Mary Rowe
UMBC Faculty-Led: Dawg Days Abroad in Ireland
Major: Social Work
Pre-Departure Post
Hello reader,
I am Mary, and I am going on a faculty-led abroad trip to Dublin, Ireland, for two weeks! I am currently two years into my journey to becoming a social worker. My passion is to work within the foster care system, which I am going to be able to do while pursuing my master’s in social work at UMBC. The course is surrounded by protest songs. I have already learned so much about songs I hear regularly that have a much deeper and impactful meaning. I was very intrigued when I came across this opportunity. I have wanted to prepare for my first year of dorming after being in community college for two years. I thought to myself how much of a leap this would be to go out of my comfort zone, so dorming would be easier compared to this. I am taking this as a chance to expand my independence and knowledge by immersing myself in a foreign culture to really detach myself so I can focus on me. This is something I would recommend doing for anyone who struggles with anxiety and independence, as it forces you to take a step to better yourself. Choosing you is the only answer, especially when it comes to your education.
So far in my class, I have read a lot about various political movements. At first, the workload was a little overwhelming as it was more than I expected. I feel as though this is not bad, as it will only push me to work harder. The work assigned consists of readings and written responses as well as journals explaining your thoughts and perspectives on a specific topic. Our main project that we are working on is a paper about a protest song or movement and what it means. The written part is broken up into multiple assignments, which I always like, as there is room for feedback and time management. I am also excited to do the daily Dublin Journal assignment, where you write two pages answering some questions about your day abroad. The classes are twice a week in person, three hours long. It is pretty long, but if anything, it prepares me for the early mornings. I am adjusting to sitting down and focusing on school after a long, relaxing summer, where I did not need to use my brain. This course is the perfect diversity credit, and I am grateful I am able to learn such a wide variety of history. It has been interesting learning about the universal music language. Many diverse cultures use music as a form of resistance and expression of emotion. Many commonly played songs are protest songs of sorts, but a lot of historical music speaks loudly of disagreement. I cannot wait to learn about the complexities of protest music, specifically in Ireland. I am lucky enough to be able to learn such things in the place I am studying, while being directed to the exact historical sites. History is vast and I am the utmost excited to be able to explore that in a safe and guided avenue.
I have been preparing for this trip by adjusting myself to constantly looking at my workload, deep cleaning my room, organizing clothes I will need for the weather in Ireland, and talking to my support systems. That last one is the most important to me. There are a lot of people who I am going to miss. For me, it is going to be a long week. To prepare myself for leaving, I am making time to be with friends and family. I have been cleaning and sorting my clothes to better be able to pack. I have also been attentive to the weather in Ireland so I can see how the weather changes there and what to expect. I have been saving money and securing shifts to ensure I have enough money in Ireland, not to worry, and to enjoy myself. I am also happy to hear that we will have 24/7 access to our apartment and campus. I am prepared for multitasking workloads and excursions. It is now less than a week until I will be at the airport getting ready to board for Ireland. In exactly a week, I will be temporarily living in an apartment at Trinity College Dublin. I am so excited and intrigued to be staying and taking classes in those classrooms. Trinity is in the center of Dublin; the location could not be better. There is so much to look forward to, as it outweighs the anxiety of transition. We are told it will be about 4 or so of our gendered peers will be staying in the same apartment with different rooms. I am incredibly happy with this arrangement, considering I was preparing myself to sleep in a bunk bed. We are also incredibly lucky to have access to a traditional Irish breakfast buffet at Trinity for our entire stay. Having a provided meal every day is the perfect way to start a jam-packed day. I will surely be taking this opportunity to try new foods and take advantage of every new experience.
I hope my blog has brought some insight into what an abroad class can bring you. While it has only been three weeks of classes, I have learned a lot. I answered a lot of questions I had myself before beginning this program. Housing and accommodations vary based on each program abroad, but I was most curious about that from other people’s blogs, so I thought it important to include. I would really encourage anyone who is curious about an abroad program to at the very least apply. I thought I missed the application deadline, but I had one more day left! I was a few hours away from not attending, and that would have been a big mistake. Even though I have never taken a jump like this, I am ever the more excited and proud of myself for doing so. I will see you guys next time once I am in Dublin, Ireland!
See you in Ireland!
In-Country Post #1
Hello again!
I am so happy to be reporting back. Initially, I was anxious about writing this follow-up blog as I have only been in Ireland for three full days with 10 days left. I couldn’t imagine I would have this much to ramble about. First off, I am thankful I have a platform to write about this because there is so much to share!
My biggest delight has been the people I am with. I don’t think any of us would actively seek out to be friends with one another, and that’s sad. It is sad to think we could be walking past great friendships because you wouldn’t sit next to them on the first day of school. This experience has already made us 13 such a tight-knit group. Just three days in, we had a ‘potato party’ in the boys’ kitchen where all 13 of us hung out together and cooked food. We also always go to group places during our free time and experience the city with new friends. It has been very eye-opening to see everyone slowly get out of their shell and converse or join group hangouts.
I absolutely love the structure and freedom of this course. I am currently 20 and have planned my own international trip before, and I much miss having my trip planned for me. The faculty did a great job formatting the schedule, giving us ample free time and breaks. The tours and activities we have done so far have not only been extremely informative but also genuinely fun. I have never been a person to be fully engaged with museums; I am happy that our trip is not just going to museums, but talking to people who lived during times of oppression and revolution. I think that has been the most impactful so far. Hearing real-life stories of someone who has firsthand experienced such tragic events really puts into perspective how far we have all come and how much harder we have to work to sustain that. Our first walking tour was visiting different buildings that had deep significance to the Irish LGBTQ community when it was illegal to be queer. On this tour, we saw a statue of Oscar Wilde, the Irish author, who was in prison for two years for staying in a room with a man and making ‘suggestive’ noises. There was a vast history that we were able to learn from buildings that have ordinary uses now, which were once places used for liberation and social gathering. On our second walking tour, our tour guide was from the time of gilded prisons for children and shared his personal account of his 7-year-old brother being sent to, essentially, a labor camp, for 7 years. He was only caught stealing rosary beads. For many years, our tour guides’ family tried breaking him out until he escaped from a third holding center to dress up as a girl to try to hide from the police in Dublin. I am thoroughly surprised by the grim Irish history, specifically pertaining to anyone who was not a white Irish straight cis male. I was unaware of the very complex history of oppression in Ireland. I know this is due to my own ignorance, but I honestly had no idea that Ireland was such a heavily ruled government with such an impact from the church. Above everything, I can say this experience abroad has been extremely educational, even in the three days we have been here.
The first day of class, which is from 9:30 am-12 pm every day, was hard to wake up for, but it feels so productive to go to class in such a beautiful college, such as Trinity. There, we learn more in-depth about how protest songs intersect with all our learning and share our experiences in our daily journals. Walking into my apartment room was amazing. All trips abroad are different, where you will be sleeping, but I am beyond satisfied with my room arrangement. I have my own bathroom with a shower. There is also a lot of room, with a window and a big bed. I am happy to have my own space where I can focus and relax if I need to. There is also a kitchen/living room common area in every suite. I am staying with three other girls in my suite, but we have our own rooms, lined up next to each other like a hallway. Walking to and from class or just anywhere from my dorm is so fun. I love navigating the campus and buildings, as there are only certain ways to enter and exit, and they will put you at completely different spots. It is always so beautiful to walk around, and I feel like I am truly immersed in this experience.
I can’t wait until our next blog so I can let you know where I am at! I feel already better adjusted and ready for dorming to start in the Fall. I would honestly recommend doing this for anyone who can. Not only does it push you out of your comfort zone, but it also teaches you what you love about yourself! I am more confident in myself to be able to navigate and socialize independently. I also learn more about myself, such as being me of an extrovert than I would have thought myself to do, as I don’t like silence, and I am just having so much fun! This is a wonderful way to grow as an individual and put yourself out there. I was very nervous before boarding the plane, even getting sick at one point from the nerves, but once I have gotten here, I haven’t even pondered feeling that way. I am so appreciative of this opportunity for a unique educational experience.
See you next time!
In-Country Post #2
Long time no see!
It is now the second week of being abroad. I only have three days left before I get on a plane back to Maryland. The time here has been amazing, and I wish I could have been here longer. I did my Instagram takeover and was able to see what questions you lads had. It made me want to go abroad again because I realized how much I recommend this experience. It teaches you great time management skills along with a life changing experience. I have learned so much about myself, mostly that I am still a likeable person. It is easy to isolate yourself in class, to avoid conversation and think no one likes you because no one is talking to you. Being in class in Maryland there is a disconnect between peers as many students are shy and do not know how to get out of their comfort zone. This leads to many feeling lonely and that they are alone in a room of 30 people with the same goal. Going abroad brings you together with like-minded individuals who also are pushing themselves to be better. The environment encourages you to socialize, and that I did. I made sure I made the most out of my time by surrounding myself with my fellow lads on the trip. Being home sick is completely normal and amplified if you do not have a person to call your person. My group was amazing in every way. Everyone had a different personality to add to the group and everyone looked out for each other. Coordination was key to making sure everyone was on time and in the right place.
Having support encouraged me to do something I did not plan on doing, bog jumping. It sounds crazy because it is crazy. We took a day trip to Caseys Farm where we made our own soda bread, pet animals and bog jumped. A bog is cold, thicker mud that if you jump into it will hold you and suck you up. We all jumped in and got covered in the brown bog. It was hard getting out once you are in as it sucks you up and holds you tight. Although it was dirty and something I would have never seen me doing, I did not do it anymore. Peer pressure in this case was a good thing as I would not have done that by me. Everyone else was doing it and I had to figure out what it was like. We were so dirty, but it was fun to run around and laugh with friends.
Our group had one free day which was on a Sunday. Me and five other students took a train ride to Bray in west Ireland. We went there with no solid plan other than we knew it had a beach and there were hiking spots. Two of the people went swimming in the chilly water which they recommended but I did not bring a bathing suit. There was a giant hill or mountain that we had to hike up. There was a giant cross at the top. It took a while to get up there and it was a crazy incline, but we made it. Once I was up there, I was exhausted but was taken over by the view. It reminded me that all the challenging work is worth it for the moments you can think and take in everything around you. I am grateful I got to experience a trip with such variety.
The day after our free day, we took a day trip to Galway. Sadly, we went on a bank holiday, so most things were closed but Galway had an amazing bright set up to the town. There was a small market going on where people sold handmade goods. Soon after our arrival in Galway we took a bus to the Cliffs of Moher. This is where a scene from one of my favorite movies, The Princess Bride, was shot. It was breathtaking seeing such green, moving grass and blue, breathing oceans clash into each other. The cliffs were breath taking with scattered farm animals on the restricted grass areas. The visual beauties of Ireland were incomprehensible.
One of our last excursions was the Howth. This is a beautiful part of Ireland that has this wonderful mountain we hiked up. Many movies are shows have been filmed in this town, our tour guide was very helpful and informative about the whole trip. It was a very long tiring walk but all worth it for the view and accomplishment. It felt like the Cliffs of Moher, so far and yet so like each other. It was nice to learn the history of Ireland which each visit. It has been nice to journal and blog about my experience as I feel like I have made the most out of it. I have been trying hard to focus on work and when I get back home, which is soon, I will be ready to lock in to schoolwork even more so.
The staff has been amazing and very supportive. I could not have been luckier with administrators and peers. Everyone really rallied together to make sure everyone was comfortable and having a good time. Group meals were always nice to see what everyone got, and we would all try each other’s food. So many times, I was able to enjoy things I would have never tried. I can be thankful to the UMBC led abroad faculty that supported everyone, so nothing went wrong and everything went right!
Thank you for following along, see you for my last blog once I am back in Maryland!
Return Post
Last Hello,
It has been a crazy ride. I have done four blogs and gone to many classes and experienced so much diversity. If not for this experience I would be more isolated at UMBC as I was able to form a tight knit community. This has prepared me to move in only a little over week from the day I am writing this. Not too long ago I was counting down the days and hours till I arrived in Ireland. Now I am back with all that knowledge and memories. I could not been more happy that I went. I was very hesitant as it is such a step out of my comfort zone. I am so glad I did. You never know what you are capable of until you do it. Pushing yourself is the only way of knowing your true capabilities.
I have done all my work for this class and it was heavy. It really did make me prioritize my education and devote myself to the material. I had to write an 8 page paper on the social protest of my choosing. I chose the 3rd wave of feminism, specifically the Riot Grrrls as it shows how punk women used their voices to increase inclusivity of women during the 1990s and 2000s. I also had to make a 22 slide PowerPoint along with an annotated bibliography. It is not an easy course, I did not expect to be in an easy class but I definitely had to focus on school work and prioritize what needed attention. It was also fun to update my daily journal about my trip. Each day we would have due two pages in our given journal about our day. It is nice looking back and reflecting on the things I did. There was many educational tours that were more engaging than I would have assumed. It was nice being able to walk around and having something beautiful to constantly look at. It made every walk quicker and more interesting.
It was nice to answer questions on Instagram take over. Being an ambassador was a really fun excuse to take group pictures and be able to share my experience. It has been disappointing that the photos don’t capture the true beauty of Ireland. The depth of the hills and mountains are indescribable as it was flourished with green and wonderful flowers along the cliffs. The staff and teachers have been a great support for our work as they go out of their way to check on us. They also give helpful resources and way to get more information. When I was having trouble I was able to take extra time or get extra help. Having my own space in the dorms was really nice to be able to focus and decompress as needed.
It has been an eye opening experience to be able to explore a different city in a different city. Seeing people who do things just slightly different is a perfect way to become a better anthropologist in putting yourself as a third eye view. Looking in from a beginners mind will help you understand and immersed yourself better in the community. I would recommend this to anyone who is willing to try something new. Make sure you read the details and class requirements. I had a better time than I could have imagined. I would have been very disappointed in myself if I did not go. Thank you everyone for following me along Ireland and navigating a different world.
Thank you for following along,
Mary Rowe