Doing Well and Doing Good

Mr. George Feeny: Believe in yourselves. Dream. Try. Do good.

Topanga: Don't you mean 'do well?'

Mr. George Feeny: No, I mean do good.

Years ago, there was a show on TV that serves as one of the most memorable for those of us who grew up in the 1990's: Boy Meets World. And of all the seasons, episodes, and laughs that the series provided its audience with, the best thing it did for me personally was help me to distinguish the idea of doing well versus doing good. (Don't worry, there is a point to this...) Sure, I didn't realize exactly what Mr. Feeny meant in stating the above words when I first heard them at age 9 or so, but now I get it. And while I of course want to to well...completing my education, getting a job I love, etc...I also want to do good. And lots of it.


Back in January, I published my goals for my semester abroad via this public forum. While admittedly most of the goals were solely for my own benefit, I also included a goal of getting involved in the local community. Knowing I would only be here for five months, I wasn't sure that was a possibility but I wanted to give it a go anyway. Luckily, NUIG offered a course this semester that helped me reach that goal and do a little good. I was one of 30 visiting students chosen to take a service-learning course at the university in which we would attend one lecture and one discussion per week, as well as volunteer in local schools or homework clubs to work with local children after school. I choose to volunteer at Bohermore Youth Club, a community center located about ten minutes from my apartment where children from ages 4 - 18 come after school to play, relax, and have a structured environment to complete their homework in. For the past three months, I spent every Wednesday afternoon, from 3:30 - 5:30, at Bohermore. And while it took some getting used to at first, I found myself heading there for my last volunteering session this week with a sense of sadness as everything - my time in Ireland, classes at NUIG, volunteering at Bohermore - are winding down. But it has been a great experience and something that I had never expected to do studying abroad.


Bohermore Youth Club is located in a lower-class area of Galway. The children typically come from large families with parents who do not necessarily have the means or desire to emphasize the importance of education. The first week that I volunteered, I was appalled at the way the children would come and go to club as they pleased - five year olds just strolling out to head home with no supervision. Back home, that would be a lawsuit or an Amber Alert waiting to happen. Here, it's business as usual. Once I got past the free for all aspect of the club, I got to know some of the children and became accustomed to their behaviors - good and bad. Each week, I worked with four and five year olds who are in their "junior infant" or "senior infant" years of school. (The "infant" classes are equivalent to pre-school and kindergarten) Most of the children are absolutely adorable, with the most charming accents and expressions. I say most because, like with any group of tots, there were wild ones that drove me crazy. Some of the children, mostly the boys, were rambunctious, vulgar, and completely disrespectful towards myself and other volunteers - at age five! I soon realized that their behavior is a reflection of their upbringing and of Irish culture, as it is not uncommon for adults to swear around young children and they are also exposed to sexist stereotypes that women should be submissive to men, asserting no authority. The other volunteers and I had to work around their upbringings and try to present ourselves as individuals whom the children should respect. After a couple sessions at the youth club, most of the children did eventually take to us, but there were always a couple of troublemakers in the mix.

The number 1 troublemaker.

Most weeks, I would supervise the children during their playtime when they would play on the Wii, use the computers, and participate in gym games before having a snack and starting their homework. Homework time was my favorite at the club, not just because it was the least chaotic period, but also because it was when I was able to get to know the children and form working relationships with them. To have a little girl sit down and tell you she's been struggling with a book and then see the smile on her face when you've helped her work through it is priceless. The feelings I got after seeing how helping the children made them feel reassured me that I am definitely making the right decision in my choice to become a teacher when I graduate college. Despite the occasional poor behavior, frequent chaos, and consistent stress, I really enjoyed volunteering every single week. The kids made me laugh a ton, with their comments about how I spoke, the flowers I wore in my hair, and asking me millions of questions - "is America in Africa?" "did you swim here?" "do you go to Glee?" "do you know Justin Bieber?" - they really were hysterical. They loved to have a chat and learn about my life, and I enjoyed having a chat and learning about them just as much. Today, when I went to leave for the last time, two of the little girls that I usually help came up to me crying, asking me not to leave. It was one of the most touching things I've ever experienced and it made me wish that I could keep coming back after this week. 

Leaving Bohermore, I realized how much I will miss the children and that I hope the very best for them. The majority of them have no idea of their potential, future plans like going to college and becoming a professional are utterly foreign to them. On the few occasions that I spoke with the older kids, I was disheartened to hear that they were interested in university, but doubted they would be able to get there. I did my best to encourage them, reassuring the kids that if they worked hard and stayed committed, universities would love to have them and they'd have a whole new world of opportunities at their fingertips. I don't know if they believed me or not, but I do hope they realize that they can do anything they want, as long as they stay determined and work hard. I plan on keeping that mindset myself, as what I want to do is make a difference in the lives of children and I think I can - if I practice what I preach.


Love and lending a hand,
Haley

Oh My Guinness

This past week, API took our group on what was supposed to be an "excursion" to Dublin. I say that sarcastically because this "excursion" was more like an overnight trip to a random Irish town with a six hour pit stop in Dublin - not exactly enough time to see the nation's capital. Not enough at all. I personally felt that API had misled us by stating the excursion was to Dublin and having us stay in Kilkenny, a smaller tourist destination to the south of Dublin. But so I digress; the trip was not a total disappointment. 


We attempted to leave at 8 o'clock Saturday morning, which was the time our itinerary had told us to be packed and ready to get on the bus. However, we didn't actually hit the road until about 8:45 after two trips back to Menlo to pick up forgotten luggage and passports of people who were heading to international destinations out of Dublin after our weekend trip. We ended up arriving in Dublin around noon and upon being handed our hop-on, hop-off bus passes, were told to meet back up at the gates of Trinity College to get back on the bus to head to Kilkenny. So that gave us less than six hours to see all of Dublin, a feat that we immediately realized was far too ambitious so we went in search of seeing our only must-see: the Guinness Factory. The Dublin factory is the number one tourist destination in all of Ireland, so of course I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go check it out. And believe you me, it did not disappoint. 


Most of my friends had already been to the factory or planned on going with their families in the upcoming weeks, so it ended up just being myself and my friend Katie finding our way to the factory. We took the bus, which conveniently brought us to the front door of St. James' Gate where many other tourists were making their way in and out of. There was a line for tickets inside but it moved quickly and we made it through the queue in less than twenty minutes. The "Guinness Experience" is a self-guided tour, but the staff do a quick orientation before you head off into the factory. We entered into the orientation spot, conveniently located by the factory store, and stood in this glass encasement type of situation that turns out to be the largest pint glass in the world. It begins where we stood at the first floor of the factory and extends up seven stories, creating the rounded Gravity Bar at the top. We were informed that it would take over 4.2 million pints of Guinness to fill that one glass. At it's bottom encased in the floor was the original lease signed by Arthur Guinness, which leased the St. James Gate factory to the Guinness corporation for a period of 9,000 years - I guess Mr. Guinness was pretty confident in the future successes of his product.

Katie and I in front of Guiness - St. James Gate

The 9,000 Year Lease

After the short orientation, Katie and I walked through the six floors of the factory, learning about the brewing, packaging, transporting, and advertising processes of the brewery as well as the history of Guinness and the family who started it all. The factory is very modernized and communicates information via bold writing on walls, floors, etc. It is unlike any other factory or museum I've ever been too. We were able to touch the barley, hops, and other ingredients, as well as pour our own pints or travel to the top of the brewery to the Gravity Bar, which offers visitors a panoramic view of the city while enjoying a complimentary pint of black. Katie and I opted for the panoramic view and although it was crowded, it did not disappoint. We got our pints and found our way to a spot by the window where we encountered a small problem: we don't like Guinness! I know, I know...Guinness is part of the Irish experience. I've had a pint or two on that principal, but something about the bitter taste and the heaviness of the stout just is not my cup of tea, or I guess in this case, my pint of beer. So after taking some pictures holding our Guinness with Dublin in the background, we ditched the beer and headed out of the brewery to salvage the little time we had left to explore. 

We managed to fit in a visit to the National Museum of Ireland, as well as a quick lunch and some tourist shopping before we met back up with our group in front of Trinity College. Leaving Dublin, I was well aware that there was many other things I would have liked to have done there, but that just means I'll have to come back someday! 


From Dublin, we went to Kilkenny, a smaller tourist destination about an hour and a half south. There, we were to have dinner and stay overnight before visiting Kilkenny Castle and making random pit stops the next day. We checked into the hotel around 7PM and rushed to make our 7:30 dinner reservations at a nearby restaurant. The dinner was great, we had a choice of appetizers, entrees, and desserts as well as assorted beverages. After dinner, a couple of the American rugby girls and I met up with one of our teammates who happens to be from Kilkenny. She goes home to work on the weekends and was looking forward to showing us a night out in her town. But first, we had to meet the family. Fiona drove us out to her country home where we met her mother, father, and ten year old sister. They were absolutely fantastic and a complete riot. Her mom made us brown bread to take home and cupcakes to have at the house and her dad offered us Irish moonshine and some good stories. They love Obama and Michael Jackson, as well as thinking Boston is the best city in the United States - smart folks. It was cool to see just a normal family hanging out on a Saturday night for the first time in months. After our little visit with the Cantwell's, the girls and I headed back to town to hit the up the town. Unfortunately, we weren't able to hit them too hard as many of the pubs and clubs had a 21+ restriction despite the 18 legal age and a few of my friends haven't turned 21 yet. Wanting to stay together, we went to a pub that was 18+ where most of our program group had found themselves. We had a few pints and danced to the live music for a while until Daylight Savings Time caused us to lose an hour and 1AM became 2AM. Knowing that we had an early wake-up call, we all decided to head back and call it a night. 


In the morning, we had breakfast and checked out of the hotel before heading to the castle for a guided tour. Kilkenny Castle was like many of the other castles I've visited while in Ireland, but a little cooler because it had been a contender in the competition to be "Hogwarts" in the Harry Potter film series. Unfortunately, the castle didn't make the cut, but the cast had visited and gave the place a little more notoriety. 

Once the tour ended, we walked around the grounds a bit enjoying the sunshine until it was time to head back to Galway. On the drive back, we made many stops for bathroom breaks, car sick breaks, lunch breaks, and a visit with T.J Larkin, a national hero in Ireland for his achievements in the sport of hurling. We finally arrived in Galway around 7:30, exhausted after such a long day. It was definitely a cramped weekend, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. 


Love and time crunches,
Haley

Bring on the Sunshine, Bring on a Good Time

There hasn't been much happening throughout the week on this side of the pond, but I have enjoyed doing nothing in fabulous weather - I'm talking a flip-flop appropriate 65 and sunny for the past three days. Well, I've attended classes and gone to rugby, but other than that I have been basically hanging out with friends, lounging around out in our courtyard. It's been a nice break before what is sure to be a hectic few weeks. Coming up, I have a weekend trip to Dublin, a visit with a teammates family in Kilkenny, the last week of classes, intervarsities for rugby in Carlow, and 6,000 words worth of papers to write. All that traveling around Ireland before leaving for a spring break trip to central Europe - it's exhausting and exciting all at the same time. Hopefully, everything will go smoothly and the sunny weather will keep up, I'd love to fit a good tan in there somewhere!


Love and busy bee's,
Haley

Six Nations

In Ireland, Paddy's Day isn't really just a day; it is extended as long as possible. Since it fell on a Thursday this year, many schools and workers took Friday off as well, giving everyone a chance to recover from their Paddy's Day shenanigans and to enjoy a long weekend. Continuing the weeks theme of everything Irish, I attended a Six Nations rugby match on Friday night. Six Nations is an annual rugby tournament between Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Italy, and France that lasts for five weeks and garners national attention on the Emerald Isle. I would equate their passion for rugby with the American passion for football; games are on once a week and during that time, all that matters for the audience is beer, tackles, and victories. There are separate women's and men's tournaments and a teammate of mine from NUIG actually plays for Ireland. The women had a match set against England on Friday night in Ashbourne, so a bunch of us got a bus and made the trip out to show some support. Ashbourne is on the outskirts of Dublin, so it took nearly three hours to get to the field, which was in the middle of nowhere and had very little seating. But, there was a sideline pub. Shocking, I know. 


On the bus ride up, we put on face paint, sang, and took lots of pictures to pass the time. When we arrived, there was a pretty big crowd and the teams were warming up on their respective sides of the pitch. We found a spot along the field barriers and stayed there, in the cold rain, throughout the match. Ireland ended up losing something like 29 - 0, but it was still really cool to see someone I practice alongside play in a national match. The crowd didn't seem disappointed either, they continued to sing and cheer all the way until the end, showing serious dedication to their country and their sport. After the game, we quickly went back to the warm bus to make the long journey back to Galway. The game hadn't started until about 7:45, so we didn't end up leaving until nearly 10. Most of us slept on the ride back, tired from Paddy's Day antics and a long day traveling back and forth to the rugby match. 

UMass girls in matching rugby shirts

"Team America"

Yesterday following the women's match against England, the men were set to play the Brits at 5PM in Dublin. Unlike women's matches, the men play in the Gillette-sized Aviva Stadium in front of over 50,000 fans. Tickets cost hundreds of Euro, so while I would have loved to go, it was more financially sound to watch from a pub in Galway. I made my way downtown in the early afternoon with my friends Katie and Fiona to grab some lunch and find good seats in the Skeff, a pub that takes .50 off of the cost of a pint with each try that Ireland scores. A bunch of people met us there and by the time the match began, there was barely standing room. It was in the pub that I got a sense of how die-hard rugby fans are in Ireland. They sing and cheer as if they were at the stadium themselves; belting out the national anthem and "Ireland's Call" alongside the team. Yesterday's match was particularly important for two reasons. The first was that due to the long history of tension between Ireland and England, many Irish do not like the British and are happy to see them lose at everything: wars, rugby matches, etc. The second was that if Ireland proved victorious, then they would ruin England's perfect record thus far in the tournament. To everyone's surprise, Ireland did in fact win and the pub was crazy. Beers were 2 Euro off, many hugs were exchanged, and shouts for Ireland were being yelled everywhere. I was happy for the fans, for the team, and that I was able to take part in the celebration.


Love and rugby country,
Haley

Like You Read About

This past Thursday I was able to do something that most people only read about: I spent Saint Patrick's Day in Ireland. From being raised in the Greater Boston area, I of course have learned what March 17th means people who have Irish roots, people looking for work holiday, and people who just want an excuse to have a good time. I have worn my green, picked at boiled dinners, and watched parades of shamrocks, clovers, and bagpipe players. However, I think it is safe to say that my Saint Patrick's days were "shite" until this past Thursday. When deciding where to go abroad, a trivial factor was that if I went to Ireland, I'd be able to spend Saint Patrick's day there. I didn't realize then how much I would appreciate that I was able to celebrate with the Irish; if I was ever looking for the epitome of the Irish experience..."Paddy's Day" was it. 

For weeks, Galway had been abuzz with talk of Paddy's Day (never referred to as St. Patrick's Day) - planning the parade, stocking the pubs, and purchasing various flags, t-shirts, and other novelty items. My friends and I had asked reliable sources, such as taxi drivers, bartenders, and students, where to go for the craic on Paddy's Day and they all had one response: Galway. At first, we had wanted to go to Dublin but were told that is where all the tourists go and it is a far cry from the genuine experience we would get if we stayed in Galway. So we decided to save ourselves the bus and hostel fare and stay in our adopted hometown for the holiday. 

On Thursday morning, my roommates and I woke up early, as there was no time to waste - the pubs opened at 10! We got dressed in our tackiest greens and went to our teammate Fiona's apartment, where she had turned our American suggestion of the classic "kegs and eggs" into her Irish version: "beer and breakfast." There was quite a spread of traditional Irish breakfast foods such as bangers (sausage), bacon (thick slices of ham), potato waffles, and toast with nutella, as well as the classic American breakfast items like bagels and cream cheese, muffins, and French toast. There was a bunch of us there, my roommates, assorted friends, and a bunch of girls from rugby. Always keeping it classy, we accompanied our breakfasts with variations of hard ciders, beer, and a couple brave ladies even had tequila sunrises. 

After breakfast and pictures, we headed down to the nearby city center to watch the parade. It was pretty packed when we got there, but we found some space on the sidewalk and did our best to catch all that was going on. The theme of the parade had something to do with "around the world" so there were groups children and adults representing all different countries, as well as many bands, sports teams, and the standard police and fire department representatives. The majority of parade goers were families, all dressed up in green and waving their flags proudly. 

The parade lasted for about an hour and then people suddenly began filling the streets to make their way towards the pubs. We joined the crowd and headed towards the King's Head, a Galway landmark that is a great spot for live music and watching sports events. Along the way, I noticed the air of excitement among the crowds - everyone, and I mean everyone, was dressed in some kind of green, shouting their allegiances to Ireland, and just having a good time. The weather was also being cooperative, sparing us the rain and warm enough to even enjoy a pint on the pub patio.

When we reached the King's Head, it was already pretty crowded with men, women, and a surprising amount of children. Many of them were there to watch a championship curling match in which Galway was competing. The Irish girls we were with intended on staying to watch the game as well, so we grabbed a few pints, pulled up some stools, and sat for hours watching the game and the people in the pub.

When the match had ended, we were all pretty tired and the day seemed to be getting away from us. We went back to Fiona's to eat the last of the breakfast fare and grab our belongings we'd left before making the walk back to our apartments. On the way, the streets were still bustling with celebrants. I was surprised at how calm the atmosphere seemed; I had expected the crowds of people to be drunk and out of control, but they honestly weren't. It seemed that for the Irish, the day was not about getting wasted as wasted as possible, but it was really about taking a day to celebrate their culture - the music, the food, the drink, the dancing...the whole camaraderie. It was really a sight to see and one of my favorite experiences thus far on my trip.

Love and shamrocks,

Haley