The beauty and diversity of this world are the reasons why I wake up to fight and work hard every day. Growing up, I had the privilege of being shown the vast, incredible land and water of the Earth by my parents. These experiences formed some of my top values, such as family, traveling, education, and helping others. The trips I have taken part in, however, are much different from the one I have currently been on. As a child, my parents were the key players in my views of the world. The beautiful lands became even more magnificent simply because they said so. For the first time in my life, I have traveled alone and been given the power to build my own opinions and experiences. This study abroad program has opened my eyes and taught me various lessons. I have sat in a classroom for hours each day and learned about a culture and nation that are unlike my own while also actively engaging in new experiences
outside the classroom that have further taught me more. I went outside my comfort zone as an introvert to fully become immersed in Irish culture and traditions so that I could form my own opinions of this incredible land. Through my time here, I am confident in stating that Ireland, to me, is a place full of resilience, community and unity, connection to nature, storytelling, music and dance, education and literature, and laughter. My views started forming from the very beginning of this trip. I started out on my own as classes had not yet started. My class and I were educated on Irish history and shown around through tours and museums. This is when I developed the realization that the Irish have been resilient throughout history. We were taken on two tours the first day, where we explored the Jeanie Johnston and EPIC museums. Here, I learned in depth about the famine in Ireland and how it impacted each member of society. I was fascinated to learn that it was due to continuous exporting and lack of crops that caused this disaster. At EPIC, I was educated on the intense emigration of Irish people due to other opportunities abroad and the famine, the innovations of
Irish people, the global impacts they have had, including those of the first Irish American president, JFK, the cultural heritage of music and dance, and more. Coming on this trip, I knew very little about Irish culture and history, but leaving the museum and tour, I felt aware,
educated, inspired, and engaged. My knowledge expanded, and I understood the values of community, passion, hard work, and family that the Irish have held on to.
Continuing on my study abroad journey, my group traveled many hours the first weekend to visit Kilkenny, Blarney Castle, Cliffs of Moher, and the Dingle Peninsula. Each stop taught me something new and showed the true connection to nature that Irish people have. Whenever I travel, the profound beauty of the natural world always makes me feel grounded and appreciative of my surroundings. These feelings were heightened while traveling through Eastern, Southern,
and Western Ireland that weekend. I saw the values of family and community come to life, especially in Kilkenny. The town seemed small, and yet it was filled with laughter and smiling faces. Walking through the town, I could feel the sense of unity and love. While viewing the massive, complex Kilkenny Castle, I saw local students walking about after class. Many of them
were making their way to a restaurant, home, or a sports team. They all seemed to feel safe and comfortable with their surroundings. This was very different from what I am used to at school in the city, where the population is large, danger is present, and opinions of others are in the air. I was similarly in awe during our walk around Dingle. I felt an overwhelming sense of hospitality from the Irish people. Blarney Castle that weekend furthered my belief that Ireland is a place connected to nature and storytelling. Although the experience was surreal and beautiful, it was
also very educational. I learned about the myths of the kissing stone, where some believe the good luck comes from a love story, while others believe in a witch or prophecy story. This opened my eyes to the mythical beliefs of many places in Ireland, including the beliefs about the Cliffs of Moher and Giant’s Causeway. Each story and myth has its own meaning and background, showing the true diversity in Ireland. Finally, the weekend trip concluded with the Cliffs of Moher. Being surrounded by such giant natural structures made me feel safe and at peace. This weekend strengthened my opinions that Ireland is a place of nature, community,
storytelling, and love.
Although some of my opinions were starting to form about Ireland after that weekend, many changed, strengthened, or were created while participating in classes at Trinity College. My education began with an in-depth history of Ireland and the school. I learned of the school’s start with Queen Elizabeth I and how women were not allowed in the school while Charles
MacCarthy was in control. Finally, once he died, the first female enrolled, and the population of the school became increasingly diverse. This became obvious to me while touring the college. Seeing the global room and groups offered on campus showed how much Trinity College has grown. Coming into this program, I researched a lot about Trinity and saw that it was one of the top schools in Ireland. This also became obvious to me while touring and learning about its history. The school has a big focus on academics and therefore only houses a few on campus. This is much different from colleges in the United States, where most students live on campus. This focus is strengthened through the many resources they offer to their students, including a
vast amount of physical and online books, libraries, educational rooms open 24/7, and more. The campus holds a lot of Irish history, with the Book of Kells being stored on the site and very old buildings. The educational environment was exquisite with the support offered, beautiful views such as the arch and bell, and the sports facilities. This formed another opinion of mine on Ireland, which was the importance of education and support for the students pursuing degrees.
At this point in the trip, many opinions had been formed; however, the main reason behind coming to Ireland was due to the healthcare studies that were offered to me. It has been a pleasure to learn in depth about the policies and trends of healthcare in Ireland. Being taught in a classroom, however, is only one way to learn about these topics. Seeing the policies and trends
come to life in my experiences outside the classroom has been one of the greatest gifts to me. One trend that has been highlighted in my classes dealt with the mental health of the Irish. It was brought to my attention that the rates, especially in adolescents, are increasing and that they are often seen as the ‘other’ in society. We visited UPMC Aut Even during the first weekend, where
one of the nurses explained how poor mental health services are in Ireland. She explained how many times those struggling mentally are just thrown into the ED, where those nurses are not trained in mental health care. If I had traveled to Ireland with just my family or by myself on vacation, I would have only noticed the contagious laughter of the friends and families at the
pubs and the beautiful music heard throughout the night. I would have seen the closeness of the
citizens and the carefree, free-spirited dancing of the people. That is why I value the education
that I have also received on this trip. Not everything can be taken so literally. Although the nightlife and connection are a huge part of Irish culture, I learned about the mental struggles and now can be more aware while going about my day here. Another example of taking the classroom to real life was when I learned of the increasing obesity rates in young children in
Ireland. We were informed of this, along with the policies being made to help it, during a health and wellbeing class. I see one of the policies every time I go to buy something sweet or a soda. Ireland has taxed these products to try and reduce obesity rates. This realization also made me grateful for the schooling I am receiving here and all the research done for Irish education. Coming into a country, a traveler may just look at the prices of food and think nothing of it, but
from my education, I learned of the true significance of the high costs.
Another very prevalent lesson in the classroom was the idea of person-centered care. From the numerous intellectual disability classes I received, which are not given in the United States, and from learning about the medical support given during pregnancy, I further formed the view that Ireland is a community with so much support. This was further seen outside of
healthcare in our trip to Croke Park, where we learned of the Gaelic games. I saw the traditions come to life and the passion the Irish have for their culture. They take part in these games, despite not being paid, simply because it is part of their identity. The community value, however, was very twisted for me when traveling in Northern Ireland on my last weekend here. I saw the
divide between the Catholics and Protestants and learned much about the violence and history behind it. It was fascinating for me to hear about the differences between Ireland and Northern Ireland in classes and tours and then finally also experience it in person. The values of the people and atmosphere were very distinct in both places.
To conclude, coming into this trip, I had heard from numerous people that my study abroad program was so short. I was nervous coming in that I would not be able to fully immerse myself in the culture and traditions of Ireland. I was scared I would not have enough time to
form my own opinions. However, despite the shortened time, I have gained much knowledge and many life lessons. I cannot thank anyone enough for the adventures and education I was given from Trinity College and the University of Pittsburgh. My study abroad trip helped me gain insight into the incredible nation of Ireland and into myself. This experience helped me understand myself better and will make me a more understanding, well-rounded nurse for my future patients.