Travels with Glenn

Irish-isms

2008-06-27T15:01:00.003-04:00

In Ireland, they speak both Irish (we call it Gaelic, and is their national language) and English (spoken primarily). Yet, there are words and phrases that are different in our version of English - here are a few (feel free to add more!):

chips = fries
crisps = potato chips
lurry = truck
biscuits = cookies
Guarda = police
Cinemas = The Movies (ie you would say, I'm going to see a film at the Cinema)
film (pronounced fill-em) = movie
disco = night club (there are no lighted floors, sadly)
pub = bar
boot = trunk of your car

Interesting Phrases
Your Man - as in "Your man up the street", you probably have never met this individual, but it is just a way of referring to the person

Ceade Mile Failte (Gaelic, pronounced cade meel fall-chuh) - means a hundred, thousand welcomes, and is used to say hello

Cheers - instead of saying thanks or by, for example when you get change from buying something at a store, you simply say "cheers"

Sliante (Gaelic, pronounced slawn-chuh) - means cheers, as in a toast

Alternative Spellings:
endeavour, centre, harbour, etc.

Wrapping Up

2008-06-27T14:22:00.003-04:00

This was our last week in County Monaghan. Students finalized their presentations of their work from their community engagement projects, practiced, and gave them to a crowd of over 50 community members, elected officials, and other guests at the Corcaghan Community Centre. It was exciting to have Carole talk about the work and development of this program, hear from the students, and listen to Breege on her thoughts on this work. I am so glad this program was such a success, and happy to know that communities and students learned side-by-side.

We were able and lucky to have two guests from County Mayo that are involved in the sister program there, Sister Maureen Lally and Mary Prendergast. It was so wonderful to be able to see them both before I headed back to the States. Sister gave a key note address, indicating the importance of this type of learning for both communities and students; she is always inspiring. They spent the night at Freda's, and we all joined for breakfast the next morning before they headed back.

Students soon arrived to have their final reflections on that Wednesday morning, and to do wrap ups. I always enjoy this part, as we are able to talk about how much growth happens in a short 6 1/2 weeks. It is also important that students know this work isn't finished. The projects they work on over this time has aided the community's learning, and they are then able to move it forward in ways that best suit the community's needs. See you soons were said, and students headed out for a bit of time with their host families until they headed for Dublin via bus.

Carole and I travelled to Sligo on Thursday, a place I had not been before. This is right on the Atlantic Ocean in the Northwest of the Republic of Ireland, and has beautiful views. We were able to take a bit of time for a nice lunch at the Memorial of W. B. Yeats after walking around this smaller, yet adequate city. We headed to a historical site filled with stone-aged, prehistoric ceremonial and burial sites to explore as a potential site for weekend trips for students in upcoming years. These were absolutey interesting; located in random fields of farmers, they were excavated for public viewing. I find it so intriguing how ancient and rich the history is in Ireland; something I think we forget in America. Our history reaches back before white people's settlements just centuries before, but truly do date back millenia through indigenous history, alive and vibrant. This is something I hope to explore more upon returning.

As I sit here on Friday, the day before I leave to head back to Michigan, I know the work this program is doing continues to emphasize the need to engage with the world, and provide our students and faculty in the Bailey Scholars Program and MSU to be life-long, globally-minded learners. The impact we enable is greater than our community; we are able to reach out, build capacity in other areas of the world, and bring this knowledge back to our work. How amazing to increase the level of information and knowledge sharing across cultures, communities, and people. This is the work of the Bailey Scholars Program, to truly acknowledge our interdependence, even if it is thousands of miles away.

Belfast and Dublin

2008-06-27T13:28:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I visited Belfast and Dublin for a bit of personal travel.

Hopping on a bus here in Ireland is rather easy, and inexpensive. Round trip to Belfast was merely 19.30 Euro (appx $30). The island is rather easy to navigate with a bus that will get you nearly anywhere you would like to head.

Carole and I headed to Belfast, which is the capital of Northern Ireland. The day was a bit dank and dreary, with colder weather (appx 50 degrees Fahrenheit), but this was a city I had yet to visit. We had no real plans, as when I vacation I typically enjoy making arrangements, but exploring when I arrive (it's my organized way of being unorganized). We decided to head down to the city center and hop on a bus tour. We thought it wouldn't be too bad riding on the open top of a double-decker bus, perhaps we should have rethought that idea. We got a bit rained on, but the view of the city was worth it. They took us around to the various areas, and past the cordoned off sections of the city. I say cordoned off because there are peace fences that literally and physically segregate the city into Catholic and Protestant areas - the idea is if you can't see them, you can't fight them. Some are rather small, but there are those that will be 30 feet high and head right through gardens.

This video off YouTube provides and opportunity to see an example of one of these walls.

The murals that line these walls are very much a part of the culture of Belfast. It is not uncommon to turn a corner and see murals that are dedicated to people of significance, the deceased, to honor countries, or make a statement.

The mere existence of these walls disappoints me. I see the messages of hope, sadness, grief, anger, etc., and their function is to segregate cultures. Yet, as we have learned, segregation does not work; nor does it invite for peace to move forward. Instead, those that are segregated begin to form their individual cultures with assumptions about those they are separated from. When will we understand that not talking about an issue, a topic, or a possibility is more harmful than development through dialogue?

After this windy and cold ride of over an hour and a half, we are dropped back into the city center. Freda recommended we head to a famous pub located near the bus stop/Europa Hotel (which is apparently the most bombed hotel in Europe), and we stopped in to have a visit. Then we recognized we were a bit hungry, no famished. Unfortunately we both failed to realize it is just after 3 pm. Now in Ireland, restaurants typically are not open for meals between major meals; and as we walked up and down streets (in the rain), through alleys, and around the city we were finally able to find a bit of dinner. We then headed back on the bus after a short visit, and set off for home in Monaghan.

The next day, I decided to head to Dublin on my own for a bit of shopping and hanging about. I wanted to head to Mass at the pro-cathedral (the head of the Archdiocese for Dublin) St. Mary's as well. I was able to ride down with Freda as she was heading for a week in Switzerland and needed to be dropped at the Dublin Airport, but I arrived in the City Center at about 8:30 a.m. Nothing is open in Dublin at 8:30 am on a Sunday, in case you were wondering, and Mass doesn't start until 10 am. It was another rather cold and dreary morning with rain and wind. So, I decided to look for a shop to grab a bit of tea or coffee and read a book. I walk up and down O'Connell Street, and I spy McDonald's, but I refuse to visit American places in foreign travels. Yet, as I walk up the street further, noticing closed shops and getting wetter and colder, I relinquish and head back. I grab a fruit scone and a large cup of coffee, and I find a booth on the second floor to read a bit.

I head to Mass, excited to join in worship in this largely Catholic country at the head of the Archdiocese. This is one of the reasons I converted to Catholicism, the unifying nature of the Church; I am able to visit Ireland, or anywhere else I would like knowing we are all praying Mass together in the same (general) fashion. I find it powerful to know that I am bound to another human half way around the world, speaking a different language, through our praise and message in Faith. Astounding. Yet as we begin this Mass, it was rather lacking the exuberance and excitement I expected. Leaving Mass, I remembered a traditional Latin Mass followed with the choir, so I decided to stick around. It was well worth it. I didn't know all of the Latin, but the choir sung with such vim and vigor that they filled the whole sanctuary with songs of praise. It was breathtaking and awe inspiring.

After Mass, I head to various shopping districts, picked up a few items for friends and family. This is one of numerous times I have visited Dublin, so I was able to navigate it easily and was not particularly interested in sightseeing. I was to meet one of the students who travelled that weekend there, as we were going to ride the bus back to Monaghan together. I grabbed a bite to eat at our meeting place, and read a good book in a nice atmosphere (I enjoy reading and taking in the culture of areas). We met up, headed to the bus, and back to Monaghan it was.

A wonderful weekend of travelling and relaxing before our last week of our work.

Friday in Monaghan

2008-06-20T14:42:00.002-04:00

Today in Monaghan is rather bittersweet. It hardly seems like time is passing, and yet here we are with simply 5 days left in the study abroad program. Today, all of the students turned in their presentations for review, and I sent back a few suggestions and revisions for their work. It is interesting reading through these presentations, as they talk about developing walks (hiking trails), a genealogy website, performing community needs assessments, and documenting local history through various interviews. I am energized by their work, yet sad it has to end. Community engagement and development is interesting, with a range of emotions from frustration, confusion, joy, excitement, and beyond. I believe this range of emotions is what provides for such attachment to this work; it provides deeper meaning than simply learning about a subject, it enables growth through collaboration.

Carole and I were able to steal away for a couple of hours to visit a point of local history and interest. It is a cross dedicated to the memory of a priest who was murdered there (in a remote area of a bog) in the 1700s while he was celebrating Catholic Christmas Mass, presiding over the service. While under British rule, Catholics were unable to practice in Ireland (Great Britain and Scotland as well) before Catholic Emancipation in 1829 - Go here to learn more about Roman Catholic persecution in Britain. To be persecuted because of religion seems so foreign to me, yet think about how Americans view Islam, Hinduism, or even those sects of Christianity not "mainstreamed." Certainly there are no laws against practicing them, but people protest, discriminate (intrinsically and extrinsically), and create unwelcoming environments. Does it really matter how another individually practices their beliefs? Unless they are actively infringing upon your abilities to practice your own, certainly not. Extremism lives in states of fear, and it is fear that drives irrationality.

Monaghan

2008-06-19T09:26:00.002-04:00

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I left off with leaving for Monaghan (pronounced mon-uh-han) from Mayo. Just to clarify, Monaghan is a county, but there is also Monghan the town. Thus, to distinguish between the two you would either say County Monaghan or Monaghan Town. For sake of saving some typing, when I refer to Monaghan, I mean the town. To view more about County Monaghan and Monaghan, visit: http://www.monaghan.ie/websitev2/default.asp (which is the county council's site), or here is a pretty good view of Monaghan via a youtube video:

As I rode the bus from Mayo to Monaghan on Friday, June 10, I reread my material to prepare myself to work with Carole Robinson and the 6 students with host families throughout County Monaghan. We work with an organization called the Monaghan Community Network (http://www.monaghannetwork.ie) to place students in surrounding communities to work on community development/engagement projects. To learn more about the study abroad, visit http://studyabroad.msu.edu/programs/ireengaging.html. The focus is peace and reconciliation due to the amount of rebuilding that needs to occur from the times of violence during The Troubles. County Monaghan, in the Republic of Ireland, has the largest border with Northern Ireland, and during the times when roads and bridges were literally blown up, many of the towns and cities went through a time of economic and social hardship. Now the focus is to sustain peace, but to also rebuild the communities. Our students are working on projects that will enable this process to move forward; in essence they are aiding in sustaining peace between two countries through community engagement.

The goal was to have more students on the program (appx 8 - 10), however with it being our first year of running the study abroad it was a bit of a relief to have fewer in order to work out any issues that might arise from our first go. The students are located in Clones (pronounced clo-ness), Castleblayney, Monaghan, Drum, Latton, and Truagh (pronounced true).

This was my second time in Monaghan; Carole and I visited two years ago to perform a site visit to explore the possibilities of establishing a study abroad here (clearly it worked out). After two years of planning, done largely by Carole, this study abroad was in full swing. I would be picking up in the tail end of it to work with students on finalizing their projects and work with them on their presentations to the communities.

I was a bit nervous arriving in Monaghan, because I was to walk a short distance from the bus stop to the house where we were staying. Luckily this anxiety was quickly assuaged as I arrived at the correct door to a wonderfully friendly individual, Freda Flemming. Carole and I are staying at this local woman's house which is located just down from the Network's office. The Network arranged for us to have rooms here which would allow us to save costs on other items as we could prepare our meals and host group meetings. However, rather than simply being host to now three faculty members (although Randall had returned to the states) and adopting 6 students, she clearly was an integral part of the study abroad experience. Her local knowledge, willingness to assist, and ability to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere clearly helped out in the work of the study abroad program whenever Carole or anyone else had questions. She made me feel right at home, and has been a wonderful and gracious host ever since. I was able to get settled, and meet up with Carole - it was great to see another familiar face.

On Saturday, it was what I had anticipated for so long - we would be meeting up with the students and heading out to the Ulster-American Folk Park (http://www.folkpark.com/) and to the town of Omagh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omagh) to learn more about local history and the effects of the Troubles and other historical events on the region. It was great to see the students and hear of their work, their experiences, and their learning. We all met at the Network's office, and headed out from there.

On our site visit, we went to the Ulster American Folk Park, so this would be my second time through. Its focus is to give a historical background of the area, taking people through time by visiting various live exhibitions/demonstrations in buildings and even through the mass exodus to America - it resembles the approach of the Henry Ford Village in Dearborn to perhaps put it into perspective. It was interesting interacting with the students and also experiencing this place once again - to understand the desolation of the famine and the hardships it brought on to this area of the world. You can't help but feel for the pain and suffering during this time of such great loss.

Upon finishing our journey through time at the park, we headed to meet our guide for a walk through of Omagh. Omagh suffered a devastating bombing in 1998, this being its 10th anniversary. We visited the site of the bombing and heard of the stories of those involved. We moved on to the library, where, in a special collection, they kept all of the cards from flowers, condolence books, personal condolence cards, and other items to memorialize those lost in the bombing. We were able to peruse some of the items, but those that resonated with me the most were the cards left on/with the flowers. To read the sincere messages of hope, of grief, of loss, of remorse, of memorial, truly touched my heart. It was an overwhelming sense of connection that was reminiscent of my visit to Ground Zero in New York City after the devastation on 9/11. I will never understand the attack on innocent lives to further the cause of a single group of individuals. After our walking tour was over, we headed back to Monaghan after exploring this local and national history.

On Sunday, Carole and I woke up early to go visit Giant's Causeway, the northern coast of Ireland filled with beautiful sights and interesting natural and man-made landmarks to explore for potential visits for the next group of students. The Giant's Causeway is a beautiful national landmark (http://www.northantrim.com/giantscauseway.htm), and it's unique beauty can only be best captured in pictures. I hope to upload a good amount of pictures once they are developed (I still have not made the conversion to digital), but for now take a look at the website. We stopped off at Dunluce Castle (http://www.northantrim.com/dunlucecastle.htm), and even after spending a good amount of time in Ireland, it still amazes me how many ruins or castle grounds you can simply stumble upon. If you look hard enough, you might be able to find one in every field. It was a wonderful day trip to explore an area of Ireland I had yet to see.

My time this week has focused on helping a few students, individually, with wrapping up their projects, helping all of them get started on their presentations (which I will be sending comments back so they may work on them over the weekend), and doing a bit of reading/writing to catch up on work from back at home. Freda took Carole and I to visit Enniskillen (http://uk.epodunk.com/profiles/northern-ireland/enniskillen/3001912.html), a city about 45 minutes from Monaghan to explore for another potential visit for future students. The time was short, but what was interesting was hearing Freda's explanations of local history, specifically where British Soldiers' camps were, where roadblocks/checks were once located, and other stories of shootings, etc. It reminded me once again how real and recent this history is to the people of Monaghan and all over Ireland, and just how important our presence and work is to learn and help in this area of the world. By learning, we keep memories alive and processes moving forward.

This weekend I head to Belfast on Saturday (I've never been) and Dublin on Sunday for a bit of personal travel. I look forward to sharing these experiences.

A Stop off in County Mayo

2008-06-17T06:15:00.003-04:00

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When I left off on my previous posting, I just arrived in County Mayo after quite some time in transit. The Map above shows the location of County Mayo, which is on the western side of Ireland. It is a beautiful area where rural life abounds, and there is much beauty in its scenery. If you would like to see more on this area of Ireland I suggest you visit here: http://www.mayo-ireland.ie/ or http://www.tocharvalley.com/

My stop off in County Mayo was to re-visit this area where I spent time in the summer of 2005. When I was a graduate student, I actually attended the Bailey Scholars' study abroad hosted there by Diane Doberneck and Shari Dann. While there I stayed with Eddie and Mary Barrett and their family including Granny and their children (two sons and a daughter). My work while there was focused on compiling the history of the Mayo Abbey National School and national educational practices to formulate a document that would aid the community as they apply for assistance in renovating the structure of the National School (in the US this would be an elementary school).

When driving to Mayo, it was refreshing to see familiar sights and signs to places that I remembered travelling to. When spending a significant amount of time in an area, I find I remain connected to it in some way, shape, or fashion. Whether it is the smell of turf (peat) burning in the fireplaces (a very distinctive smell), the rolling hills of farmland shaped by stone and bush hedges, or the view of Croagh Patrick (a local mountain and religious site of pilgrimage), it felt wonderful to return to a place of fond memory. The greatest source of my joy was to visit with friends and colleagues I had not seen in years. Be it my host family or community members, it is always great to recognize a familiar place and hear about the lives of those you care about.

My other opportunity while stopping off in Mayo was to visit the County Mayo study abroad program hosted by Diane Doberneck with Sister Maureen Lally in the Tochar Valley Network focusing on "Community Engagement in Rural Ireland." After the students are finished with their work, they all present one evening to members of the various communities, local officials, and others associated with the community engagement projects. Luckily, I made it in time to be able to listen to the work these three students undertook over the previous 5 weeks. Sliante (Cheers) to Diane and Sister Maureen for once again creating a program that was beneficial to students and to the communities they worked (and learned) in.

My stay in Mayo was brief, but it was beneficial. I was able to see the work of the study abroad program, and re-connect with colleagues to hear of the work they are engaging in. It is great to see an area of Ireland that MSU, and specifically the Bailey Scholars Program, can indicate they have a tie to. To return with multiple hats, as administrator but also as a former participant, it is interesting to see projects moving forward. For example, Dru Bernthal (a Bailey alumna and one of the first participants on the study abroad) worked in Mayo Abbey to aid in the establishment of an organic garden emphasizing the utilization of raised beds. Today, they have established this garden into an organic center of sorts where they produce multiple types of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and crops. This area is large with two green houses and an open plot of land. They utilize it to help educate local farmers on this niche market. The produce is utilized in courses for local individuals to learn more about cooking and food preparation, and also to produce meals for various functions at the Mayo Abbey Community Center. How exciting that the collaborative project Dru worked on (and learned through) nearly 5 years ago spurred this opportunity!

I was able to visit the National School I spent so much time researching, now fitted with a new roof and new windows. It was reassuring to me that this facility might someday be able to educate others on the opportunities it afforded children of the Mayo Abbey area over one hundred years prior.

As I travelled through local villages with various individuals, I couldn't help but notice the amount of growth. Communities were popping up with new houses, new business, new everything! It was good to see the revitalization, but it also made me consider if these new developments were adding or detracting from community building and engagement. Were they plugging into the various councils, groups, organizations, etc. or were they causing strain to keep the sense of community alive? With growth takes an understanding of the changing nature and needs of the population, and finding ways to engage them in a communal atmosphere is not always easy. Yet, I have faith that these communities will embrace this growth as opportunity to provide for the future, although I still have a healthy bit of concern. I know this is natural; I feel this same optomism for development in Bailey, but still remain slightly concerned due to uncertainty of others. Perhaps it is my healthy disregard for the impossible, but I find everything works itself out in the end with a bit of intentionality through community learning.

It was great connecting with Diane in County Mayo. I was able to hear her stories; I will let her disclose them, but make sure you ask her about threes in roads, bogs, and dogs. Diane's enthusiasm for this work is catching, and truly she energizes those who encounter her. Between catching up with her and Sister Maureen, I was doubly inspired for the work I would be encountering in County Monaghan.

I stayed with my previous host family who owns a B&B (Valley Lodge in Facefield, Claremorris, County Mayo - if you are visiting, you need to stay here!) in a very rural area, but accessible to many local attractions. It was as if I never left. Certainly life moved forward for the both of us; their children were not there, and I moved on to my professional career. Yet, we were able to talk over (much) tea, meals, and adventures (not mistakes) as if we saw each other just last week. I find it refreshing when I am able to say, see you soon, and truly mean it. For as I left them at my bus stop on Castlebar, I know I will return to this place time and again. County Mayo is a place I shall remain connected to, and I am glad Bailey and MSU will be as well so the communities can teach our students and faculty their local knowledge and we can aid them in their work. These experiences are lasting, and I am glad to be connected to the Monaghan program that provides this for communities, faculty, and students as well.

As I rode away on my bus to Monaghan re-energized, refreshed, rejuvenated and ready, I saw the tip of Croagh Patrick fade away knowing County Mayo and the Tochar Valley once again.

Getting to Ireland - A Humorous Adventure

2008-06-16T06:12:00.003-04:00

We all enjoy a good humorous story, so I thought I would share my experience flying over from the US to Ireland on Monday, June 9.

I was dropped off at the Detroit Wayne Airport at 1:45 pm ready to head to the Northwest Airlines check-in counter to prepare for my day of travelling to Ireland. I arrived with plenty of time at the airport, and knew I had a 2 hour layover in Boston - surely enough time even if there was a delay. Monday afternoons are always slower at the airport, which is why I prefer to fly during those times so I am not packed into lines like sardines. I head to the counter, check in, proceed to security.

Now, I know when I head to security I checked my baggage several times to make sure I don't have a prohibited item; nothing sharper than a pen. It is also quite clear that I am rather loyal to the United States of America. Yet, whenever I head to those metal detectors, I can't help but feel a small sense of anxiety that I might have forgotten something that would set off alarms or would flag me as a terrorist. Each time I pass through those whiten gates with only my socks on (usually wondering why I spend extra on "airport safe" shoes), I am just a little bit overjoyed that I made it to freedom. I also don't understand why the security people are physically unable to smile, but I digress.

I make it to my gate with nearly 45 minutes until boarding, and I am safe to breathe. Once we all boarded our plane, we are sitting at the terminal. We continue to sit at the terminal as our engines turn on and off. We continue to sit at the terminal in 80 degree weather in a large, aluminum tube with no ventilation. We now continue to sweat at the terminal. The captain finally sends word over the intercom that we have a mechanical/electrical problem with a relay somethingorother in one of the wings. (I think I might want to sweat on a different plane...) He explains it will only take 30 minutes to fix (we are already 40 minutes late), and so we are not going to leave the plane (there is no way out...). We continue to wait and sweat and wait on this plane for 30 minutes+, and the captain indicates we are all set to go (personally, I hope they have checked more than once). We taxi to the runway, and then we taxi off. And we wait, and sweat, and wait until the captain comes on to indicate that the airport lost our flight plan (wonderful). We take off a full two hours behind schedule.

We land in the phenomenal city of Boston at 6:55 pm (my connection is at 7:05 pm). Northwest is able to find a spot for me on a British Airways flight (which are just great, I highly recommend them!) through London. At this point, I'm just happy to be heading toward that area of the world. My flight is booked, and I have to go arrange for my baggage to meet me in Dublin, as I was supposed to change airlines at Boston (from Northwest to Aerlingus). I head over to AerLingus, and my baggage was down stairs, but apparently in some confusion they were put on the next flight to Dublin (how my baggage was able to make it on this mystery flight and not I, I can't fully understand). However, it will be held for me in Dublin so I don't have to purchase a new wardrobe upon arrival (fantastic). I am lucky that these individuals are much friendlier than those at the security kiosks. I go through that happy process of security again, make it to my terminal, and I am fine. I make a few phone calls (which I am sure Diane thoroughly enjoyed at 1 am Ireland time) to arrange for and alert of changes in my transportation in country, and I board the plane.

We take off just fine, I arrive in London with a two hour lay over, and I make arrangements to change my travel plans so I can head to County Mayo, Ireland before I head to County Monaghan. I was lucky enough to be able to arrive early to visit the study abroad program ocurring in County Mayo and visit with friends and colleagues there for 3 days before I headed to the County Monaghan study abroad. I was originally to take a train from Dublin to Castlebar, County Mayo, but now there is nothing that will get me there in a decent enough time to pick up my rental car. I decide to talk with the rental car agencies in Dublin about options when I arrive.

I board my plane from London to Dublin, and arrive in Dublin just fine at 12:00 pm Irish time. I then rented a car to drive a little over 3 hours to Mayo, and I would drop this car off at the Knock Airport just north of where I stayed. Wonderful, except that this is my first time driving in Ireland and I just chose their largest city to begin my adventure. Note that they drive on the opposite side, the steering wheel is on the opposite side of the car, and the car is manual (which I can drive, but I don't on a regular basis). I plot out my course via Google Maps, and head to my car (I should have paid the extra $45 for a GPS for the three days).

I get into my red, Volkswagen Golf, settle in, and prepare for an adventure across the country of Ireland. I start out just fine, no accidents nor stalling. I see the signs I am supposed to (Ireland does not have frequent nor obvious signage of their road system), and am merging just fine. Along the way I had a few adventures (mistakes), and found, once again, Irish people are wonderfully helpful. However, along the way I find I am unable to shift into Reverse - no matter how much I push my shifting lever to the area where it says "R" in the gearing, it just won't go! Thus, along the way if I stop, I strategically park so I never have to go in reverse, and thankfully I make it to Facefield, County Mayo at around 6:15 pm in Ireland after over 24 hours of solid travel. I grab a shower, and head out with the individuals I am staying with to see the presentations of the County Mayo Study Abroad students on their community engagement work during their experience, but I forgot to strategically park! I try to get my car in reverse, to no avail. I have to let go of my pride and ask Eddie, one of my colleagues I was following, to help get my car in reverse. He sits in the drivers seat, presses down on the shifter, and puts it into reverse (they need a better "how to" for these cars). We laugh and I head off to the presentations exhausted and overjoyed all at the same time.

Through all of the frustration of the initial missing of a connection, I was afforded an opportunity to truly gain numerous cultural experiences. It truly was an adventure. Certainly there were times I was a bit tired, frustrated, and even concerned, but overall it was a humorous situation that provides for a few great stories of my idiocy (which are frequent and the best after all). A special thank you goes out to the wonderful people in Boston that were friendly and helpful; those wonderful Irish people along my route from Dublin to Mayo that now have great stories about a dumb American that stopped them for directions while they were walking their dog; and those that were flexible for my arrival in Mayo. The best memories arise in times least expected; and learning happens in multiple ways. I find myself fortunate enough to have both great memories and wonderful learning in an experience I least anticipated.

Adventures in Ireland

2008-06-16T04:59:00.000-04:00

Greetings! This blog is set up so that I can convey the work I engage in while away from Bailey, and to reflect on my experiences while travelling. This posting will be my first official experience with "blogging," so bare with me.

Currently I am writing from Monaghan (Town) in County Monaghan, Ireland. I am here to aid in the study abroad set up by Carole Robinson and Randal Robinson named "Engaging with Borderland Communities in Ireland: People, Culture and Peacemaking in County Monaghan." My role is to aid the group of 6 students and Carole in finishing the community projects and other work, and help develop presentations the students will deliver to community officials and members on their work over the previous 6 weeks. This study abroad is set up to provide students the opportunity to work in a community on a specific project the community has identified as an area of need, while learning about the rich cultural history of this entire area. We partner with the Monaghan Community Network that serves the needs of the communities of County Monaghan. The students have host families they stay with, and community mentors that work with them on their various projects. Carole and I stay with Freda Flemming in her home in Monaghan Town, and we work closely with Breege Lenihan who coordinates the work of the Monaghan Community Network.

Each time I work with a group of motivated students that are acting as "agents of developers," in Frank Fear's words, it is refreshing to understand the impact they are having on the world. What is just as exciting is to see the work that colleages are engaging in to ensure successful outcomes. To know that 6 students and 3 faculty were willing to learn through community engagement projects ranging from the development of walks (hiking trails in the US) to performing needs assessments reminds me of just how important our individual effort is in our lifetimes. The potential effect of these individuals on rural communities thousands of miles from their homes, in a completely different country is astounding. However, these individuals will take the knowledge they gain from this experience, working in community with other developers, and move this forward so they may continue to shape the world - that is the true power of this work. Developing a project and working on it is absolutely wonderful; preparing responsible, civically engaged people of the world is absolutely necessary. This is what we do on this study abroad, we impact a network of communities in Ireland, AND we prepare our students and faculty members for understanding their role in the global society.