While looking out of the plane window into the country of Ireland, I was amazed at the countless miles of grass, separated by stone walls built from farmers in the past and present. I was excited to land in the town of Shannon and was highly anticipating the upbeat intensity of a typical airport, but walking off of the plane and into the main area of the airport was a bit of a shock. All of the airport workers seemed to be pretty interested in our arrival and curious of our nationality. I was expecting to see various gift shops with Irish phrases and the town of Shannon spread across sweatshirts and hats, but it was just the opposite. I walked into the only major gift shop and the only item in which I could find with anything related to my last name was a key chain, which I purchased, of course! After a bit of time passed and the excitement seemed to build up, our tour bus arrived and we boarded accordingly.
We were given a driving tour of Ireland and were informed about some of the cultures and differences in the Irish culture. We stopped at quite a few venues, which we slept in between stops on the bus. First, we stopped at Saint Bridgit's well, which was a beautiful collection of prayers and wishes shown through pictures and and decorations. Although we were very tired, we all enjoyed our first sight seeing adventure. Next, we were off to the Cliffs of Mohar. Mandy, Sarah and I explored the furthest of the cliffs and really enjoyed the unreal view. We also were very stricken by the fact that we could travel so far without any guard rails or regulations as to where we could explore. We made a few more stops throughout our journey to our apartments, but we were all so exhausted that we can barely remember. We did, however, stop in a grocery store to begin stocking up on our items for the apartment, but bread, candy and cookies were our main snacks. We then slept again until we arrived at our apartments, which were much different than we expected.
Mandy, Sarah and I decided that we would room together since we had so much in common and really enjoyed each other's company throughout the beginning of the trip. We walked into the Irish looking apartment complex and noticed the abundant amount doors and rooms. There was a full kitchen, dining room table and a living room with two couches and a television. There were also three bedrooms and a bathroom connected to each. After claiming our rooms, we all unpacked and moved inside and took quick showers to recuperate from the long plane ride and settle in for our long journey.
After everyone was comfortable in our new homes, we had decided that we wanted to travel into town to find wifi and contact our families. The directions in which we were given seemed to be unclear, so we ended up traveling about thirty minutes in the opposite direction, where we encountered a terrifying lose dog. Thankfully, a cab driver approached us and helped us find our way back into town, where we could Facebook message our families and grab a few more groceries.
The first night was terrible for me, however. I was extremely homesick and I definitely cried myself to sleep with music playing softly in order to deal with the loneliness. Each night became a little bit better and less lonely, fortunately.
The next few days seemed to fly by. We did a lot of sight seeing and exploring our new land. We also enjoyed live, Irish music (which is called Trad music in this culture) and I purchased my first beer. I finished my first glass of beer without any troubles, a Smithwicks. The meals were very much like home and extremely reasonably priced. Every time we entered a restaurant, especially one with wifi, we felt very much at home. Every time I was able to contact my family and see their responses and know that everything in the States was going all right, I was unbelievably happy. Nothing here makes me happier than receiving a message from my parents and sisters. Sight seeing on Monday was very stressful to me, however. We were stuck on our tour bus all day long and with a lot of down time. We also traveled to many different locations throughout the day and everyone seemed to be quite unhappy with the lagging time. It was also cold and muddy outside, which brought all of us down a little bit. Thankfully, when we arrived back at the apartment, we freshened up and went out for a couple of drinks. That definitely took away most of the stress, especially since there was wifi and we could contact our loved ones.
Tuesday morning, I woke up relatively early so that I could wake up early enough to begin my first day of placement. I showered, dressed in my most appropriate and professional outfit and did my hair and make up in a way that it would not distract me from my work. I walked out into the living room and kitchen area, where Mandy was eating breakfast and preparing for her day as well. I made myself a hearty breakfast and sat and talked about our anticipated day. I cleaned my dishes and hand washed my laundry before I finished getting ready for my first day at placement. Luckily, Mary (one of our professors) and Lamar (one of the students on the trip with us) were able to walk along with me to my placement. When I finally arrived at my placement, everyone was extremely welcoming. I first met the principal, who gave me a tour of the establishment and introduced me to most of the staff and faculty members. I was then told to report to the "blue room" (the rooms were separated by three colors, all measured by severity and resources).
The room was extremely colorful with many resources, which I later learned were provided by the parents and local donors. There was a wide variety of students and the severity of their disabilities. Two students were unable to eat normally, which meant that they had to eat through a feeding tube. This was a new experience for me and I was unable to decide how to react and deal with this change in my comfort levels. The rest of the students were quite high functioning. I was never told the exact disabilities of the students in the classroom, but I was able to work personally with most of the students. One of the students had little focus and would drift off while working on simple objects like puzzles. It was very difficult to keep her focus. Another student whom I worked with individually seemed to be a mainstreamed student. She loved to sing and paid attention well; she was very involved in doing puzzles and other small, table activities. However, when I took her outside to swing, she through various temper tantrums and was unhappy with many of the decisions I was making based on the length of time we stayed outside. Lastly, I worked independently with a younger, boy student who was very affectionate. According to the faculty members, he became very close to one or two members of the staff at a time, but it was a big deal that he was so taken by me after only a few hours. He had the most adorable smile, which he would not let me forget. He would also cuddle up next to me constantly and try to engage me in the different activities in which he was completing throughout the afternoon. Meeting this boy was one of the most rewarding experiences thus far and I can't wait to spend the next three weeks with him and his classmates.
In regards to culture and my placement sight, I would like to make one observation. Tea breaks are a huge part of the Irish culture and are frequently held throughout the day. It is a rough adjustment to have two or three breaks a day in order to relax and drink tea. This is something that the American culture does not encounter.
Although I am very lonely and anxious, especially at night, I know that I will look at this experience as one that I will never forget or regret. As hard as it is to not talk to my family constantly, I am slowly adjusting to the differences. I love you all and I cannot wait to return home with all of my stories and experiences!
I hope your dance recital went well, Julie and Sara! I love you both!
