you actually really enjoy, and it brings self-confidence in the long run as well.

Sending my love!

Regan

Crazy Kids

Given our unusual housing situation, it’s been somewhat difficult to meet new people. Typically in a study abroad program, two universities pair up and the students will dorm on campus with local students attending the university. Our program is set up in rural Ireland at some cottages out the back of a hotel. We are only a 20-minute cab ride away from Galway, which is a pretty hopping college town, but that trip can get old and expensive rather quickly. So is there really much of a social life for my 21-year-old college self out back of this hotel? Definitely. Going into our first orientation meetings I was a bit uneasy about the group that I would be traveling with (I’m sure they all would say the same). Previous study abroad students warned me that I would make some lifetime friends while studying overseas, and I have to admit that I didn’t believe them. But boy was I wrong. There’s a group of 17 very different, interesting characters living as my neighbors. I never would have imagined I would grow to be so close to each of them. But when you’re thrown in rural Ireland, and you literally eat, breathe, study, sleep, travel, etc. with these people it’s kind of hard not to fall in love with their craziness. It’s sad to think I only have one month left in Ireland, but I find it even more upsetting that I won’t get to walk out of my cottage every morning to see all of these wonderful people. I know I was previously warned of the friendships I’d make while abroad, but I was definitely not prepared. I truly have made some of the best friends (and only in two short months!), and I know they’re going to remain a big part of my life. We’ve all been through a lot together, and experienced parts of the world together. Nothing can replace that. Much love to all my group members.

Sending my love!

Regan

Ps. Ireland students: prepare yourselves; I’m already planning a reunion trip back to Ireland.