Hoping to Find My Pot of Gold

June 27, 2017

I’m incredibly thrilled to be heading to Ireland in just a few short days. I decided to study abroad because I’ve always loved traveling and experiencing other cultures, and I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go live, study, and explore in another country for a whole month. I expect to be changed by this experience in that I will likely become more flexible and adaptable as a result of having to navigate the challenges of living abroad for an extended period of time. I also expect that being immersed in a foreign culture will help prepare me for life in a global world as well as helping me be more understanding of and appreciative of other cultures. My primary goals for the trip are to learn lots about Irish literature and film as well as Ireland’s history and culture, connect with other students on my trip (as well as the locals that we may meet), and, of course, have fun. I plan to achieve these goals by completing all readings and other assignments, attending and actively participating in class, fully immersing myself in Irish culture and taking advantage of all of the activities we have planned for us outside of the classroom, and going out and exploring Dublin and the rest of the country with my classmates as much as possible (I’ll have to keep the Netflix to a minimum).
I am a bit nervous, of course, as this is the longest I will ever have been out of the country (a full month!), and I don’t know the others that I’ll be traveling with particularly well. Moreover, I’m well aware of the many issues and challenges that can occur when traveling abroad, from lost luggage and delayed flights to struggling with exchange rates and navigation. Still, I’m confident that everything will work out, especially as the professors who are leading this trip are very familiar with the area (one is a native of Ireland) and have conducted this trip many times, so they should know what they’re doing and be able to help us through the inevitable issues that will arise. Despite my apprehensions, I am overwhelmingly excited for the trip. I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland—I had a childhood fascination with the country, stemming from a variety of factors, including my Irish ancestry, interest in leprechauns, and the fact that my birthday is the day before St. Patrick’s Day, and as I’ve grown older I’ve come to appreciate even more about the country, such as the media it has produced. Above all, I’m most looking forward to going on this trip so that I can meet local authors. As an avid reader and writer, I’m very excited to connect with them and hear their insight on their works and writing in general. I’m especially looking forward to meeting Paul Murray, a celebrated Irish author who wrote one of my favorite books, Skippy Dies. Overall, I have a lot to look forward to, and I can’t wait to embark on this adventure.

Written By

Brendan Lewis

I’ve always loved traveling and exploring other cultures, so I knew I wanted to study abroad at some point during my time as a college student. When deciding on a program, I wanted to find an opportunity that would allow me to earn credit toward my major, English. I chose Ireland as my destination especially because of its rich literary tradition, which had great appeal for me as an avid reader and writer. I am thrilled to have the chance to study some of the English language’s greatest works of literature, both classic and contemporary, at the sites where they were written, as well as delving into other fascinating areas like film and culture. I’m particularly excited for the chance to get to meet and connect with local authors and filmmakers. I hope to come away from the program with a newfound knowledge of and appreciation for Irish literature, film, and culture, all while also having honed my reading and writing skills, as well as sightseeing, experiencing the culture hands-on, and having a lot of fun.