Author: Eleanor Thacker | Major: Special Education | Semester: Summer 20204

The first school we visited

Hi! My name is Eleanor Thacker and I will be a Junior at the UofA next year! I just came back from studying abroad for three weeks this summer in Ireland and it was the best experience ever! During my freshman year, I went to a ton of study abroad fairs on campus and it got me really excited to one day study abroad! Then after hearing about some friends’ experiences, I decided that in my sophomore year, I would go abroad! I knew I didn’t want to do a whole semester and after looking on the hogs abroad website, I found the perfect program for me! I got really excited thinking about getting to not only experience a new country but also to be immersed in the schools around Ireland! While we traveled through three different cities in Ireland, we got to spend a whole day in each of the fourth schools we visited. We got to talk with principals, students, and faculty as well as get to join in on their everyday activities! Not only that, but we also were able to teach our own lessons that we had created to teach the students about the differences between America and Ireland. The Specific lesson topic I chose was the differences in the architecture of both countries. I was able to teach my lesson, run activities for the kids, and just get to sit down with them to see what they have been learning in class recently. One of my favorite things about my abroad experience was getting to observe and hear about how different the education system is in Ireland from the US! This was something I didn’t expect at all. As a special education major, I loved getting to see and hear about all the different accommodations each school had in place as well as their hopes for change in the future. I also thought it was fascinating to learn how Ireland approaches underprivileged areas. In Ireland, students have access to three free meals if they need them, and the underprivileged schools are given extra funding. It really just shows how passionate they are about the lives of these kids.

When thinking back on my trip, two places that I visited while in Ireland stood out to me! The first one is Salthill Beach outside of Galway. While it was a “warm” day in Ireland, the water at the beach was still 55 degrees! When you walk along the beach, you would have no idea that you were in Ireland! The water is so blue and clear and looks like you are somewhere in California or something! There was also the cutest little amusement park/carnival off the beach so we decided to ride the Ferris Wheel! Even though the water was freezing, there were still so many people in the water swimming! I knew that if I didn’t get in I would regret it so I and two friends decided to go for it! And wow was it cold!! Even still, we all had the best time and it was just so beautiful! We even saw a group of dolphins!

The other place I really loved visiting was a little town on a peninsula of Ireland called Howth. Here, we went on a hike and got to learn all about the history of the town! We had the best tour guide who told us all about the history, facts, and legends of the area. It was so fun to learn about the stories behind different “landmarks” on the island. We got to hear about scary stories about the cemetery, how Howth was the filming location of famous shows, and so much more. These were just two of the many fun experiences I had while abroad! I would definitely
recommend studying abroad to anyone who is interested! I had the best time!