Perspective Taking...and a couple more tours! July 8 & 9

This week is a whirlwind as we wrap up our time in Dublin.  We've had class most mornings and an activity most afternoons.  

The students have been leading the class time this week -- and I've enjoyed seeing Ireland through their eyes.  On Tuesday, they did a "Student's Choice" report out where each student picked a topic about the Irish healthcare system that they wanted to learn more about that we hadn't talked about in class.  From robotic surgery to treating heat strokes to the prevalence of physician assistants here, the conversation was rich and I know I learned a lot.

On Wednesday, they gave their final "photo essay" presentations.  They had to collect photos that represented what they thought of Ireland BEFORE we got here, what they thought now, what they learned about the healthcare system, and what skill(s) they would take home from their Education Abroad experience.  I bet if I asked you to quickly name of your assumptions of Ireland, you'd come up with a lot of the same things...

Green rolling hills.  Pubs.  St. Patrick.  Leprechauns.  Rain.  Wind.  

Their picture of Ireland, and mine, too, is much wider now -- assumptions are only one small part of the story. 

Our afternoons this week were the Guinness Storehouse (https://www.guinness-storehouse.com/) and the Epic Irish Emigration museum (https://epicchq.com).  Both were high quality, interactive experiences. 

Guinness beer...is not my cup of tea.  BUT, learning about the process and the significance of the distillery to the local community was very interesting.  Especially in the early days, Guinness was a cutting edge employer that took amazing care of their employees and their families.  Generations of families worked there.  I get the sense that's changed some in recent years with a change in ownership, but their importance shouldn't be discounted. 

 

 

The Epic Irish Emigration museum told the story of so many individuals and families who moved around the world and the impact they made on their new communities.  The bittersweetness of leaving one's home for new opportunities was described throughout the exhibits.  This one was also close to home -- Joe's mom, Sheelagh, emigrated from Ireland and I was thinking of her as I walked through.  I have Irish ancestry through both sides of my own family as well, so I felt like I was learning a bit more about my own background.

 

We're off to Mental Health Ireland today.  It's in the seaside area of Dun Laoghaire, so I hope to get one last fish and chips before we head home!