So here I am, home again...
It's a bit easier adjusting to the time zone difference; I just get up earlier and snack for most of the day (which I might do anyway, in the summer!)
The Pennsylvania heat isn't at its worst yet but the humidity is certainly noticeable. We went for a morning walk and then there was an afternoon thunderstorm. Everything is green when I look out the window and I can hear the birds chirping as a nice cool breeze clears the post-storm air.
Yes, this feels like home. But yesterday, it also felt like I was leaving home.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Section E: Overall reflection on the experience
When I stepped on the plane to Dublin, I could still hardly believe that I was actually going to be spending a whole 5 months in a different country. My fall semester at Millersville seems so far away, but at the same time, I can still remember when “spring 2008” was immeasurably distant. Now it seems unreal that I will soon be leaving Belfast.
Ever since I started studying at university, I wanted to spend some time studying abroad. I chose the UK because I'm interested in British and medieval literature. Celtic studies also interested me, although I had never gotten a chance to really study much Celtic literature or culture at my home university. When I learned about an exchange program to Belfast, it seemed like the perfect fit.
I wasn't expecting such a small college, and at first I felt a bit out of place, because I'm not an education major. I had been hoping for a broader range of literature and history classes where I could learn more about Ireland, but in the end, following the liberal arts course was equally enriching-- and of course, this included Anglo-Irish literature, which was a great introduction to some modern Irish and Northern Irish poets and writers.
In general, though, I tried not to have too many expectations. This was easy enough partly because I'd never done anything like this before, and simply didn't know what to expect. My study abroad coordinator at my home university made sure that we knew that we would be living in an urban environment and that we were aware of the politics of Belfast, so I didn't have images of rolling green fields and little thatched-roof cottages. Admittedly, I have always romanticized Ireland to a certain degree, but I wasn't unaware of its reality, either. I told myself that I would just have to wait and see what it would be like, and keep my mind open
My biggest expectation in coming here and my other reason for studying abroad was that I would be able to experience a different culture. I wanted to gain some insight into how people from a country other than America think, and feel, and see the world. In retrospect, I couldn't have ended up in a better place than Belfast. So many people here have in some way been affected by the Troubles, and before I came here, I couldn't even begin to imagine what that was like. Now that I have been here for this seemingly short time, although it is 'safe' now, I think that I have begun to understand.
Northern Ireland's past has also led to a nation that is still trying to establish a sense of national identity-- indeed, there is one of the roots of sectarianism-- and oddly enough, I found that I identified with this. America, after all, is a wholly constructed nation; it's difficult to point to a single characteristic shared by every single American and say that it defines America as a country. Paradoxically, America's unity is in its diversity, held together by patriotic sentiments that are instilled practically at birth in children raised in the American school system and society. (But then, one wonders, what about immigrants? A question that is also beginning to arise here in Belfast.)
This is not to question the validity of America, or Ireland, or Northern Ireland as countries. Ties that bind people together to form a nation need not be immediately obvious. Since I came here, I have often pondered the question, “What is Irish? Or perhaps more tellingly, what is Northern Irish?” The people around me might all have their own answers, but I find all of the possible responses equally interesting. I can see how sectarianism has risen out of the “Northern Irish question,” and I wonder if it can ever fade into the background fabric of society. I wonder if, with the increasing immigration, my own country is heading towards some kind of societal divide. I also wonder if other divided areas, like Israel and Palestine, will someday achieve at least the level of peace that exists now in Northern Ireland, and I wonder how long it will take...
Traveling to Belfast, living here for five months, and experiencing the new culture around me through dialog and observation, has in some way changed the way I perceive the world. I will never be able to take things like growing up in a peaceful environment or national identity for granted again, and I would like to continue my explorations of the complexities of other cultures. I feel that I have grown greatly in my time here, and the intercultural experience I expected from studying abroad has played a large part in this. It is something I will always remember, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to come here.
Ever since I started studying at university, I wanted to spend some time studying abroad. I chose the UK because I'm interested in British and medieval literature. Celtic studies also interested me, although I had never gotten a chance to really study much Celtic literature or culture at my home university. When I learned about an exchange program to Belfast, it seemed like the perfect fit.
I wasn't expecting such a small college, and at first I felt a bit out of place, because I'm not an education major. I had been hoping for a broader range of literature and history classes where I could learn more about Ireland, but in the end, following the liberal arts course was equally enriching-- and of course, this included Anglo-Irish literature, which was a great introduction to some modern Irish and Northern Irish poets and writers.
In general, though, I tried not to have too many expectations. This was easy enough partly because I'd never done anything like this before, and simply didn't know what to expect. My study abroad coordinator at my home university made sure that we knew that we would be living in an urban environment and that we were aware of the politics of Belfast, so I didn't have images of rolling green fields and little thatched-roof cottages. Admittedly, I have always romanticized Ireland to a certain degree, but I wasn't unaware of its reality, either. I told myself that I would just have to wait and see what it would be like, and keep my mind open
My biggest expectation in coming here and my other reason for studying abroad was that I would be able to experience a different culture. I wanted to gain some insight into how people from a country other than America think, and feel, and see the world. In retrospect, I couldn't have ended up in a better place than Belfast. So many people here have in some way been affected by the Troubles, and before I came here, I couldn't even begin to imagine what that was like. Now that I have been here for this seemingly short time, although it is 'safe' now, I think that I have begun to understand.
Northern Ireland's past has also led to a nation that is still trying to establish a sense of national identity-- indeed, there is one of the roots of sectarianism-- and oddly enough, I found that I identified with this. America, after all, is a wholly constructed nation; it's difficult to point to a single characteristic shared by every single American and say that it defines America as a country. Paradoxically, America's unity is in its diversity, held together by patriotic sentiments that are instilled practically at birth in children raised in the American school system and society. (But then, one wonders, what about immigrants? A question that is also beginning to arise here in Belfast.)
This is not to question the validity of America, or Ireland, or Northern Ireland as countries. Ties that bind people together to form a nation need not be immediately obvious. Since I came here, I have often pondered the question, “What is Irish? Or perhaps more tellingly, what is Northern Irish?” The people around me might all have their own answers, but I find all of the possible responses equally interesting. I can see how sectarianism has risen out of the “Northern Irish question,” and I wonder if it can ever fade into the background fabric of society. I wonder if, with the increasing immigration, my own country is heading towards some kind of societal divide. I also wonder if other divided areas, like Israel and Palestine, will someday achieve at least the level of peace that exists now in Northern Ireland, and I wonder how long it will take...
Traveling to Belfast, living here for five months, and experiencing the new culture around me through dialog and observation, has in some way changed the way I perceive the world. I will never be able to take things like growing up in a peaceful environment or national identity for granted again, and I would like to continue my explorations of the complexities of other cultures. I feel that I have grown greatly in my time here, and the intercultural experience I expected from studying abroad has played a large part in this. It is something I will always remember, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to come here.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Bluebells on Cavehill
A sign of spring: the bluebells growing in the glens of Cavehill! Brittany and I went for an early evening bluebell hike with one of the St. Mary's staff, who guides a walk every year. It stays light so much later here-- sunset time is already just around 9:00! The carpet of flowers was lovely in the slanting light through the trees.
Some of our walking companions.
Some of our walking companions.
The other thing growing in profusion was wild garlic!
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