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.

The Best For Last...

It is bittersweet as I write about the last field trip of the program. You spend so much time on the go, always constantly moving that you sometimes forget to appreciate what is around you. Over the past week it has really hit me that in a few short days I have to leave this beautiful country that I have come to call my home. This past weekend we traveled to the beautiful peninsula of Dingle. It was absolutely gorgeous; more than words can say. We saved the best for last.

Dingle is a beautiful little town of only a couple thousand people located a couple of hours from Galway. It was not the tourist attractions or the great food that made Dingle so special in mind; it was the breath taking views that surrounded you. Everywhere you looked you were stunned into silence. The mountains on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. I truly wish the pictures I have could do the town justice, “The camera cannot capture what the mind can see”. Dingle is one of those towns that does not show up on all the tourist attractions throughout Ireland, but once you get there you realize the amazing gem it is.

Cliffs of Mohr

 Dingle will always hold a special place in my heart because of its beauty and the people who got to experience it with me. This is where we all realized we only had a week left together. We talked, we cried, but most of all we made it more than just a memory. We celebrated the time we got to spend together and the family we became. As I look back on all the adventures I have had in Ireland, I am glad this got to be one of my last, with my friends at my side.

Northern Ireland

Giants Causeway

I have gotten the chance over the last five days to tour Northern Ireland. Before going to Northern Ireland I learned a lot about their history and their conflict. I learned about different murals on their walls representing both nationalists and unionists. It was amazing to learn about the troubled history of the north and then go and actually experience it for myself.

              

Titanic Museum in Belfast

  Touring Northern Ireland in five days was exhausting. We were constantly on the go, moving from one town to the next. However, it was well worth the drive. On our tour we got to see Belleek Pottery, Strokestown, Giants Causeway, Ulster American Folk Park, Portrush, Derry/Londonderry, Belfast, Titanic Museum, and more. The Ulster American Folk Park was very interesting and educational. I would compare it to our Pioneer Village but much bigger and better. The Park had forty-three different sites and took about 2-3 hours to go through. Each house or cottage had a person dressed up from that time period standing and talking about that exhibit. It was really neat to be interactive with the history. To get from the Ulster Plantation to the American side you had to cross a boat. Crossing the boat gave a sense of what it might have felt like for those Irish Immigrants coming to our land.

Ulster American Folk Park

 My favorite part of the Northern Ireland trip was going to Belfast. Belfast was a perfect example of the conflict still going on in Northern Ireland today. Throughout the entire city there were murals on houses and walls showing the sides of both nationalists and unionists. Even walking down the streets you could tell when you switched over from different neighborhoods. You would be walking with Ireland flags beside you and the nest thing you know they were British flags. Walking down the street people would ask you where you were you from. They wanted to hear your accent so that way they knew what side you were on.

             

Touring Northern Ireland was an eye opening experience. Seeing conflict still affecting people today, and people of my age was astounding. There is still so much tension between Catholics and Protestants.