Operation Week 1 -- Complete! June 25-27

It's Saturday morning in Dublin and I just sent my family to the airport to start the long trek back to Kentucky.  It was a lot of fun having them here and I enjoyed the moments we got to hang out -- and hearing all their stories about the adventures they had in Ireland while I was working, too! 

Thursday, 6/25 

Thursday morning started really early because we had an almost 3 hour train ride on the Irish Rail (https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie) to the University of Galway.  While I found Trinity College to not be super welcoming/"college" like, I found U of Galway to be just the opposite. It was a beautiful campus and one where you could move freely and explore like is common on most campuses in the US.  

It just so happened that there was a Social and Structural Determinants of Health conference happening there while we were here -- what are the chances that it would fit SO perfectly with our course objectives?! Here's a link to the conference:  https://universityofgalwayhprc.clr.events/event/140117:30th-annual-health-promotion-conference#762:speakers

  

For many of our students, this day was their first experience with an academic conference -- how many people can say they did that in Ireland?!  I went to a series of "Lightning Talks" where each presenter had 5 minutes to share their research/program/etc.  I love these type of sessions because you get to hear a little bit about a lot of topics.  One presenter shared about her work on smoking cessation in prisons -- and I was transported back to my work in tobacco control earlier in my career.  What was particularly innovative about this program was that they trained incarcerated individuals to serve as facilitators for the program and in doing so, increased buy in from other incarcerated individuals to participate. 

I also enjoyed hearing about the "Desk to 5K" program that public health officials put in place.  It's not unusual to have walking/wellness programs in the US, but as is so often the case, it's the marketing that matters and this program seems poised to pull people in (and in fact, they shared that they are even expanding to a "Desk to 10K" program now!).

Perhaps the highlight of the day was hearing from the Department of Health officials.  Our students had the chance to have an exclusive lunchtime chat and talk candidly with them about healthcare, health policy, and the future of Slaintecare in Ireland.  They also had a chance to hear from UK Alum, Caitlin Deffendall, who is doing an internship in Ireland this summer, and some of her colleagues about their abroad experiences, graduate school, and more! 

After I finished up at the conference, I was able to spend some time with my family before we caught the train back.  We went to the Galway City Museum (https://galwaycitymuseum.ie/) and wandered through the Latin Corner.  As they always say, it's not a trip with Mom if there's not a museum involved.  Ha ha.  

 

 

Friday, 6/26

One of the things that was new to me as I started on Education Abroad adventures was thinking about the contact hours that the students need for a 3-credit hour class, and how they won't all be direct classroom instruction, but rather things like the trip to Airfield Estates (food as a social determinant) and the Galway conference count into the total.  

All that to say, the students had Friday off until a play at the Abbey Theatre in the evening (more about that in a minute), so I spent the last day my family was here hanging out with them.  Many of our students chose to stay the night in Galway and go see the Cliffs of Moher before heading back on Friday (https://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23556301608&gbraid=0AAAAAC_VrLtBs1aF3tOQqr2vkytge0zEM&gclid=CjwKCAjw6f3RBhApEiwAMaCqWa21EWUMHRNO_eK9xGHr0iv7hTxMR3EJdgaUUQWJI3Cs1-jo9nCa6xoCb9gQAvD_BwE).

Hands down one of my favorite things I've seen so far was Malahide Castle & Gardens (https://malahidecastleandgardens.ie/)!   The castle was HUGE, the grounds were beautiful, and there was even a fairy trail!   The inside was lovely, but we all agreed it felt a bit like "My Old Kentucky Home" in Bardstown -- except bigger and much older.  

  

  

After the castle, my husband and son went on the Guinness tour (I'll be doing it later this trip, so didn't really want to do it twice) and my daughter and I decided to do our own culinary tour of Dublin.  We'd heard about the spice bag phenomenon and she wanted to try it before she headed home! Read more about spice bags here:  https://www.eatingeurope.com/blog/dublin-spice-bag/

It was quite tasty and I imagine it won't be my last one while I'm here! 

Friday evening was our theatre outing as part of the Education Abroad experience -- to the National Theatre of Ireland, the Abbey Theatre (https://www.abbeytheatre.ie/)!  Aside from the fact that it was hot (you got it, no air there either!), it was a fun outing.  It was a good reminder to me that while performing arts can transcend cultures -- there are inside jokes and context that are best understood by those who grew up/live in a culture.  The play we saw as called "The Whitehead Boy" and it was entertaining -- especially in the second half -- had me laughing out loud at times. 

   

Saturday, 6/27

It's been a busy week, so my goals for today are pretty lowkey.  Finish the laundry I started yesterday.  Find some stamps. Try out a new coffee shop.  Maybe take a nap.  And, just breathe.

We're headed a trip to the coastal town of Howth tomorrow -- and I'm really looking forward to that one!  My family went earlier in the week and my 13-year daughter said "there aren't enough adjectives to describe it."  

Until then...Happy Saturday!

Farm Time! -- June 24

We started our Wednesday morning with class -- the focus was on learning a bit about the Republic of Ireland's healthcare system and talking about food as a social determinant of health.  Much like the US, Ireland has more of a two-tiered system -- if you have insurance, you can pay for quicker and higher levels of access to healthcare.  What's interesting, though, is that the Irish identified a need for change AND started working together as a government toward that goal.  While they are still working on it (COVID put a wrench in their plans, like so many things), the Irish are making progress toward their universal healthcare system, Slaintecare (https://about.hse.ie/our-work/slaintecare-our-strategy-for-improving-irelands-healthcare-system/). 

The government publishes an update each year and in the 2025 update (https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-health/press-releases/minister-for-health-publishes-the-path-to-universal-healthcare-sl%C3%A1intecare-programme-for-government-2025-sl%C3%A1intecare-2025/), they highlighted 3 ongoing priority areas: 

• improving access to health and social care services
• improving service quality for patients and service users
• increasing capacity of the health and social care service

One thing I found particularly interesting is their move toward a more integrated digital system.  At the moment, it seems to me like Ireland is a bit behind the US in terms of electronic health record (EHR) adoption and integration.  It's a good reminder that even when we get frustrated with our own system, there are some things we're really good at (like technology!).  

The other thing that struck me is that cost is not one of their priority areas -- when we think about US healthcare, we're always talking about cost as one of the main drivers of what we do.  By contrast, there is an assumption that paying what is needed to cover all residents is what you do if you're going to have a universal system (and that's done through taxes).  I always enjoy dialoguing with students about whether paying for healthcare through taxes at a higher rate is more or less expensive than the piecemeal way we pay for it in the US.  

Our other topic for the day was FOOD!  Food access, quality, and cost play such a huge role in what people eat -- and what impact that hos on their own health (and the health of local communities).  It's easy to say "people should eat healthier and they'll be healthier", but if they don't have access to fresh food or the ability to pay for it -- it's not fair to categorize that as a personal problem, but rather it is a societal one.  

We took a field trip in the afternoon to Airfield Estate (https://www.airfield.ie/).  At the most basic level, it's an urban farm with an emphasis on sustainability and education.   It kind of reminded me of many of the orchards and farms in Kentucky -- farm to table for sure.  The restaurant was HOPPING -- we didn't eat there, but it seemed like the place to be! (And yes, that is an EGG VENDING MACHINE where you can get eggs from the farm to take home with you!)

 

The original owners were also very invested in health -- check out the poster below: 

As we toured around the farm, I was very impressed by the focus on an inclusive environment for all -- the farm has an "autism certification."

They also had a really cool 5 senses trail where you could smell, taste, see, etc. different plants on the grounds.

 

After the tour, we had a cooking class in their learning kitchen.  We made a yummy zucchini/squash pasta and double chocolate zucchini muffins.  Everything was delicious!  I loved that as we were walking back to the tram, one of the students commented that they really enjoyed taking what we learned in class and putting it into action (and that they could take the skills and the recipes home with them!). The farm does similar programs with students from within the city to help them see where their food comes from and learn some basic cooking skills -- they described a "Breakfast Club" that sounded like an innovative program.

 

It was a great day overall -- and Thursday has us on the way to the University of Galway for a conference. 

Getting acclimated to our new city -- June 22/23

Over 18 miles of walking in two days.  Many neighborhoods and cobblestone roads and lots of sunshine.  And before you say, "oh yay, it's normally rainy in Dublin," I'd take the rain at this point.  Dublin, like so much of Europe, is not set up for "typical" summer weather in the 80s.  With no air conditioning practically anywhere, it is really hot -- we're hopeful that it'll go back to more typical Dublin weather of the upper 60s and low 70s next week. (And, we definitely SO thankful it's not as hot as it is for our friends in France right now -- 111 F -- yikes!)

Monday (6/22) was orientation day for the program.  Our program providers, Big Pond, (https://www.bigpondeducation.org/), did a great job helping us get our bearings.  We did a Dublin 101 class session, and then had a walking tour and a welcome dinner at Market Bar.  

On our walking tour, we saw the famous "Molly Malone" statue.  

Not sure who she is and want to learn more?  Here's a quick overview: https://epicchq.com/story/a-brief-history-of-dublins-mysterious-molly-malone/ 

The welcome dinner at Market Bar (https://marketbar.ie/) was a lot of fun with tapas family-style dining (hard to choose a favorite dish, but I think I'd have to go with the hake -- it's a mild white fish that melts in your mouth).  

On Tuesday, June 23, our class started in earnest.  We did an overview of Social Determinants of Health, the US Healthcare System, and probably my favorite Art and Health.  My co-teacher, Dr. Brady, designed an awesome activity that gets students thinking about what art actually is -- and then connects it to things like music and art therapy, etc.  It also set us up perfectly for our afternoon visit to the Book of Kells (more about that in a minute). 

We only had about an hour and a half between class and our afternoon activity today, so rather than coming back to the apartment, I went scavenging for some lunch.  The first thing I found...was a cookie.  When she offered to warm it up, I was sold.  After that, I just couldn't figure out what I wanted -- so, I ended up going to a part deli, part convenience store called "Spar."  I had a delicious hot cajun chicken sandwich.  

The college professor in me wanted to spend some time wandering and exploring Trinity College today before our Book of Kells tour.  In my head, it's similar to Oxford -- and in reality, it had that same kind of vibe.  Since it was so warm, there were students and faculty and visitors sitting everywhere outside.  One thing that I found kind of odd was that you can't just walk into buildings -- I wanted to check out the library and they were like "nope, students only."  I'm guessing it's because there are SO many visitors to see the Book of Kells that they want to protect the academic environment, but it was kind of odd to me. 

  

So, what is the Book of Kells?  In short, it's an illustrated version of the Gospels.  But, there's a lot more to it than that -- it's an Irish cultural icon.  Read all about it here: https://www.visittrinity.ie/what-is-the-book-of-kells/ .  The books in the Long Room are being cleaned -- so many of them weren't there right now, but that was OK.  My favorite part of the experience was the virtual reality portion that showed a 360 movie of how the Books came to be and the building of the library (think like the Van Gogh virtual exhibit that was all the rage a couple of years ago).    

  

After our time at Trinity College and the Book of Kells, I met up with the family for the evening.  They went to Howth today (where we go on Sunday...so, I'll share my experiences with it this weekend).  We went over to Phoenix Park (biggest urban park in Europe!) and walked around for a little bit and then found a cute food truck park for dinner.  

More class tomorrow morning and then off to a cooking class/conversation about sustainable agriculture! 

Travel day is ALWAYS hard -- June 20/21

 Travel day is ALWAYS hard.  From hours in the airport and on planes to the constant worry of missed connections and lost luggage.  But, the good news for the trip from Lexington to Dublin (by route of Philadelphia) is we were lucky.  Everyone made it relatively on time -- and equally importantly, so did the luggage! 

Imagine my surprise when I got off the plane in Dublin, and one of the first things I saw was this logo: 

Funny that the Kentucky-born Papa John's is a big hit in Dublin-- so big that it made it to the airport.

All of our students made it from their various connections by about 10 AM Dublin time -- so, 5 AM Kentucky time.  We hung out, drank coffee, and tried to keep each other awake until the whole class arrived.

The goal for the rest of the day was to get our bearings, pick up some food for our apartments, and just STAY AWAKE.  It's almost 8 PM here -- and I'm about to turn in. 

There was a festival in the nearby neighborhood of Stoneybatter and some of us walked around to check it out and find a bite for dinner. It was completely packed -- but, we did manage to find a good place to eat called "All Bar Chicken."  I enjoyed a hamburger made from Irish beef (and yes, I recognize the irony at a chicken restaurant) and my family enjoyed chicken sandwiches and chicken tenders.

                                                                                                                                                                                

And, yes, things are a little bit different this time -- my family is joining me for 1 week this time.  They'll explore while I work and we'll try and spend time together each day! 

Dusting Off the Passport

It's been three years since my last entry -- and I'm dusting off my passport and heading on another Education Abroad adventure this weekend!

We're taking a look at the Social Determinants of Health Abroad again -- this time, in Dublin, Ireland!  

Stay tuned for this year's adventures!  

The Last Day -- July 21

I'm all checked in for my flight in the morning, largely packed, and have a free day today for last minute fun before a farewell dinner this evening! 

There's an English-language bookstore around the corner from my apartment called "Shakespeare and Co."  It's a Paris institution from what I understand (and more recently, a TikTok one according to my niece!) -- and the lines outside the door would seem to agree.  Every time I've walked by, I've been like "nah, not today."  Well, today was the day.  I was there about 15 minutes before it opened and a line had already started.  I enjoyed wandering around and even grabbed a book for the plane. 

The one thing on my bucket list was doing a nice tea time somewhere -- and luckily, the stars aligned and we were able to get reservations at the Ritz Paris when my sister was in town!  What a regal experience...it felt like we took a step back in time. 

  

 

Our farewell dinner was at a lovely place called "Les Baux de Paris" (https://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d12833057-Reviews-Les_Baux_de_Paris-Paris_Ile_de_France.html).  It's been a great trip with a great group of people! 

Thanks for following along with me on this journey.... see you stateside! 

Sarah

Exit interviews, Musee d'Orsay, and Barbie -- oh my! July 20

The students completed exit interviews this morning bringing their time in France to a close.  We have a free day and farewell dinner tomorrow -- and then, it's off to the airport Saturday morning (or more fun for some who are staying a bit longer!).

In thinking about my own time here, I've created a top 10 list of musings, learnings, and just practical tips.  

10. A portable battery charger for my phone was a lifesaver -- I used it almost daily.  When you're using a navigation app to get you from place to place -- it drains your battery and fast!

9. Citymapper is the best navigation app ever  I liked that it gave me choices to take the Metro, walk, ride a scooter, catch a bus, and more.  I'll use it in big cities anytime I travel now.

8. Speaking of the Metro, it was my biggest fear coming into my time here. I made myself get on it the day we arrived -- and that was a good thing because I realized it's not that different from subway systems in the states, just more crowded.  I felt very safe here -- just watch your stuff, don't be out too late, and be aware of your surroundings. 

7.  For me, routine was important.  Yes, I went with the flow, but I also went to bed about the same time every night, got up about the same time every morning, ate about the same time every day, and cooked some of my own meals to help me stay grounded.  Decision fatigue is a real thing and being able to minimize at least some of the 8 million decisions I had to make each day (and in a foreign language) was key.

6.  The best food I ate here was probably the salmon burger in Normandy and the lemon-coconut souffle at Le Souffle.  

5. The French healthcare system isn't perfect -- but, it is a lot closer to it than the US system.  From streamlining payment and information processes with the Carte Vitale to completely covering serious illnesses to providing social supports like subsidized childcare, the system is more equal to all and that is very important to the French -- our speakers said that over and over again.  Yes, they pay higher taxes than we do -- but, the money is turned right around and put back into the system to cover basic needs.

4. Another element in the French culture that I appreciated is the more laid back approach -- to just about everything.  There's not the feeling of "go go go" that is so common in the US.  I'm sure there are times/spaces where that occur, but it isn't the norm.  The work/life balance is also much more pronounced -- when the day is done, work is really done. 

3. When traveling (basically) solo, preplanning matters. My head was spinning trying to figure out what I wanted to do from the hundreds of pages of suggestions online.  That said, I'm glad I spent the time going through them to at least identify a few things on my "must do" list.  It would be too easy to just sit in my apartment if I hadn't.  My 3 favorite activities?  Monet's Garden, the trip to to Northern France, and my street art tour.  My favorite dining activity (and the only one I made reservations for)?  Le Souffle!   

2. Staying for 3 weeks somewhere gives you plenty of time to do the tourist-y stuff -- and it's perfectly OK to get tired of the tourist-y stuff and want to do "normal" things, too.  I've seen more movies here than I've seen in the last year at home.  I really enjoyed going to church at St. Michael's and shopping for food for the apartment.  And...my fantastic washing machine only worked the first day, so I washed clothes in a spaghetti pot the rest of the trip.  But, that's a whole other story.  

1. Joe and the kids have had a fabulous month.  Since I've been gone, there've been plays and international trips and camps and dog park visits and merit badges and hikes and karate and back to school planning -- and all the things.  They've tackled them all with relative ease and it made it easier to be here knowing all was well in KY.  And...yet, I'll be excited to get on that plane on Saturday...because there's no place like home!  

I'm proud of myself.  I'm proud of our students. I'm proud of my family.  I'm thankful to have had this opportunity -- and my wheels are turning about where I might like to lead a trip myself in the future.  Elder care in Japan?  Happiness in Finland? Hmm....  

After class, I came back to the apartment for lunch before heading to the Musee d'Orsay (https://www.musee-orsay.fr/en).  In crowdsourcing things to do in Paris, this museum came up over and over again. I saw work by many of the masters -- Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir.  My favorite piece was Degas's sculpture, "The Dancer." I also liked the 3-D silhouette art -- it was really cool. The first 3 pics are a little like "where's Waldo?" -- except it's where's Sarah? 

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

I ended the day with a trip to the Westfields mall to have dinner at the food court and see the "Barbie" movie!  I know, I know -- Barbie is not my normal style, but it was fun and nostalgic...and packed a STRONG punch about smashing the patriarchy (which I loved).  My dinner was at "The Sushi Way..." where they delivered the food -- ON A TRAIN!  https://www.instagram.com/p/CuHk0Hbqydw/    

Stay tuned for tomorrow's wrap-up...

Sarah