Service Project

At the beginning of this trip I given the assignment of doing a service project for the people of Spiddal. For the longest time I struggled with what to do. After countless ideas it finally hit me, I wanted to contribute back to the people of Park Lodge. Park Lodge has done so much to make us feel comfortable and accommodate us. Every day I would walk past the kitchen on my way to class and smell the deliciousness oozing out of the door. Some days, if you were lucky, you could walk away with some soup and sandwiches. Jeraldean really did spoil us. It was a great opportunity to be able to learn from Jeraldean and help her prepare for upcoming banquets.

                I love being able to work in the kitchen. I find cooking to be very relaxing and enjoyable. Jeraldean taught me how to peel potatoes, I know so basic but trust me it is hard! We made fruit salad, cream puffs, grilled salmon, roast beef, mixed vegetables, soup, and so much more. The first day I was there over 4 hours! There is so much work to be done in a kitchen. What I think I enjoyed the most was being able to talk to Jeraldean’s mom. We talked for around two hours while we peeled four twenty pound bags of potatoes together. When I asked her if she had lived near Spiddal her whole life she laughed and said heavens no. She grew up with four sisters and five brothers, a big family. For over thirty years she was a nurse and she absolutely loved it. What I found to be really

interesting is that she actually lived in the States for five years. She lived in Seattle and traveled a little bit. Her daughter, Jane Marie my Gaelic teacher, was born in America and is an American citizen. It was really nice to sit down and have a conversation with someone from Ireland and learn about their history.