Ireland: The Study Abroad Experience
The College of Agricultural, Consumer, & Environmental Sciences offers many study abroad programs in many different locations, each with its own academic focus.
To learn where ACES can take you, mark your calendar for the ACES RSO and Study Abroad Fair on Sept. 3.
This May, I went to Ireland with Dr. Caitlin Bloomer for her class, Cross-cultural Exploration of Wetlands in Ireland, offered in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences.
The class met weekly for 8 weeks leading up to our departure, where Dr. Bloomer or Jordyn Chace, an NRES Ph.D. candidate, would lecture about the wetlands of Ireland and Ireland’s deep cultural connection to them. The lectures were very interesting, and the academic portion of the class culminated in a small group presentation based on a few chapters of the book Listen to the Land Speak.
The chapter I selected was titled “Bog Bodies,” which described various preserved bodies found in the bogs of Ireland. It was surreal then seeing those exact bodies in the National Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street. Learning about the culture surrounding the wetlands of Ireland, and then seeing them in person mere weeks later was an experience that I won’t soon forget.
Throughout the 10-day experience, whether we were traversing the streets of Dublin or hiking around the Cliffs of Moher, Dr. Bloomer and Jordyn would interject with small lectures about the historical and scientific significance of what we were looking at. The entire program was essentially a structured tour of Dublin and various naturalistic features around Ireland.
Dublin itself was a beautiful city, filled with large pockets of greenery like the park St. Stephen’s Green. The cobbled streets, dating back hundreds of years, were accentuated by a beautiful mix of old and new architecture. Unlike cities in the U.S., European cities like Dublin still have that old, homey feel to them. It’s a different urban experience, and the melding of old and new is like no other.
In addition to exploring Dublin, our group explored various natural landmarks in Ireland including the Cliffs of Moher, the Lough Boora bogs, and the Glendalough lakes, all significant wetlands around the country. We learned about the formation of each feature, as well as the cultural significance of each location.
As an NRES major, the class offered great insight into the functionality of wetlands.
As far as study abroad experiences go, this is by far one of the best. I couldn’t believe it was Dr. Bloomer’s and Jordyn’s first time hosting a study abroad program, simply because of how well structured it was with barely any hiccups. It felt like I was on the best, longest guided tour of my life, I cannot recommend this program enough. I couldn’t have been more happy with how I experienced Ireland.