Ireland In The Spring (The College Of St. Scholastica)

Maia D. Alumni Blog

"It completely changed who I am and showed me so much about the world and myself that I did not know." - Maia

For the ‘Ireland in the Spring’ Program we traveled to Louisburgh, County Mayo in the West of Ireland along with our three professors. There we stayed in wonderful cottages and walked to school each day at the pastoral center (essentially a community center but smaller and Catholic). Having our professors come from Duluth, MN to Louisburgh with us greatly enhanced our connections as a group and in our educational relationships, turning us into a family very quickly. I will always recommend this program because it completely changed who I am and showed me so much about the world and myself that I did not know.

During the week, Monday-Thursday we met 9am to noon to have class, then Friday through Sunday we either spent time in Louisburgh and the surrounding area. While we were in County Mayo we climbed Corough Patrick, went surfing, toured ancient churches, and went into Westport to get Fish/Chicken and Chips and watch plays and concerts. Over the weekends and some longer weekends we traveled around the whole Island, visiting Galway, Killarney, Cork, Waterford, Dublin, Derry, Belfast, and many small towns in between. In these places we saw ancient structures, castles, plays, and natural outdoor spaces which caused us to put places to the content we were learning in class and appreciate the culture of the country we got the honor of staying in.

I got really lucky when I went abroad, I went with three of my close friends and my boyfriend, and when I left I had gained new friendships with everyone on the trip and with the locals of Louisburgh. My favorite part of going abroad would definitely be the relationships I gained and the completely new self view I gained when I left the comforts of America. Even though the time difference, cultural differences, and general life stressors weren’t always the most fun, I wouldn’t change a moment of my time in Europe for anything, except maybe more time in Europe.

- Maia D.

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PROGRAM LINK:

http://www.css.edu/academics/education-abroad/ireland-in-the-spring.html