Art Minor in Ireland: the Beginning
I live 40 minutes away from Northeastern’s campus by the T (thanks, Orange Line!)–20 minutes by car. What does that mean? Well, that means that, if I want to get out of the country, or even out of the state, I have to either study abroad or wait another 3-4 years until I graduate. And let me just tell you, I’m an extremely impatient person; I like jumping right into things–no waiting around. So, here I am, going out of the country on my first Northeastern dialogue, after my first year of college!
I’m going on the Art Minor in Ireland Dialogue, which is especially cool because it runs throughout both Summer 1 (May-June) and Summer 2 (July-August). I’ll be spending two months on the beautiful western coast of Ireland, painting, drawing, and hiking. Needless to say, I’m beyond excited! I’m anxious to get out of my comfort zone and explore a country that I have never been to. I haven’t hiked much before, so I’m a bit nervous about that, but if it’ll give me fantastic views of Ireland’s landscapes as well as some muscle by the end of the trip, then why not! I’m also a bit nervous about spending two whole months in a different country with people that I’ve only met once or twice before. This will be my first time being out of the country or even away from my family for this long. Although, with my dad’s constant presence on social media, I think I’ll be alright.
I honestly don’t know what to expect from this trip; Ireland has never been on my list of top places to visit. When I think of Ireland, I think of thick accents, sheep, and green fields. One of my goals for this trip is to learn as much as I can about the Irish culture and also about myself. Growing up so close to the city, I’ve only been limitedly exposed to actual nature and the countryside. In Ireland, I’ll be staying in Ballyvaughan, a town in western Ireland where there are more cows and shades of green than there are people. During my time there, I want to make sure I really look around during our hikes and actually appreciate the trees, the grass, and even the smelly farm animals; I want to walk around on my own and listen to the sounds of birds and running water; I want to get away from the fast-paced world of phones, computers, and 4G in which I usually reside. And in doing so, I think that I’ll be able to better reflect on myself and everything that I will be learning this summer.
Most of all, I want to learn more about Irish culture, and I hope to do so by going out and getting to know people who actually live in Ballyvaughan. I guess that’s what I’m most looking forward to–meeting locals and learning about what it’s really like to live in Ireland. I mean, isn’t that what studying abroad is all about? To me, studying abroad means having the opportunity to see how other people in the world live their lives–to remind myself that my way of living is not the only way of living. I believe that, with an open mind, we can always learn a bit from other people’s cultures, which is exactly what I intend to do.
Cheers to 8 weeks of canvases and cows!
