Blog- Week 8

Kelli Monheiser

Blog- Week 8

Social Life

Arriving back from a stressful, but extraordinary spring break, I believe that a majority of us can agree that we are happy to be back to our home away from home in Spiddal, Ireland. For me, what made spring break so amazing was not that I got to travel all of Europe in a week and a half, but the fact that I got to travel all of Europe in a week and a half with my dad. On our adventure, we rented a car and drove through Ireland; an adventure in itself. We began by driving to a small town of Ennis, where we visited a sale barn and then began our four-day journey through the country stopping at about every Catholic Church in Ireland. It was a neat opportunity to see a lot of Ireland that may be missed on a bus to major cities. Only to find ourselves driving the wrong way down the right side of the street more often than not, we finally made it to Dublin the night before we got on a plane and flew to Paris. From here, we visited the Eifel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral before we left for a tour of Normandy, and the battlefields of World War II. As for transportation, to avoid big cities and large masses of people, we traveled by train. After several transfers and many useless conversations from people who didn’t know a spit of English, we got the hang of the train station. Although the trains took a lot of our traveling time, and didn’t allow for us to stay long in one place, it was a great way for an old farmer from Crook, Colorado to see farmland in France, Switzerland, and Italy.  Although I enjoyed all the places that we saw, I would have to say that one of my favorite places was Rome, Italy and the Vatican City where we took a tour of the Vatican and New Saint Peters Church, saw the Rome Coliseum, and the amazing work of the worlds most famous artists in the museum, cathedral, and Sistine Chapel. We even got to see the Pope speak from the window of his apartment, which was a truly rewarding experience.

Buttttt, enough about my amazing adventures of Europe, and back to the potential one of those considering Ireland. I believe that this would be a good time to talk about the social life. Living with strangers is something that we all must do at some point. Whether it is moving into a new dorm, or going on a three-month abroad trip to Ireland, it may happen. The only difference between a semester together in a dorm and a semester together in Ireland, is that in Ireland, there is no getting away. If something were to go wrong close to home, you can take the weekend and go home, or join a club and meet new people, but in Ireland, it is different. There are fifteen of us and we are together no matter what. Here, I have found it very hard to get away and find time alone. Something that one should consider before coming here. Traveling is another factor. When coming overseas, it was important to me to travel, and I have, for the most part, held up to this standard as I have been to France, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Ireland, and potentially Scotland and Poland. Although I got to see a majority of it with my dad, it is important to know that some of the best things that you see in you life are with people that you may never talk to again.  Because of these circumstances, it is important to prepare yourself, because that has been hard for me. The simple fact that I am unable to share these great memories with people I know and love, but instead people who feel the same way about the ones that they love. However, I wont say that it is all that bad. From the experiences with new people, I have learned to adapt well with others and handle situations more selflessly. Definitely a golden rule as I get older and will encounter more people throughout my life. So even though three months doesn’t seem so long, it is a learning, and one of the most rewarding, experiences that one will ever embark on as you leave your old family and friends behind and make a new family with the ones surrounding you.

Blog- Week 6

Kelli Monheiser

Blog- Week 6

Westport Field Trip

Being the last week here before spring break, the week has been filled with last minute planning and getting organized. When initially making commitments to study abroad, spring break was the deciding factor. Since we had planned for my dad to come over and visit Europe with me in this time, we used a travel agent to help organize the trip. Because a majority of this planning was done before I had even gotten into Ireland to get a feel for what traveling was like, it was necessary to change some things around. In this sense, I wish that I would have waited to be here a week or two and then planned the trip on my own. There are a lot of things that I know now that I wish I would have known when she was planning. Although a travel agent may not have been the best way for us because we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to see, an agent may work better or come in more handy when he can give suggestions on what to see.

Boy, did I think the Aran Islands were pretty, until our weekend trip through the countryside up toward Westport. We stopped at the Connemara National Park where we were able to hike up a mountain for beautiful views of the country. Although the skies were misty and the wind was ferocious, not allowing us to see much, it was still an adventure. We then went on to the Kylemore Abbey that we had all heard so much about. Although many would say that it is just another castle in Ireland, this one seemed to hold more significance. While most other castles were built for protection or a public display of wealth, the Kylemore was built by a man who wanted to treat his beloved wife. It was one of the neatest things that I have ever seen, and not because it has been the only castle that I have ever seen, but because he put so much thought into the castle, great garden, gothic church, and mausoleum after she had died. I also found it very interesting that he planted nearly all of the vegetation around the expanse by various plants and trees that he imported from various countries or collected from areas within Ireland. We also drove by some very neat landmarks such as The Falls and St. Patrick’s Craoch. We were advised to stay the night in Westport because the nightlife was suitable for our group, if you know what I mean. The next day, we visited the Ceide Fields where we walked through the fields and saw some of the remains of the Great Stone Walls. However, my favorite part of the trip came at the end where se visited the Knock Shrine in the small town of Knock. This was the location where fifteen spectators had seen the apparition of Mary, St. Joseph and St. John. It was neat to stand in the exact place where the apparition and to touch the original stone of the Gable.

Field trips have become one of the best parts of the study abroad experience. It allows for a neat and organized way of visiting the country, and our supervisor is always willing to take suggestions as to what one may want to see. I look forward to the next four trips that we have after spring break including Dublin, Dingle, Northern Ireland, and The Ring of Kerry. 

Blog- Week 5

Kelli Monheiser

Blog- Week 5

Locals

I plan to keep this weeks blog short and sweet, because, well, week five has simply been short and sweet. Although this was our first four day weekend to accompany everyone’s travel plans, I decided not to go anywhere too far. On a last minute, instantaneous decision, a group of four of us decided to get a cheap bus ticket to Doolin, Ireland, a small down only about two hours away, where we found a cheap apartment like house to stay in. Although the weather was not the best, we still managed to do a little adventuring where we made a seven and a half mile hike to the Cliffs of Moher. It was cold and wet and tennis shoes quickly became one of he worst decisions we had made. However, it was well worth it. Much to our surprise, and luck, you could say, there was a music festival going on all weekend at the pubs in Doolin. They had everything from traditional Irish music to a group of high schoolers who had been one of the most talented groups that I had ever seen.  It was a good opportunity to see a little bit of the culture shine through in Ireland. I would advise anyone to attend a music festival of any sort during an off weekend.

            One of the things that I was worried about when coming to Ireland is the kind of people that I would encounter, or the locals. Being away for three months is a long time, but it will feel even longer of you are centering yourself around a bunch of rude people. Here in Ireland, I promise that you don’t need to worry about that. The people are some of the most thoughtful people I have ever met and throughout all my encounters so far, I have yet to meet someone who has treated tourists unrightfully. With the small town of Spiddal being the nearest source of life that we have, you will get to know the bar owners, restaurant waiters and waitresses, Texico clerks, post office staff and everyone else very well. They seem to enjoy having “the Americans” staying close by. Also, Jane Marie and John Paul are some of the nicest people I have met not only in Ireland, but ever. They would do anything to make sure that we are comfortable where we are staying, and that is one thing that I am very thankful for. Having parent figures here when mine are so far away.

            Overall, the first month of the trip has possessed many learning situations, great memories, breathtaking scenery, hard and lonely nights of missing home, bonding with new people and more. I have mixed feelings about saying that we are a third of the way done; both sad and happy, complete and unsatisfied, cultured and ignorant, and more, but I look forward to the rest that the trip has to offer in the next two months.