#10

Monday, May 28-May 30

Its official, I have finished my last day at work! This week absolutely flew by…I guess time flies when you’re having fun can be a very true statement.

Work went well this week and I found it very enjoyable and educational. Monday I got the chance to work with two young men with autism. Shawn, who I spent the most time with, came a long way in the hour and a half I visited with them. It took about 20 minutes to build rapport with him, but once he was accustomed to me we got so much accomplished! This may have been one of my favorite moments of my entire experience! I felt completely capable of creating my own assessment and implementing it on the spot. It was such a refreshing feeling to know that I actually have learned something in school! I went and visited Shawn today and he looked me in the eye when he spoke with me, remembered my name and even used polite manners like we worked on! So rewarding.

The final 3 days in my classroom went amazing. Each of my ‘learners’ wrote me letters about what I did with the program. Some of my favorite quotes from the letters include, "God Bless America, God Bless Jessica!" and "Jessica is from Nebraska and likes happy people." I am truly touched by the impact that they said I have had on the group. They have been beyond accepting and embraced me into their environment even though they are all older than me by quite a few years. My experience turned out so different than I thought it would from day 1 when I was disappointed about not having a pediatric rotation. Being a part of a mental health rotation was an eye-opening and challenging experience that I think has benefited me in more ways than I can state. I feel so blessed to have this experience and to have met all the people I have. The community of Sligo has made me feel at home. I am so flattered that I can go to different areas of Sligo County and see people I have met and they remember my name and make sure that I am enjoying my time.

We made our last visit to the beach last night and indulged in my favorite meal so far. I mean it was pizza, which has been a staple since we have been here, but it had all my favorites on it and enough for lunch today. A few of the girls and I exchanged Irish words we have learned in the past 3 weeks and found ourselves quite entertained. For example, imagine a young lad about 8 years running up to his teacher saying, “teacher I need more rubbers!” What would you think? Honestly…we all died laughing. “Rubbers” is the Irish word for erasers! What were you thinking?!?

I look forward to my next 2 days of pure relaxation and finished up odds and ends, also known as running errands. I have found the most brilliant coffee shop in all of Ireland and quite possibly the World. It is nestled on the corner of Bridge Street (where I work) and only opened the second week I started. It is called ‘Chapters’ and honestly has the only good coffee in this whole country. Ailing is the owner and she is just so lovely! Even the sign outside offers ‘Free Wi-Fi and Free Smiles’ which is very fitting. I have found this to be my new sanctuary for not only good coffee and Wi-Fi (of course) but also a place where I can reflect and have time to myself (which is rare around here). Every time I go in Ailing brings me free chocolates and sometimes brown bread (wheat bread). The best deal you can get is a coffee and any paperback book in the upstairs library for just 4 Euro! I have yet to buy a book, but I can’t get over how brilliant the idea is.  

 Some of the group

 Yvonne

Tonight we were surprised to find that our tea date at Martin and Mary’s was actually a 10-course meal! Oh, did she feed us until our eyeballs and bellies were popping out. Mary made it very clear that we should clean our plates and insisted that we not help with dishes. After having 11 children of her own I guess I can see where it comes from!

Tomorrow we all look forward to a special dinner at Markree Castle and our last night on the town together. We plan on hitting up our favorite local pub, Garavogue, which offers 2 for 1 drinks on Thursday and Sunday. We have failed miserably at seeking out every pub in Sligo, but we have made sure our favorites had good business from us. 

#9

Dublin

May 26-27

I have continued my stand in that I definitely love the smaller towns better than bigger cities preference. Dublin was nothing short of a very large city filled with lots of smoke, mean drivers and large crowds. My favorite part about Dublin was our accommodations at the very prestigious Trinity College. It was neat to be able to stay on a college campus again and comforting to know the security of staying at the college, especially in Dublin. A local told us on the way in to be very aware of our surroundings and hold on to our purses tight. She also told us that New York City was safer…that made me feel good. Overall, I never felt completely unsafe or threatened.

Our first stop was Mercy International, home of Catherine McAuley, the founder of the Sisters of Mercy. This was an interesting tour that consisted of a video and tour of the home. Crazy enough, our tour guide Mary Kay, is from Hastings, NE and was a teacher and Sister at College of Saint Mary! Once again, small world!!

We spent the rest of our day living out my dad’s dream of touring the Guinness storehouse. This was an amazing self-guided tour! My favorite part was learning how to draft a Guinness by a staff member. We all received certificates upon completion and a pint to enjoy that we drafted ourselves.

The goal of our evening was to hit up the famous Temple Bar(s), which luckily are only blocks from the college. At first it was evident that they were pure chaos, but we managed to find a variety of live Irish music and our first club since being in Ireland. Lets just say it was an experience! Great time with the girls, but we definitely agreed that Sligo is our favorite place in Ireland.

Sunday we got up and b-lined it to the Jameson Distillery. This was such a neat tour! Unlike the Guinness Storehouse, Jameson was a guided tour that was very interesting and concluded with a drink at the bar. All of us girls opted for the cranberry and lime with Jameson, which wasn’t too horrible.

 Our dorms at Trinity College!

As soon as we got back to Sligo we organized our rooms and lives for the upcoming week we also made our last trip to the grocery store. I am happy to say that I hope that the 15 Euro I spent will last me the entire week. The consensus around here is that spending money really isn’t that much fun and America really is pretty awesome. We all may or may not have started a list of all the things we take for granted at home…and there are lots of things and certain people we really miss! J

6 more days!

#8

Friday, May 25

Belleek

Entering Northern Ireland! The small town of Belleek is home to the world famous Belleek Fine Parian china. We made a short stop to this beautiful building and did some shopping. I will say prices are much better in Ireland than in America, but I can’t give too many details until I get home…J

Donegal

The drive to Donegal is exactly how I imagined Ireland would look like! Beautiful rolling green hills spotted with sheep. We visited the O’Donnell’s Castle (Donegal Castle) and walked around the town. We were more amazed by the continuation of amazing weather more than anything.

Mullaghmore

Seriously the most GORGEOUS place on Earth I have ever seen! Mullaghmore is a beautiful seaside village that has incredible beaches and beyond gorgeous views. We frolicked on the beach for a good hour and were very surprised to find that the water was so warm, the sand so soft and pretty and palm trees! Prettiest place I have seen yet!

#7

Thursday, May24, 2012

Week two of work is done! Crazy how fast time has flown by! It was another successful week of work with my ‘learners’. My favorite assignment this week was to research (at the library) an assigned point of interest in Sligo and take us on a class tour and give a presentation on the site, like a tour guide. I think it was beneficial for both the ‘learners’ and myself to see the town and learn about its history. I think a lot of times we don’t even know some of the history in our own towns.

After introducing my supervisor, Yvonne, to Pinterest yesterday (huge hit) I thought she might enjoy Prezi as well. I gave her a presentation I created for finals about occupational therapy and autism in which she thought two of her colleagues would benefit from. I think it is safe to say that it went well also because they have invited me down to their rooms on Monday and Tuesday for a couple hours to observe three of their adult ‘learners’ with autism and offer suggestions to increase their success in the classroom. I am very excited to say the least! A nice change in the day schedule will be nice as well.

Even though it is summer here we have mostly experienced highs in the 50’s and rainy days…until this week. Summer finally made its way over the pond because today was a whopping 25 degrees Celsius (about 84 degrees Fahrenheit). On Thursdays the men go to special groups without the ladies so Yvonne and I spent the day on the town. We went grocery shopping, sat outside at cafes, went to lunch with the men after their group, took a tour of the river walk and played bocce ball. Educational enough for me…and I got a lovely v-neck tan line that really looks nice. I definitely never thought I would be getting sun burned in Ireland. I will say it is funny to see the sun come out in Ireland because literally everyone is beat red!

Yesterday was also a very traumatizing experience. We were given the option to get seaweed baths…Everyone I have talked to about this before has told me they are the most amazing and organic spa treatment in the World. They even say that people come from all over the World to get the seaweed baths. Well, I’ll tell ya what, it was the most stressful 50 minutes of my life and I will never go back. The initial first 5-10 minutes is nice in the steamroom, but the minute you step out and into the tub full of seaweed and hot water, it was game over for me. There is absolutely nothing relaxing about taking a bath with wild life…you might as well go jump in the ocean. The seaweed smells, the water in the tub is salty and there were even little snails in there, no thanks. I got one foot in the tub and a piece touched my foot and that was enough for me! All the seaweed went out of the tub and back into the bucket. I was so hot by the end of it that it took me an additional 20 minutes just to get my pants on because I was sweating so bad. And no, my hair and skin were not soft or “velvety”…I do not recommend it to anyone. Ever. The entire time I was wondering how I would explain this story to my mother who would constantly be rolling her eyes at me telling me I am being a drama queen…but you know what? It was warranted, absolutely awful. On a positive note the beach was gorgeous and the waves were big enough that all the surfer dudes were literally running to the beach.

After a long and exhausting week the absolute last thing I wanted to do after I got off work was climb another mountain. But I did it. We all hiked up Mount Knocknarea to bring a rock to the mauve’s grave (a legend about her tomb being at the top). The view overlooked the town of Sligo on the right and the ocean on the left. I will say it only took us about an hour and a half total compared to the four last time. There were lots of cows that we socialized with on the way down. The girls from Pittsburgh were thoroughly impressed with them, apparently they don’t have as many as Nebraska does.

 Hey, look! It is like 'Nick Olson'! :)

The most BIZARRE part of my trip thus far was running into a fellow Lincolnite in a local pub tonight! Emily Carpenter (Southeast graduate and Chi Omega at Nebraska) was passing through Sligo! Needless to say we had a serious freak out moment that I’m sure was beyond obnoxious, but who cares! What a small world! She is studying in Dublin and making rounds around Ireland for the weekend. She also leaves Ireland the same day and also flies in to JFK first…crazy how it works out sometimes. 

#6

 

May 18-20

 

Friday, May 18, 2012

Today was a busy day, but we don’t work on Fridays so I can’t complain too much. We started off our day with breakfast made by our program director, Susan. Every Friday both houses meet for a seminar meeting to discuss our week of work, Irish culture, and any questions or conflicts we have. This was a great time to discuss interactions with clients throughout the week and learn about our peers’ experiences as well. And well, I love breakfast so that was a plus!

 

Looking back on week one has made me realize a few things:

• I really enjoy the tea/coffee breaks twice a day (America works too hard)
• I love not having any homework to do at night (too bad I have school all summer).
• The Internet is amazing (and so is Skype).
• Buses driven by retired Irish men make me nauseas.
• I will probably drive on the wrong side of the road upon my return home.
• I think I am getting an Irish accent (according to Nick).
• Spiders do live in Ireland too…in my bed no matter where I go.
• No matter where you live or what job you have, Mondays still suck.

 

Our first stop was the megalithic tombs of Carrowmore. This is the largest cemetery of megalithic tombs in Ireland with tombs ranging from five and half thousand to six and a half thousand years old. Over 60 tombs have been recorded of which 30 are visible. This was a neat sight to see, but it was very chilly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, we headed to W.B. Yeat’s grave. Yeat’s is a pretty big deal around Sligo, but I have to be honest…it was just a tombstone. We all enjoyed the tea, desserts, and soup in the coffee shop much better! The most entertaining part of this stop was the sheep running loose through the parking lot.

 

Our last stop of the day was Rosses Point. This beach gives a beautiful view of Dartry mountain range and Sligo Bay. I drank my first full Guiness at a pub called Austies at Rosses Point. I actually loved it! I have a feeling my dad is feeling very proud about this. J

 

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Mt. Croagh Patrick

I am feeling EXTREMELY accomplished today! Today we traveled to Westport, County Mayo to climb Mt. Croagh Patrick. This mountain is best known for the millions of pilgrims and visitors that make the trek to the top to pray at the stations of the cross, attend mass, or just enjoy the amazing view. Our guidebook references this mountain according to Christian tradition that, “St. Patrick went up the sacred mountain at festival time in 441 AD. After fasting at the summit for 40 days, he banished all the snakes and demons from Ireland. The site quickly became an important place of Christian pilgrimage.” When we told people in town we were climbing this mountain they all did the sign of the cross and told us to wear hiking boots.

 

 

Halfway up the mountain, “Remember when we didn’t get hiking boots? That may have been a good idea.” However, we did make it to Tessco (local grocery store) to purchase gloves and the hats with the ears…best 13 Euro I have spent so far!

 

The terrain on this mountain was VERY steep with lots of loose rocks. The pictures do not do justice to the difficulty of reaching the top. We were blessed to have such a “nice” day with no rain or sleet. We made it to the top and back down in approximately 4 hours…and we were tired! All of us fell on the way down at least once, but with no visible injuries. We all feel too proud of ourselves to let the falls get to us. It is safe to say we got a total leg work out today and I have come to terms with the reality that I may not be able to walk tomorrow.

 

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Galway/Graduation day at home

Beautiful city! It was nice to have the entire day to roam and wonder as we pleased. We got some shopping out of the way and cute new dresses for Dublin next weekend. I still manage to hit sales in Europe, grandma would be proud once again that I hit a 25% off sale! Woo hoo!

 

Overall, today was nice, but I am extremely bummed out that we didn’t get to venture out into the countryside to see the areas that are displayed in ‘P.S. I Love You’ (the movie). I envisioned green rolling countryside and suave Irish men around every bend…that didn’t happen. I guess that Gerard Butler is only an actor and it is just a movie, too bad. I have decided that I enjoy the tastefulness of a small Irish community with friendly locals and sheep causing traffic hour. The bustle of the bigger cities is not my favorite way to experience Europe, or Ireland and the U.K. at least.

 

I got an email from mom or dad today stating that I officially graduated according to my family that was present at CSM graduation. Congrats to my cousin, Sara, for officially finishing nursing school at CSM! Yay! All of the CSM students with me on this trip decided that it would kind of be a bummer to make a speech at graduation this year and end it with, “Congrats class of 2012, we did it...see you all in class on Monday!” One more year…we CAN do it!

 

Tomorrow is Monday…Cheers!

#5

May 17, 2012
Work week #1 is over! This week was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster...I came to Ireland with the understanding that I would be working with kids and this is not the case. I was placed in the National Learning Network, which is a site for adults with mental/learning disabilities to work towards the opportunity to retrain in the community. Day one was awful and I kept wondering how I was going to make it through the next three weeks. But day two and three were much better! I actually love it and have established rapport with my students very quickly!
My supervisor has given me full reigns for the next 3 weeks because she said we are all learners in the classroom and rehab environment.  The 'learners' in my class are so accepting and do not judge. I can tell I will learn a lot. The people I work with are so nice and welcoming. I can tell she expects a lot from me and I like the challenge. The group is called the Turas Program which is Irish for 'journey'.

I went to a group run by an older man with cerebral palsy. He is their drama and creative expression man and I loved it. It was so neat! He apologized for his difficult speech and said it was his dublin accent that makes it so hard to understand. :)So far the 'learners' and my supervisor have been accepting of my projects and my supervisor said my ideas are "brilliant" which makes me feel smart.Today one of my 'learners' said that my first project really built his confidence. I'm very excited  for what the next two weeks have in store. I am starting to understand why I was put here and how I may grow from this experience.
We have a packed weekend! We are starting it off with a trip to our new favorite pub, McHughs, because all of the rugby players and fans come in on Thursdays. They also have free wifi, which is a really big deal! More pictures and stories soon!

Cheers!

#4

#4 May 14, 2012

The real reason we are here.

Today we were introduced to our sites that we will be working at. I will be at the National Learning Network (NLN). Initially I was pretty bummed out because I was under the impression that I was going to strictly work with the pediatric population. At my first visit, Susan and I were introduced to my head supervisor, Sharon. She informed me that NLN is the training and education division of Rehab Group and offer courses that are 1:1 with a holistic philosophy to provide services that are tailored to each student. The overall goal of the program is to support counseling, confidence building, interpersonal skills and personal goals. I have a feeling that I am going to need to find out more information when I actually start working at this site.

Before we visited each of our sites we visited the Cregg House. This was an AMAZING experience for us all! We went on a tour of the facility and spoke to some of the staff on site. Sligo has the biggest Down’s Syndrome population in all of Europe. Due to the large practicing Catholic population in Sligo abortion and amniocentesis screens are not legal or allowed in contrast to the 90% of American women that choose to abort when screened for a Down’s Syndrome fetus. There is much research going on in Sligo because of the large population of these ‘service users’ or better known as ‘clients’ or patients in America. We were astounded that through their research they have found that 96% of Down’s patients develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The AD unit is full of Down’s service users who have become family to the staff because most have been there their entire lives.

The biggest difference in services provided by therapists in Ireland and America is that the therapists’ goal in Ireland is to maximize independence in the areas of leisure, work, and social interaction. In America, the OT scope of practice is to maximize independence in activities of daily living (ADLs) to encourage more functional independence in other areas of life. Both therapists treat using a holistic approach that takes the whole client or ‘service user’ into consideration. An Irish OT will do only what the service user is comfortable with and will not step beyond those boundaries. The Irish therapists (including all staff and nurses) are incredibly passionate about their jobs and absolutely LOVE what they do each day. Some of the service users are considered family and may house with them on occasion. Maybe their love what they do so much because they get two breaks a day for coffee/tea breaks and Irish shortbread cookies AND a lunch break. These are my kind of people!

On a lighter note, today was also our first day of excursions. Martin is our bus driver and he owns the Furey Bus Tours. Everyone, literally everyone in every town knows Martin. He is an older gentleman who drives like a bat out of hell. If the speed limit is 45 km/h expect that Martin is booking it at about 75 km/h. Did I mention that our bus is a Mercedes Benz? What a stud.

Our first stop was the Tobernault Holy Well. This is a place of serenity and reflection. Tobernault is a natural spring that has been dedicated to the national Saint-St. Patrick, who visited this well, blessed it and used the waters, to baptize converts to Christianity. Before Catholicism was accepted in this area people would come here to find a calm place to meditate.

Our next stop was Parke’s Castle. This was my first visit to a castle, how gorgeous it was! The castle sits on Lough Gill, a freshwater lake between the mountains near Sligo. The castle was built in the 1600s by Captain Robert Parke on the site that the former Sir Brian O’Rourke originally established the area. This is an extremely picturesque area and pictures do not do justice for its beauty!!! When I come back to Europe I will be bringing much less luggage and a better camera.

The weather today was absolutely gorgeous  and sunny with spurts of showers in between. And it hailed three times. Not Nebraska golf to baseball size hail, but big enough to decipher between rain and hail. Through trial and error we have calculated that you have 5 to 10 seconds to get your umbrella out or you are as good as drenched. The wind has officially annihilated my umbrella for good…it’s the third day. 

We ended our day excursion with a stop in Dromahair where the whole group gathered at a pub for a beer (Smithwick’s). Jolly good time, let me tell ya!

Apparently Sunday is the day to go out and hear the live music and we missed that memo. Monday is the carryover of Sunday and we are not missing it! Let the pub-crawl begin!

Cheers!

Our newest friends: Dane, Edel, Dave and Michelle. Our first pub for the week is Furey. Yes, the same name last name as our bus driver, Martin. I told you he was famous. Turns out my roommates are also a hoot. Lots of quotes for our quote book. Really loving this whole Irish accent thing…

“I think I am catching on you know? Calm your jets I’m just making crack.” (I think I am catching on to this, don’t you think? Cool it, I’m just making fun)

#3

#3 May 13, 2012

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

Finally a day to breathe and catch up. Today was very much a day of rest. After meeting with the whole group and going over the itinerary for the next three weeks we embarked on a tour of Sligo. What a beautiful town!! Sligo is located in the Northwest area of the country surrounded by mountains and rolling green hills snuggled right next to the Atlantic. It is summer here and sporting a whopping 40 degrees with strong winds and rain. I don’t even want to know the high today at home, but I know that I won’t be coming home with any kind of tan. 

In an attempt to save some money we all made a trip to the grocery store. Prices are very similar to home except that grandma Pat would be jealous to know that I bought peanut butter for less than a dollar AND its legit natural peanut butter. The bread is spectacular and made locally and I bought over 2 pounds of beef for 2.95 Euro. Between four of us we have agreed to supply 1 meal for the week. I will be doing tacos this week…really gourmet, I know.

The Internet café has quickly become our local hang out. It has been adjustment not having phone service or Internet at our fingertips.  It was so nice to catch up with family and friends and let them know that yes, we are alive!! Miss you all!

Turns out we made some friends last night. Two people stopped us in town today and said, ‘hey it’s the Nebraska girls!’ I think we are on track to becoming local celebs. In our efforts to hit up every pub in town (there are a lot) this may come in handy. My roommate, Mikaela, decided that in respect to our time here focusing on our OT skills, she has set a goal for us:

“OT students will visit 100% of pubs in Sligo, Ireland with no < than 3 drinks 5x weekly prior to d/c.”-Mikaela Richard, OTS. 

Sligo, Ireland

#2 May 12, 2012

Sligo, Ireland.

We made it!!!

Yes, we b-lined it to our housing to find ourselves scrambling to shower and get ready because a night on the town was definitely warranted! Thank you, Sam, for having a bottle of wine waiting for us! J

Turns out that the Irish and British jam out to all of our American tunes! I felt very much at home in an Irish club belting out every lyric to every song…or making up my own.

The people of Sligo and Ireland in general are so nice contrary to most of the people we met in London. Overall, we suffered much fewer glares and snide comments in our first night here. How do more people in Ireland know where Nebraska is and I still get asked by Americans where Nebraska is? Also, fact, everyone in Ireland knows what occupational therapy is. There are very few people in America that know what OT is.

Irish men love their crack…not to be confused with what we call, fun.

Regardless, first night in Sligo was a definite success.