Art Minor in Ireland: Beannacht, Ireland!

Spending the past two months in the beautiful County Clare in Ireland has been an absolute dream come true. I think that studying abroad has taught me a lot about myself and how I react in different environments. I’ve learned to not worry so much about the little things; I only had two months in Ballyvaughan, and I didn’t want to waste any time being stressed or unhappy. It honestly surprised me how comfortable I felt in Ballyvaughan, even though the town is so different from my hometown (we’re talking a population of less than 300 vs. population of over 60,000). I guess the peace and quiet in the area as well as the hospitality and warmth of the people there made me feel right at home.

I was definitely worried that I would feel out of place in rural Ireland; I’ve always lived in or near the city, so I was nervous about how I’d react to such a small place. Whether I enjoyed it or not, I figured that it would be a valuable experience and opportunity to learn how to live in a more laid-back and modest manner; however, I quickly came to learn that, when you’re living in such a tiny town with such few people, it gives you a much better chance to genuinely learn about the people living around you. My fellow classmates and I probably would not have had the fortune of befriending the locals, whom we would run into while in town almost every night, had there been more people in the area. One of my favorite experiences from this trip was definitely sitting around a table at a pub with my friends, from Northeastern and also from Ballyvaughan, and being able to go around telling stories about embarrassing moments, life-changing experiences, etc.

To me, the single greatest benefit of studying abroad is making new friends. I really appreciated being able to meet new people from all around the world as well as get to know more of my Northeastern classmates. Living together teaches you a lot about yourself and, of course, the people around you.

Spending two months in a space without wifi and without my closest friends from back home has taught me a lot about being on my own and surviving without Internet access. With the help of some of my housemates, I learned how to cook a few meals for myself, just in time for having my own kitchen next semester (shoutout to Alexis, Vy, and “Kitchen Goddess” Kelly).

Academically, I’ve found that, although I am nearly completed my Art Minor, art school is not the lifestyle for me. Throughout my entire life, painting has always been therapeutic and gratifying; having to stress over finishing art assignments on time, in my opinion, makes the act of creating art a bit less enjoyable. Nonetheless, I think that I will always be painting and making art, wherever I end up in life, no matter how much I have grumbled over being in the studio for hours on end.

But don’t get me wrong; having a studio space to create art is an absolutely amazing and freeing experience. During my time at the Burren College of Art, I had the opportunity to do larger projects than I have ever done before, and when I was done, seeing my pieces fill up two whole walls was such a satisfying feeling that made all of my time in the studio worth it.

I would definitely advise future participants to take advantage of all the space that there is at the Burren College of Art and most definitely take advantage of the fact that Ballyvaughan is so small. Get to know everyone and get to know them well because I believe that befriending the local people was the best way to truly get a feel of genuine Irish culture. Go to the pier and watch as many sunsets as you can and really enjoy every second of Western Ireland; it is a positively beautiful little part of the world.

As for me, hopefully, I will be studying abroad at least once more before my time at Northeastern comes to an end. Ideally, I would like to visit a Spanish-speaking country to practice my Spanish and learn how to live in a place where English is not the main language. I’ve been learning Spanish since elementary school, and I think it’s time to put my abilities to the test.

Until next time, cheers to Ireland, Northeastern, and the amazing adventures to be had all around the world!