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Question: Write about your involvement in your host institution’s community (service learning, sports, a team or club, etc.) and how it has contributed to your education abroad experience.
Written by: Doug Lajoie
The study abroad program at University College Dublin (UCD) places a great deal of emphasis on integrating the American students with the Irish students.
However, the group that has had the greatest impact on my experience here at school is my Irish History class.
Although it consists completely of American students, it has greatly increased my understanding of Irish culture.
A major facet of the course is an offering of free trips throughout Ireland, run by our guide, Dorothy. The first trip that we attended was a series of horse races in the countryside.
The next trip, which was probably the most memorable, was a genuine Irish house party. Hosted at the Landsdowne hotel, the house party consisted of traditional Irish music, an Irish dancing tutorial, and my favorite – free beer.
Another trip that was a favorite among our group was the outing to Croke Park, the home of Ireland’s Gaelic sports. It is the host of hurling and Gaelic football, two sports that find their home solely in Ireland.
Croke Park was most recently the host to Ireland’s home rugby matches during the 6 Nations tournament.
Traveling to Croke Park offered us the opportunity to test our skills at hurling, which is a mix between lacrosse and field hockey and played on a large field.
These trips have done a great deal to immerse our group in traditional Irish culture. These will be some of the highlights of my semester abroad.
The trips to the Neolithic tombs at Newgrange and a castle outside Dublin have allowed us to see beyond the city.
They have also allowed us to meet a ton of students studying at UCD from different places throughout America.
As our semester begins to wind down, there is much to look forward to in our class, with upcoming trips to Belfast and the Wicklow Mountains.
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