Ireland: Different than any previous experience abroad Past Review
By Bethany B (Music Education, Grand Valley State University) for
GEO: Dublin - Study Abroad Programs in Dublin
I have been many places overseas. I started traveling in high school with my choirs or on missions projects with my church. I thought I was prepared to go into a different culture and confident that it wouldn't change me too much. On the contrary, I was changed and continued to change afterwards as I mulled over everything I learned about myself and others while in Ireland. I gained a better understanding of myself as a person and who I want to be. I began the process of pruning the parts of me that were detrimental and polishing the aspects of my personality that I valued. This experience not only changed my view of myself, it changed my view of traveling. Before Ireland, it was hard for me to think of traveling to different countries as something that was accessible. I had many fears about traveling by myself and meeting a group of all new people. While studying abroad and traveling are expensive, it is not a door that is nailed shut. I have successfully boarded a plane by myself, traveled to a different country with limited knowledge of the area, and came back with everything in tact. I am a more confident person and feel that I can approach most challenges with the expectation that I will succeed.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload seemed daunting when I first viewed the syllabus, but the instruction was so fluid and the expectations were so clear, I had very little difficulty performing the required tasks. The projects correlated with our excursions and the teachers were excellent. Being an education major, I analyze educators both from the perspective of a student and as a fellow teacher. The staff was incredibly knowledgeable about everything we covered in class, they cared a great deal about making the information relatable and I retained more in those 5 weeks than I ever have in a condensed curriculum. The grading system transitioned smoothly back to my home university and grading was the same as well. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I can only speak to the programs strengths as I did not experience or observe any weaknesses. I'm sure there are things to improve upon (there always are with a program as great as this one) but I was only impressed by what I participated in. I loved the fact that our classroom learning was not confined to the classroom. We were given ample opportunities to explore Ireland for ourselves and contribute our own perspectives of culture to the classes we participated in. Not only were we able to do this through weekly excursions, which were more informative than any typical classroom teaching method, we were able to experience Irish culture through our host homes. One of the fastest ways to understand a culture is to live within it. Because we were given this unparalleled opportunity to stay with Irish families, we were able to adapt and learn more than we ever would had we been confined to a university dormitory surrounded by American participants. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Ena was an incredible hostess. She was the mother of three whose husband was a teacher. Her cooking skills were exquisite. She fed us until we were stuffed and was always incredibly charming. I never saw her flustered and she was always willing to help us with whatever we needed assistance with. Her rules were very clear from the beginning so we had no problems related to her expectations. Her entire family was incredibly welcoming and my roommates and I were able to spend time with her children quite often. This was, by far, the experience that made my Ireland trip way above average. |
| * Food: |
As stated before, Ena's cooking was impeccable. She was very willing to work with dietary restrictions and everything tasted delicious! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
My favorite trip was our weekend trip to Donegal. We traveled in a bus up to this small town and spent two days enjoying the local life and hiking around the area. Pictures cannot even begin to describe the beauty that we witnessed. I tell people, "I used to think th pictures of Ireland were photoshopped, nothing can be that beautiful in real life, but it was even MORE beautiful. The time we were able to spend there with the locals and our group solidified our relationships with each other that will continue to last. My other favorite even was the ceili. This was an opportunity for us to learn some traditional Irish dances. It seemed like a mixture between square dancing and line dancing with some Irish thrown in. It was such an enjoyable experience! Not only were we able to learn some dances, we were exposed to a wonderful Irish band. The music was fantastic. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Safety was never an issue. When we were in the parts of town that were not as safe, we were always accompanied by one of the staff members. There are very few areas that we went where I felt unsure of my safety. The only thing I would recommend is, when you're walking on the sidewalk, stay far away from the road. The roads are narrow and the cars are very close to the sidewalk. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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Language
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Even if you don't have any Irish ancestors, this is an opportunity that should not be passed up. We all have our reasons for going on this trip and we all came back with different reasons to go back. I went because Irish music has always been a large part of my life. I have always loved listening to the unique sounds and timbres of traditional Irish music. I was able to be exposed to many different genres of music while over there; some genres were like the American music I listen to while others were completely different. After spending 5 weeks in Ireland, I want to go back, but my main reason has changed. The people and their way of life draws me back. It's so much different than America. They still have their stressors and they have deadlines just like we do, but everywhere we went was much more of a small town feel. Even in the city centre of Dublin, the hussle and bussle was different than that of Chicago, New York, Metro-Detroit, etc. The Irish people and the culture alleviated my stress and I was able to truly enjoy immersing myself into another world. The friends I made on this trip will stay with me forever, even if we don't keep in touch. We experienced something together that changed all of us in one way or another. Even though the experience was a group experience, we were all touched individually by our time spend in Ireland. It doesn't matter what your likes and dislikes are, what your background it, what your major is, what your friends and family say; Ireland is an incredible place full of wonderful people and beautiful scenery that should be experienced by everyone at some point in life. Why not do it now while you have the time and resources to do so? |
