We certainly have come a long way from Denver international Airport!
Today was our last day, which we spent taking a last look around the town of dingle and working on our final papers, presentations, and voice-threads.
Tonight, we all gathered together for one last meeting, and each of us gave a short presentation on something we learned about that had really resonated with us. Each presentation was short and sweet, and it was fun to see what each of us chose to talk about. Afterwords, we got to enjoy a delicious meal at Lord Baker's Restaurant for our last dinner altogether.
It's certainly been an amazing trip, and I'm still having a hard time believing it's already been three weeks.
Today was our last day, which we spent taking a last look around the town of dingle and working on our final papers, presentations, and voice-threads.
Tonight, we all gathered together for one last meeting, and each of us gave a short presentation on something we learned about that had really resonated with us. Each presentation was short and sweet, and it was fun to see what each of us chose to talk about. Afterwords, we got to enjoy a delicious meal at Lord Baker's Restaurant for our last dinner altogether.
It's certainly been an amazing trip, and I'm still having a hard time believing it's already been three weeks.
Now, without further ado, I present to you the final presentations of the UHL Ireland in Context Class:
Peter, who is majoring in psychology spoke about mental health in Ireland, especially in relation to PTSD and the Troubles. His research had found that, rather surprisingly, few people suffered from PTSD in Ireland. He explained that this was due to the 'burnout' phenomenon, in which people have been pushed so far in the ways of violence in every aspect of their lives that they just remove themselves from the situation, and loose their connection to that time in their lives. This means that those affected by the Troubles, as well as their children, have an outlook on the time that is fully unique to the Irish culture, and doesn't seem to appear anywhere else in the world.
Suzie focused on the language in Ireland. Being bilingual, she was very interested in the interactions between the different languages in Ireland. She spoke a big about 'Oghams' the ancient alphabet which existed in Ireland from the 6th to 9th century. This alphabet was made up entirely of horizontal or diagonal tick-marks, and was read bottom to top, left to right. The Irish language, which came after, is one of 6 Celtic languages, including Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Breton, Welsh, Cornish, and Manx. While there is an effort to keep the Irish language alive in certain regions of Ireland, there is still some debate as to whether or not this will be successful.
Adam went next, and, as our one political science major, spoke about the politics in Ireland. While we were in Dublin, local elections were being held, an experience he used as a base for his presentation. He talked about the fact that, unlike in the US where the Republic and Democrat parties hold nearly all the power, in Ireland, lots of independents were elected, showing a growing disillusionment with political parties. The fact that here, people vote for several candidates, ranking them first second and third helps facilitate this multi-party system, something Adam feels would help with American politics as well. He also mentioned that there is still quite a bit off debate as to whether or not people are satisfied with the EU or want to break away from it again, which surprised all of us.
Austin's presentation focused on the food culture in Ireland. He explained that, while Americans tried to entirely cut fats out of their diet, replacing them with sugars, the Irish held on to much more traditional foods, which lead to healthier people. While the food may not seem healthier, the fact that it is often locally grown, and, for the most part, organic, really makes a difference. The way milk is made safe for consumption here is also different. Rather than using traditional pasteurization, most of Europe uses Ultra-pasteurization, a method that is more earth-friendly and keeps longer. Austin related this back to the culture or Ireland, where people are more connected to their roots and more willing to take the time to find more eco-friendly ways to do things.
Kevie also related her presentation to the Troubles, and talked about the general strength of the people of Ireland. She explained that she found it very inspiring that the Irish culture was something that had been propagated from generation to generation, despite outside forces attempting to get rid of it. She felt that the peaceful protests in Derry and the consistent fight for rights at that time were very inspiring, and a testament to the strength of these people. The talks we had with the Bibeanna helped reinforce this, as the Irish farmers and islanders certainly had lots of motivation and dedication to go on living on the island despite the many hardships.
Josh and Jazmine did their presentations one after the other, both talking about different aspects in which the Troubles in Derry were like the Civil Rights movement in America.
Josh explained that many peaceful marches of this kind began happening at this time, including the Irish protests in Northern Ireland and the Civil Rights movement in America. He highlighted the many similarities between these two movements, including the fact that both were fighting for some of the same rights. The Irish Catholics and African Americans both wanted equal representation in politics and equal job opportunities.
Jazmine also talked about some similarities, especially in the protest around schools. During the Troubles, children going to a Catholic school in a Protestant neighborhood were often yelled at by bystanders, much the same way the first black students to attend previously all-white schools in Arkansas. She also mentioned the fact that she could not have gotten such a good understanding of the station without being on the spot, talking to people who had firsthand experiences with this part of history.
Josh explained that many peaceful marches of this kind began happening at this time, including the Irish protests in Northern Ireland and the Civil Rights movement in America. He highlighted the many similarities between these two movements, including the fact that both were fighting for some of the same rights. The Irish Catholics and African Americans both wanted equal representation in politics and equal job opportunities.
Jazmine also talked about some similarities, especially in the protest around schools. During the Troubles, children going to a Catholic school in a Protestant neighborhood were often yelled at by bystanders, much the same way the first black students to attend previously all-white schools in Arkansas. She also mentioned the fact that she could not have gotten such a good understanding of the station without being on the spot, talking to people who had firsthand experiences with this part of history.
Thank-you so much for the great semester! I really enjoyed learning about such a wide variety of things, and experiencing this beautiful country will all of you amazing people.
And, of course, thank-you to our fearless leader Judy, for showing us around Ireland, and teaching us to love this culture as much as she does.
And, of course, thank-you to our fearless leader Judy, for showing us around Ireland, and teaching us to love this culture as much as she does.
Now, onto the travel-filled future!