The end of an era

How has it been a month already? I so vividly remember going shopping for travel necessity’s and telling my job that I’d be gone for a month in Ireland. I feel like it was yesterday when I said goodbye to my friends and family, and hopped on a plane to a place I’ve never been before.

And now I’m here! It’s been 32 days since I’ve been in the United States yet I feel like I just got here. My study abroad program is over, and on my plane home I will be bringing back suitcases packed with memories. I met so many new people from so many different backgrounds, and made great friends that I hope to visit in the future.

To finish off the program, there were a couple more days of the disability law summer school which were very informational. Two of the girls from PSU stepped up to be representatives during the moot court we did on Friday and they did AMAZING.

I checked into my final hostel for the trip, and I already miss all of the other girls and our wonderful professors. Although I’ve had a great time in Ireland, I’m excited to come home and see my friends and family. I’m also SO excited to eat all of my favorite foods again!

Thank you to everyone that made this program happen for me. I honestly never thought I would be able to experience something like this. BUT, since I have such a great support system and great professors my dreams were able to come true. I can’t wait to tell everyone about my trip and help others figure out how they can afford to study abroad.

Xoxo, Mariah!!!

 

12 pizzas??

Hello from Galway! The pace here is very different from Dublin. As many people in Dublin told me, Galway is REALLY beautiful. This is more of the Ireland I was expecting when I first decided to come on the trip (lots of greenery, cows everywhere, taking a while to get from one place to another). I feel like I can really take some time to breathe and think here, which will be a nice end to our trip.

We are staying at NUI, or National University of Ireland which is in the top 1% of universities in the WORLD. The conference I will be going to is hosted here which is focused on international disabilities. On Thursday we left Dublin and got to our rooms on campus at NUI which I must say are pretty big! It must be a common theme here in Ireland, because at home our dorms are so tiny. Each dorm/ shared area comes with a kitchen as well which is so nice. We also went to a little cafe/ shop on campus and each of us got a 12 inch pizza! They were so cheap and they made them in front of us, but oh boy they were overwhelmed when 12 women came up with hungry eyes!

On Friday we woke up bright and early to go to the Aran Islands! I was so excited to go here and see the irish community on a smaller scale, and check out some handmade sweaters. We took a bus and a ferry to get there.  There are three Aran islands, and we went to the biggest one called Inis Mór. We were greeted as soon as we got on the island by a cute little dog who followed us around. I ended up buying a few sweaters and got to see some awesome ocean views and ruins.

Saturday was our one and only free day in Galway so we had to make the most of it! Adventure was calling my name (which has been happening a lot this trip) and I was itching to get out of the dorms. All of us went out as a group and walked into town, and had a lot of fun shopping and taking in the views. We had a great lunch and took a nice walk back in the warm summer sun, which was a nice change from the rain!

Overall, it’s nice to be in a different part of the country, but I really miss Dublin. I made so many friends there, and I knew how to navigate myself around the city. I miss the beautiful campus of Trinity College and the housekeepers that would come in each morning with a smile and greet me. I miss Thai Orchid, Pie-mans, and Bubble Waffle Factory, some of my favorite places to grab food.

My feelings may change as I spend more time in Galway and attend the conference, but right now I feel pretty homesick to Dublin.  Luckily, after Galway I will be back in Dublin for 4 days until I come back to the United States. I will absolutely still be making the most of my time here!

 

Growing through education and new friends

This week flew by. I feel like in all of my blogs I say this, but honestly I do not know where the time goes here. It is light out until 11pm and the sun rises at 5am, so it is so easy to lose track of time. As we end our final week in Dublin, all I could say is I feel really good. I feel really good, to explain in the slightest in so many ways.

I am making bonds with the students and professors who are on this trip with me, learning more about them, and feeling excited for the future. I have been making new friends on a daily basis and it is so cool to actually hear a different perspective on a variety of topics.

At home, I feel like hanging out with new people meant I was learning more about the world and the variation between people. And honestly, I was. But here it is so different, I have met many people who are from different countries (Mexico, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, to name a few) and who are here for so many different reasons. Some are on vacation, others are learning english here, and some are locals. I have learned a lot just through talking with these friends and I want to continue these conversations in my future travels.

On the school level, we have visited some really cool sites this week. We went to Child Vision Equine therapy and Rahney School. Both of these sites serviced children, some with autism, visual imparement, or other disabilities.

At Child Vision it was very similar to a farm. There were pigs, chickens, goats, horses, birds, cats, you name it. It reminded me of Hillside Farms at home. The venue was beautiful, with a large garden and fairy houses covering the back area. The main focus of this day was on the Equine therapy (Aka horse back riding!). This therapy has been shown to be really beneficial for kids with autism. I thought this site was awesome and so different from what I have seen before.

At Rahney school, we met loads of kids from the Dublin area. To attend school here the kids have to be diagnosed with a moderate disability. There were kids from age 4 to young adults in their late teens or early 20’s. The variety was nice to see the progression of the students through the years, and it was fun to meet all of the students!

Overall, I can not believe we are leaving for Galway on Thursday. I feel like I have been in Ireland for ages, but at the same time I feel like I just got here. I don’t want to leave my new home!! We have some exciting travel plans and day tours for the weekend, so look out for some awesome pictures.

Thanks for reading(:

Sincerly,

M

Is the trip half over or half fufilled?

Where did this week go? On Monday I remember all of us feeling nervous about our presentations, and now it seems like we presented so long ago! This past week, I have really started to feel comfortable with everyone on the trip. It’s a nice feeling to be in a new environment but feel so at home, knowing that whatever happens there are people there with you to support you every step of the way.

Aside from making bonds this week, I had a lot of fun (seems to be a running theme, my dad is seriously concerned that I am not doing enough school work) and found a new favorite site that we visited. Each site visit becomes my new favorite, and that is a really great thing to be able to say.

But, for this week the reigning champ of site visits for me was the Deaf Village.  The Deaf Village felt like home, and I found many similarities to the  buildings I see on a daily basis in Pennsylvania. The village was a YMCA style area, with a pool and a gym able to be used by the public. The rest of the facility was a community area for people who are hard of hearing or deaf. There is a cafe, church, and community rooms along with the gym and pool, and it was so great to see others enjoying the facility.  The village has a staff, some hearing and some not, who all know sign language (ISL). Irish sign language actually was just recently accepted as an official language which the community members seemed thrilled about.

 

 

 

 

 

After the site visits, we presented our projects on a disability we were each assigned. I presented on type 1 diabetes, and spoke about the similarities and differences between the U.S. and Ireland.

On Saturday, all of us went on a day trip to northern Ireland and it was THE BEST. We went to Giants Causeway, the Titanic museum, and the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

Overall, this was a really great week of bonding and enjoying myself. It is also now only one week until we go to Galway! I am going to miss Dublin so much! Hopefully I can squeeze everything in that I wanted to do while we are still in the city.

Cheers!

M

 

 

Venturing out to new places

Hey everyone! It is OFFICALLY week 2 in Dublin! Time flys when you’re having fun. This weekend was one full of adventure, excitement, and trying new things! There was a bank holiday on Monday, so of course us Penn Stater’s took full advantage and got crack-a-lackin early.

This Sunday was the first time I had the chance to really expand my horizons and leave the city center part of Dublin. The girls and I took a train in the morning to a city called Howth. All I can say is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. Howth was a very cute area that had a weekend market that we stopped at, and they had some of the most visually appealing breads, cupcakes, noodles, etc. that I have ever seen in my life. Honestly, I am suprised I didn’t buy one of everything.

After exploring the market, we took a walk to the docks (We were right on the ocean, by the way) and decided we NEEDED to see the island across the coast. We took a boat to the island, and got off in an… interesting way to say the least, by climbing up the side of the island rocks. The island, or “Ireland’s Eye” was covered with seagulls and seagull babies, as well as some breathtaking greenery.

 

 

 

To finish our day in Howth, we all got dinner at a local place, and of course we had to try the seafood! Although I am not a big seafood person, I did get the fish and chips, because when in Rome, right?

Monday was the bank holiday in Ireland, so we did not have a site visit. But, all of us, including Dr. Smal and Dr. Coduti really made a day out of it! Our wonderful professors booked a day trip for us, and we visited Newgrange, Hill of Slane, Hill of Tara, and Monasterboice.  These sites are what I expected Ireland was going to be like before I got here. I have been spending the majority- if not all of my time in the city so this was a really nice change of pace.

First stop: Newgrange! Newgrange is a prehistoric momument that we got to visit and even go inside of the tomb. It is said to have been built way before the great pyramids and is still in really great conditon. It was so interesting to go here, our tourgide was very knowlegable and explained to us what is known about the tomb as of currently.

 

Second stop: Hill of Slane. The Hill of Slane was a little bonus stop for us since we were being so timely. (And because our tour guide was amazing!) This area was originally a school building and a church, and is known for a contest between irish tribes in 433 CE. It was so pretty here, and interesting to see how buildings, even just the remains of them, can last for such a long time.

Third stop: Hill of Tara! The hill of Tara is an area in Ireland that has some really important history. This is where the kings of Ireland were crowned, O’Connell last spoke pubicly, and where people would come to ask a favor of the fairy tree. The hills here were very interesting as they were laid out into circles that were inside of eachother. The fairy tree was covered in pieces of ribbon, notes, and even a bag of chips on a string, hey- an offering is an offering, right?

Last stop: Monasterboice. This was a cemetery that has the largest cross in Ireland. It is very old, and has carvings on it from stories in the bible. There were many lovely graves here, and one of the largest towers in Ireland that was used to keep watch over the cemetery. I really enjoyed seeing this because of the history behind the area. Our tour guide showed us another cross on the property that had chips taken out of it from people during the great potato famine who wanted a piece of home with them while they emigrated.

Overall, Monday was a really cool day and it was nice to have the time to explore more rural parts of the country. One thing I noticed while we went to the different areas though was that it may be difficult for some people to get to the actual sites. A running theme at each area was a gate that had a swinging door which only allowed one person through at a time. I feel like if someone was in a wheelchair this would not be easy or maybe even not possible for them.

After the weekend of fun it was time to get back to business! On Tuesday we started the week off strong by visiting Fighting Blindness. This organization is run primarly from donations and works with researching the causes of different reasons and conditions of blindness. This site was particularly interesting due to the scientific aspect of it, and the team there knew exactly what they were talking about. We met a man named John, a long time employee and counselor at Fighting Blindness whom is actually blind himself. Hearing his perspective while we visited was really special and it was great to hear from someone that the organization is meant to help.

Overall, it has been a great time in Ireland so far, and I can’t wait for some of the site visits and festivities this weekend!

Sincerely, M.

BONUS PICTURES!!!!

 

 

Stop. Go! Stop. Go! STOP. GO!

After completing our first complete week in Ireland I am starting to feel as I am at home. I can navigate myself around the main parts of center city without GPS, (Ok, mostly because I’ve already run out of data) and it feels great! I’ve been through a few trials and tribulations this week, but in the end, this experience is already so amazing and eyeopening- and FUN!

After each site visit, I feel so exhausted, but then I remember how truly lucky I am to be in another country studying with such wonderful people. After laying down for 5,10, or 15 minutes, the appreciation for the people who allowed this trip to happen kicks in, and the motivation to learn more about culture and disability wakes me back up. I am so happy to be here and to have the privilege of gaining an education in such a fun and hands-on way.

On Wednesday the group and I visited the Trinity Centre for people with Intellectual Disabilities. We met first-year students who are in the two year Arts, Science and Inclusive Applied Practice program at Trinity College who were participating in SciFest, which is an international STEM research fair. It was truly amazing to see the students from this program presenting research on their favorite subjects. They were so proud of their work and were ecstatic to teach us what they learned. My favorite project was titled “Heather’s Hair”, which demonstrated the process of creating a personalized shampoo and conditioner formula that is better for your hair than most store brand products.

Following the site visit Wednesday, the girls and I explored the city and shopped around at some really unique places.  Also, it seems that the locals are starting to like us! After going for dinner at a delicious buffet style restaurant called KC Peaches, we left with an entire plate of free dessert.

Thursday was one of my favorite days so far, we traveled to St. Michaels house and met a handful of the wonderful people who use the services there.   St. Michaels serves the greater Dublin area and is a place for people with intellectual disabilities to learn, grow, and socialize. I cannot explain how hard I laughed this day, and how much fun I had just having conversations with the people who were there.

Early in the mornings and the late afternoon has become the time for me to explore and learn more about the area I am staying in. I’ve been taking walks in the morning to grab a coffee or donut, (which are both SO good here   I must say) and I try my best to not go to the same place more than once. In the afternoons, all of the girls get together to grab dinner and find fun places to visit.

On Friday we met Martin, an employee at Mental Health Ireland. I am really interested in learning more about mental health and the treatment options for it, and at this site we were told about how Ireland helps their communities with mental health issues.

I have fallen in love with the area Mental Health Ireland is in, (Bullock), And I am officially never leaving. The town gave me a Mama Mia beach vibe, with its fresh fruits and veggies outside of the stores, and a breeze to keep anyone cool on a hot day. We went inside of the James Joyce tower and I took a swim in the ocean nearby. It was only 66 degrees, but somehow I avoided becoming a popsicle.

As the first week of my study abroad experience is coming to a close, I can honestly say that I cannot wait for weeks to come. I have done so much since I arrived in Dublin, and am sure it will only get better from here on!

 

Off to a great start in beautiful Ireland

A two hour drive, a six hour flight, and a bus ride later, I have arrived in Dublin. The anticipation of this trip was eating at me, but I could not be more excited for it to finally have begun. When I first arrived in the Dublin airport, my attention was caught by a large billboard on the wall: “Living with a disability has made my life nearly unbearable, but with the help of my community in Dublin I am managing my life.” I was taken back by this advertisement, because typically in the states there are less abrupt advertisements for disability services, if there are any displayed in public places at all.

From here on, I took notice to those around me who may have a disability. During my first day, I noted three homeless individuals, one woman checking her blood sugar, one man using a white cane, and three individuals using a wheelchair. After recognizing my surroundings, my interest in our course work for this program really sparked. Since I took notice to a number of persons with disabilities on my first day in Dublin, I have been wondering what this city does to accommodate their community.

As all of the Penn Staters got together and went to our first site, Trinity Disability Services, my questions started being answered. At TDS, Claire, an occupational therapist and member of the board informed us of the services provided specifically to students at Trinity College. During the presentation, I found it very interesting that such a renowned university that has been in Dublin since 1592 has taken major steps in making their campus more accessible. The renovation I found the most impressive was adding smooth walkways on campus to accommodate those who may have a walking disability. I could only imagine the work it took to add these walkways, since the remainder of the ground is made out of cobblestone. Overall, the impression Ireland has made on me thus far is great, and I cannot wait to visit more sights and gain a better understanding of how PWDs are treated in this country.