After Landing back on American Soil

                This three week experience has really changed me as an individual and as a teacher forever. I have grown as a person in many ways. I learned to take in the beauty of a situation and take a step back and relax. The people I had encounters with were very humble and enjoyed each day of life. From our bus drivers to store clerks, they wanted to make sure you as a customer and as a person had a good experience and they loved to know and talk to everyone. We meet one young male who really made me realize how I have grown up in a great family and how important they are to me. He loves his family and he loves his home town while he showed us around he made sure to tell us everything he knew. Making me want to learn more about where I’m from and know what is right here in Pittsburgh. I learned to take a breath and relax which is one thing that will change everything in my life. I also learned that if you put your mind to doing something great things will come out of it. I learned this coming on this trip and taking the chance, and when climbing a 2,000ft mountain.

                 I grew as a professional within my placement. I learned that I building a relationship is key when teaching students. I know that sounds funny because I've been told that each semester but this trip shows in in action and made me realize how important it is to build that relationship with your students and co-workers. While at my placement if a relationship wasn't started they would not interact with me. I learned so much about each individual and showed them that I cared which made leaving hard.            Another thing that my placement did was made connections with what the service users wanted to do. The classes were choosing by the service user’s interest and they got to sign up for classes that they wanted to go to. Many also did individual projects that they were interested in like one service user was making a yellow submarine from the Beatles. Lastly getting to know your co-workers will help in the work setting with making connections with students you have and it also allows your students know that everyone needs to work together and not against each other.

                My academic goals are still the same with what and who I want to teach however this experience makes me want to learn more about connections in a classroom or connections with activities and an individual with a disability. So I could see myself wanting to do research on this in my future.

                I was surprised how easily I just went day by day with little planning and if the bus or we were running late it didn't matter and I was not stressed about being late. Normally I am always on time or early for work or even meeting with friends. So when things were late I thought I would stress more however I didn't so that was something that I realized is not life threatening that I don’t need to run like a mad woman and I can relax a little before freaking out that I maybe late.

                While in Ireland my fears pretty much disappeared I let go of my fears after the first day when we got lost walking to town on our first night. I figured if we can get lost and home on the first night that we would be able to find our way and exploring is how one will discover more by just letting go and taking in the experience.  

                Studying abroad has changed my view on the world making me know how beautiful other places can be and how many places have different outlooks that may be more impacting for students learning and individuals in a lifestyle. The single greatest benefit of studying abroad was the experience as a whole. I loved getting to know my roommates on my own and not making prior judgments. I learned to trust myself and to let go of control allowing me to grow as an individual. Being away from my family and friends showed me that I can stand on my own and I am a strong individual that will grow more with each experience. My favorite experience was definitely in my placement gaining more experience and allowing others into my life to gain a relationship really allowed an impacting gain for me and loving the service users I worked with. Going into the day service center each day was something I looked forward to and loved walking into such a great supportive environment.

                My advice for the next participants would be to let go and enjoy your three weeks because time does fly. Go out each night enjoy explore new places even if that’s not what you would normally do at home who knows you may love it and may change your life. Take a step and let your heart lead you and do not let your fears hold you back. I would definitely study abroad again if I was giving the chance again. I loved learning and loved meeting new people. Where I would study wouldn't matter because everywhere has a different story and learning can come from everything. I would go back to Ireland however I would like to go somewhere else and learn more about other places in the world.  

My faviorte weekend trip was this past weekend. This being our last weekend in Ireland made it bitter sweet, however, it was something I will never forget. It was a bank Holiday here in Ireland as well which was exciting to be a part of. Saturday we went to West point and started our day early climbing Croagh Patrick, which is, is a 764 metres or we would say 2,507 foot mountain and it is an important site of pilgrimage in County Mayo, Republic of Ireland.

This was a huge accomplishment. Our small group stuck together and climbed to the top and pushed each other to finish. Once we started we made sure that we all stuck together. All week at my placement I was told that I could do it but it would be a challenge. I did not realize how much of a challenge it would be till we started climbing. The view was amazing and it was a great feeling once we reached the top of Croagh Patrick. Once we got to the bottom of the mountain was an even better relief. We all then went in to town for a nice dinner to celebrate our accomplishment. At dinner I really felt the connection between our group we came together. We have become a family in this short three week period and learned how to encourage each other and build up everyone’s confidence. Once we finished dinner we shopped around and then took the bus back home to relax our stiff bodies from the climb.

The next day we went to Galway our first stop was the cathedral. It was beautiful. The pews were all facing different directions which I found strange. It was a beautiful place to worship and pray for others. Then we were dropped in town to shop. This was fun the weather was nice so many were out and about. This gave us a chance to interact with people and meet up with a friend we meet on this trip from Galway. His name is Ryan and he DJ’s at a pub during the week. He meets us after noon where he took us to the best shops and an American candy shop to start.

Then he showed us the claddagh. This is where the Irish Claddagh rings shape was discovered. It was based on a church which was the heart for love, and then the town circled the church which is the hands which stands for togetherness. Then the crown means loyalty. This was great to see because many have an Irish claddagh ring but don’t know where it came from and what it means. Ryan then showed us the old Spanish arch which was a trading market. He took us to a water polo match which isn’t like our water polo. Their water polo is played in kayaks where ours is not.  

Then we went to the beach. There was a football tournament in the park which I loved seeing because that is something I played when I was younger. But this was not like a simple park tournament. There were a ton of people in the park watching these games very invested in a little park match. This shows that here in Ireland many are very invested in football and it is a large part of their culture.

Then Ryan took us to a family run business that he worked at when he was younger. Where I tried bacon and cabbage, which here is a dish that Irish are known for. It was great the cabbage was good and of course the meal came with some potato as a side. The meal was great and I would eat that again. The restaurant was amazing and the owner still remembered Ryan.

As we drove back to town Ryan would tell us many things about the outskirts of the town which I found fascinating. Many young people don’t know much about their own culture or surroundings. I say this because I am ignorant about landmarks at home and would have no idea what to tell visitors about my homeland. He was so kind and helpful. Very into his family culture and is very respectful and loved showing us around his home.

Then the Bank holiday began. We got home a little around 8pm and relaxed from our busy day in Galway. Then we got ready for the night. Ryan told us that a Bank holiday is the fourth of July or New Years and that the pubs and night clubs would be packed. So he got us on one of the VIP lists and we got to truly experience the night life in Sligo. We went to a pub first and danced then when to the disco, which is also a night club. We enjoyed our night full of dancing and meeting others. We meet some students from Ireland and also meet a couple of people from England which was great. We really enjoyed our weekend and the bank holiday.

Croagh Patrick was an amazing view while coming down the mountain we could see the ocean and all the islands surrounding it something I will never forget. The towns are indescribable here in Ireland. Each store is different colors inviting customers in. I also love the bus rides because I get to the country side of Ireland which is VERY Green! This shows the natural beauty of Ireland. It’s hard to describe the place because it is beautiful and makes me speechless. The way that many if not all things are natural and the landscapes are gorgeous. On a sunny cloudless day anywhere in Ireland one can capture its true beauty. Before this trip everyone told me Ireland was Beuatiful but never said how or why they thought that and now i know because it is really hard to discribe something so beautiful.