Blog 4 – Dancing Through Academics

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Hola, hola, mis amigos! 

 

Wowza! Time flies when you are having fun! I have officially made it halfway through my academic semester here in Limerick! I already have a midterm exam coming up – crazy, right?! I feel so grateful to have the opportunity to experience learning in a whole new context and capacity, which I am delighted to share with you in this blog! Thank you for taking the time to read this and consider the abundant blessings that come from learning! 

 

“Blessings” you say? Why yes! Each and every day, no matter the challenges present, overflows with blessings beyond comprehension! God reaches out to us and gives us “God-winks”, reminding us of His ever-present love and presence! I challenge you to find the “God-winks” that God leaves for you to find in your own life! These are some of my “God-wink” gratitudes from these past few weeks!

 

Three things I am grateful for:

  1. New Experiences (with each new experience comes new perspective, growing my schema of acceptance and love) 
  2. Reverb (an incredible show that blended Irish traditional music with contemporary dance in a modernized fantasy of the future of music and dance – expanding my knowledge and perspective of dance, greatly) 
  3. Spontaneity (there is something refreshing about not planning every second of every part of life – this leads to more adventure and memories made, usually with lots of laughs 😄) 

 

What feeling pervades your mind and body when you hear the word, “academics”? Do you get anxious because tests, exams, quizzes, projects, presentations, and studying are typically parts of the academic regimen? Do you get filled with bubbly excitement because you have the OPPORTUNITY to learn new things? Do you immediately break out in a sweat? 

 

Education and academics mean something different to virtually everyone, especially depending on your background, where you are from, your culture, and how you are raised. I am really beginning to understand and appreciate the various ways that learning can be achieved as well as the benefits and drawbacks of these different modes of information acquisition. This blog is dedicated to comparing my experiences with academics in Ireland to the college life of learning I am accustomed to at MLC in the United States. 

 

Classes Here:

  • Classes have variation in size.
  • There are lectures, tutorials, and lab classes to attend. (I will explain soon!)
  • I have 2-4 assignments that make up my total grade for the entire semester (for each module). 
  • There is more informality with professors. 
  • I am crazy and take too many classes, per the usual! 😁

 

I am not sure what your learning preferences may entail, but because of my experiences attending a private Christian high school and going on to attend a private Christian college, I REALLY appreciate having intimacy within my classroom environments. I don’t like to only be viewed as a test score or a body in a room. I like my professors to know my name, for us to have reciprocating respect, and to be able to actively engage in class content. I typically find myself enjoying these aspects of my classes at MLC, but this is drastically different from what I experience at UL (University of Limerick). 

 

For starters, we must get you to understand the difference between lectures, tutorials, and labs. You may be thinking, “huh???”, and if that is true, then we are twinsies!! That is totally what I was thinking when I first arrived at UL. Like seriously, what do you mean that I don’t just go to the same class period either on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday or a Tuesday/Thursday, depending on the class? Well, here they put an emphasis on hands-on learning in many of their modules! 

 

The lecture time period lasts anywhere from 1-2 hours, depending on the class, and is designed to cover the majority of the content in a focused professor-is-telling-you-everything-QUICK-write-that-down sort of way. These classes typically have more people in them, since there is limited interaction between the students and the professor. In one of my lectures, we meet in the auditorium and there are easily over 200+ people in that lecture!

 

Now for the tutorials and labs…This is where more hands on, active participatory learning takes place! These are designed to take the content given in a lecture and make it applicable to the individual, giving practice so that students can be more prepared! Many of my tutorials/labs last roughly 2 hours and are typically my most active moments in a day! I love the way that Ireland structures modules in this way as it really reinforces learning concepts and addresses many different learning modalities (kinesthetic, spatial, visual, etc.)!

 

Not only is there an emphasis on putting learning into practice, but they also focus learning in a way that makes the learner responsible for gaining knowledge. There are no daily assignments for any module. In relation to each module, there are roughly 2-4 assignments given for the entire semester. Assignments could include an essay, midterm exam, presentation, project, or final exam. However, I have a love/hate relationship with this concept. I don’t know about you, but I get lots of anxiety over grades, tests, projects, essays, and quizzes. Having so many daily assignments at MLC gives me quite a bit of anxiety and forces me to be constantly invested in the material learned. It also never gives me time to let new information soak into my brain. 

 

In Ireland, it is a real challenge because you are completely responsible for your learning and what you will take away from a module – you reap what you sow. There is no one holding me accountable for coming home and reviewing the notes from class and marinating in the content, but with the time that I have not completing daily assignments, I am actually able to take the time to deeply process new content and work to shift my ever-changing schemata. My learner responsibility is increasing because I have to take initiative in my learning and my anxiety is less because I am not worried on a daily basis about the grades I am receiving. There are less assignments, but I am so well prepared to complete them that I feel at ease to let go and let God! In the end, grades should be used as a tool to help teachers and learners know where the learner is at in the learning process, not as a punishment for not being perfect. 

 

Informality and professors. How does that make you feel? If a professor were to cuss in the front of class, how would you respond? If you were told to call a professor by their first name, would you? Good questions to ponder, especially because all of the above would highly unlikely be seen at MLC. Here…it is all about the craic (pronounced crack- as in “fun”), baby! Professors may not know my name, but they sure do know how to make class sound like a conversation! We call professors by their first names and they are not afraid to use artistic language with us! They are real and relatable – people who go out to the bars drinking, people who experience hangovers, people who experience conflict, people with families, people who sin, people who strive to make a difference in the world, and yes, people who work as a professor. It is so lovely to see professors being vulnerable because it makes students know and feel that they are human too! Side note…I realize all of the things I just listed might be concerning and I would like to keep you from fretting…I do NOT go out to the bars drinking and I have NEVER been hungover. I know that is extremely hard to believe, but it is true…just ask Laura! 😉

 

So I know at this point I have carried on and on about classes here, but I haven’t told you what kinds of classes I am taking yet…don’t worry, don’t worry…it’s coming…hehe! But wait, let’s be honest. It’s me we are talking about! What kinds of classes do you THINK I would want to take? If you have ever had the silly goofy opportunity to talk to me or meet me, you probably know one key thing about me – my favorite thing in the whole wide world (except for Jesus and my family/friends and Micah)…is DANCE! Yeppers, I decided to get myself involved with the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, here at UL! Currently, I am taking:

  •  An Irish Traditional Music and Dance class (with a Ceili dance tutorial)
  • An Irish Dance Performance Skills class (focusing on learning hard and soft shoe Irish dance)
  • I got invited to take an Irish Set Dance class (with partners)
  • An Aesthetic and Expressive Activities class (a physical education class focusing on teaching young learners gymnastics and dance)
  • A few non-dance classes 
    • Communications 
    • Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Needless to say, I am a busy, busy bee, and I absolutely adore EVERY opportunity to move my body and learn new ways of dancing!

 

Highlights of my time thus far include:

  1. Being accepted into the BeMindfUL Programme (looking at mental health and suicide prevention strategies)
  2. Going on a Tree Blitz (working with the Environmental Society to identify every type of tree on campus) 
  3. Purchasing Irish Dancing Hard Shoes (I have so much fun practicing and mixing Irish dancing, tap dancing, and pointe all together into my own fun style) 
  4. A Trip to Dublin (I played Gaelic games, ceili danced, enjoyed the Dublin castle and EPIC museum)
  5. Attended Mallow Street Christian Fellowship 

 

Low-lights of my time thus far include:

  1. Group work for projects 
  2. Not standing up for what I believe in 
  3. Having a lack of motivation 

 

Learned Insights from the Low-lights: 

  1. Group work is a large part of life and most occupations. Learning how to interact with others and find ways to communicate can be a challenge in the moment, but rewarding in the end. These moments of frustration will only lead me to perseverance, determination, and growth in my character as I work to lead my group to find success and comfortability within the context of uncomfortability. 
  2. I have a terrible habit of not standing up for what I believe in while others tell me their thoughts and beliefs. It is vitally important to validate that all people are entitled to their opinions, but I should also not back down from any opportunity to share Jesus with others, especially when I am uncomfortable. I have sinned against God by not putting His name above all and I have asked for forgiveness. I share this with you so that you may find courage and hope in the Lord as He gives you the strength to let the light of Christ shine through you – which is something I pray for deeply!
  3. Let’s face it. Life can be a challenge and there are times when motivation gets so low. I have dealt with this low-light, especially because I am not held accountable for completing a lot of work at the moment. But where does our motivation really come from? It comes from the joy of Jesus! Guys! Every day that we wake up is another day of God’s amazing grace and we ought not to take that for granted! Our motivation is found in the greatest blessing – that Christ died and rose from the dead for our sins! We can confidently wake up with the intention to serve the Lord with the day that He has blessed us with! “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). 

 

Scripture that has surrounded me these past few weeks: 

  • Psalm 18:2 – “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” 
  • John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” 
  • John 15:12 – “My command is this; Love each other as I have loved you.” 

 

Friends, this is all that has been on my heart and mind these past few weeks! I am so thankful to God for blessing me with the experience to love learning in a whole new way – I am truly dancing through academics and life! May the Lord bless you and keep you, now and always! 

 

In Jesus name,

Katie Gilkey

I Knew There Was a Catch

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So, apparently, studying abroad means that you are actually supposed to go to classes and participate in other academic endeavors. I know, I’m as shocked as you are… Yes, yes, yes, obviously I’m joking, but, based on the fact that I’ve had zero homework as of week three, I sometimes wonder. Unlike in the US, where students are constantly bombarded with daily assignments on top of bigger projects that loom in their future, students here have only a few bigger assignments to worry about throughout the semester. This, however, poses a few problems for yours truly.

Firstly, without frequent homework to keep me on task with my learning, I fear that this academic weapon is apt to rust. Don’t get me wrong, I dislike homework just as much as the next guy, but I am really beginning to understand the worth of having some. Not having homework as a reference for how well I’m understanding the material and what I need to study for future assessments makes it difficult to keep on task. People preach the importance of self-regulation and motivation, myself included, but putting those into practice is a whole lot harder than one might think. It’s a lesson in which I am desperately trying to get a passing grade. Yes, I’ve been known to knock back a whole novel in a day, but it takes a special person to truly comprehend, let alone enjoy, reading multiple lengthy excerpts about medieval Irish documents without having an assignment to complete as a reference while reading. (Insert picture of South Campus just because I could definitely read a few novels there.)

Luckily for me and my procrastination tendencies, I only have each class once a week, which leaves me a good five days to think about doing the readings before doing them the night before the class. I’m only joking…mostly. Another saving grace is that I really enjoy my classes, as I’m able to take electives that genuinely interest me. I’m taking classes such as ‘Emigration in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Irish Society’ and ‘Cultural Heritage and the Irish Literary Tradition’, along with a few other ones that I actually need to take for credit. It’s been interesting to take classes such as ‘American History’ or other methodology classes, such as ‘Teaching PE’, from the Irish perspective. 

Another thing that has proved to be a challenge for me is the Irish communication style and how it conflicts with what I know. Yes, I will explain that thought. What I mean is, unlike in the US, where the professors are fairly clear about what they expect for assignments and where and when things are, the professors here often briefly mention assignments that may be worth 50% of your grade. Almost like a passing thought. “Oh yeah, the paper that will decide how well you will do in this class is due November 7th. Look for details online, bye.” VERY helpful. I’m really not complaining. Not having the constant assignments gives me the opportunity to feel a little more independent and like a “real adult”. Unfortunately, it is difficult going from merely having a taste of freedom, living the college life back at MLC, to having an entire four-course meal of freedom this semester. It can be overwhelming at times. (Insert picture of one of the perks of freedom: homemade breakfast).

Speaking of overwhelming, the class sizes for some of my classes are just that. Walking into class to find that you have to ask a whole row of people to stand up so you can awkwardly squeeze past them to the one empty seat in the lecture theatre is definitely a moment that would not make my top ten. I know that MLC has much smaller class sizes than most other colleges, but I just find big lectures to be too much for me. It’s like we’re sardines in a can – both in terms of proximity to people and the smell. Rumor has it that the personal hygiene of our peers improves as we get older, but I can confirm that is not the case. That being said, it is very difficult to focus on a screen that is at least 50 feet away while you’re simultaneously sitting in an armpit. Yes, I’m quite possibly being overdramatic, but I’m just trying to be a competent reporter. 

Okay, okay, okay, I can practically hear my mom telling me to move on, so I shall. While the classes and assessments differ from those in the US in ways that are challenging for me, I also find that most of the lecturers are much more compelling as presenters. They believe that learning takes place during class and most of the responsibility for how well a student comprehends the material falls on the lecturer. In my ‘Assessment, Methodologies, and Curriculum’ course, a guy fell asleep, and the lecturer basically said that she bored him so much that he fell asleep and that she didn’t blame him for doing so. Since they put such an emphasis on learning while in the lecture, I have found myself focusing more on taking organized and in-depth notes during class in order to put as much information presented in class into memory as possible. I find that using the slides presented as an outline and taking notes on what the lecturer is saying has helped me to really absorb the information. I’m able to use multiple senses in order to keep my brain on track. Not a foolproof system by any means, but I find myself walking away from classes having digested information rather than merely having a Google doc full of words that didn’t make it into my brain. 

I think that the Irish college system definitely has its pros and cons, and it works better for people in different ways. As my Irish friend says about their homework load, “we wouldn’t know hard work if it hit us in the face,” which may or may not be true, but there’s also more pressure for the few assignments that we do have. I will just have to be more diligent and focus on academics, even if it sometimes feels like I’m just on vacation. And on that note, I think I’m gonna go to Dublin… ; )

Don’t fret, y’all, I do go to class and I am learning things, I just think that I might learn more social-emotional skills this semester than anything else. That being said, I must run, my flatmates are eager to play some cards.

Peace and Love!

Mathilde

It Is Indeed Green Here

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When it comes to living arrangements, I will begin by talking about the thing that first jumped out at me when I entered my current abode. The flooring. Now, when I imagined where I would stay while studying on a campus that is mere feet away from a legit castle, I pictured something quaint, even cozy. Stone covered in ivy, beautiful views, wooden features. An overall medieval feel. Instead, after having to use my cell phone to unlock three different doors, I was hit with what I can only describe as a grubby lime living its second life as a floor. Carpet and linoleum. I know this might sound like a wild description, but I will include photo evidence so you can see what I mean. Not only is it lime green, but it is also littered with mystery stains, which I can only speculate point to the original use for this building —a putt-putt course. Alas, the world may never know. 

The craziest thing is, there is quaint accommodation on campus, it’s just on the opposite side of campus, the pretty side. The side we live on is modern. Iron and glass everywhere. Abstract sculptures, geometric shapes, the whole bag. Then all you have to do is cross the road that splits the campus in half, and suddenly you are in picturesque Ireland – large, moss-covered stone buildings, a massive Gothic church, and a beautiful, green courtyard. Below is a picture of the casual beauty that I encounter when I cross the road on my afternoon runs. (Psst, there’s a picture of the church if you scroll down). A perfect example of a juxtaposition. Wow, 11th-grade honors English class is coming in clutch for the big words today.

ANYWHO, I’m getting carried away, per usual. I truly can’t complain about my apartment. It’s located on campus and only around a five-minute walk to any of my classes, a 10-minute walk to the shopping center, and 20-minute walk to the train station. It’s what real estate agents would call “prime property”. I like to think that its lack of character makes the bare minimum effort that my flatmates and I put into decorating it look amazing. We have already arrayed one wall with some beautiful self-portraits, and week-old flowers are currently living in an old pasta sauce jar on our kitchen table. Yeah, we’re classy around here. 

As for my own room, I will stick to minimal decoration as I do not want to have a lot of things to deal with at the end of the semester, as I’m trying to pack for my flight back. As compared to MLC, it is grand. I have my own FULL bathroom connected to my room. Gone are the days of scampering down the hallway in a towel on the way to the shower. Along with that, there is plenty of storage space, which is completely wasted on me currently, as I am living as a vagrant. Not sharing a room and sleeping under someone else has also been an amazing luxury. Not that I don’t enjoy having a roommate to keep me sane, shout out to Heather, but it is a breath of fresh air to feel a sense of independence after living in a dorm for so many years.

Unfortunately, with independence comes maintenance, namely cleaning, which my flatmates and I have found to be frustrating as hair seems to collect so quickly and the bread here seems to be so crumbly. Maybe the lime green just makes it more obvious, who knows? While we’re on the topic of first-world problems, making my own food sounds all fine and dandy until I actually have to go and buy groceries and walk them back home. For those wondering, a backpack is always the way to go. Independence also requires self-regulation and motivation, which is easy to slack on when you have the option of rotting in your room without anyone knowing or saying a word. Those are the times that I have to remind myself that I am in IRELAND and that I should make the most of the time that I’m here. Luckily for me, my flatmates think the same way. 

Ah! What a natural segue into talking about said flatmates. All four of them are from the US, but from different parts of the country. Michigan, New Jersey, California, and Kentucky. We are all very different, yet we somehow manage to get along very well. As I mentioned in my last blog, we have had to find familiarity with each other fairly quickly. We’ve all made the unspoken choice to stick together and are even getting to a point where we can actually be vulnerable with each other. I’ve had interesting conversations with each of them already, and I look forward to the adventures that we will go on together. A trip to London is currently in the works, which will definitely shake out to be the weekend of a lifetime. 

Well, now is the time in the show that I must bid adieu as I must run to class, but just know that I am very much enjoying my time abroad. I really don’t mind the crumbly bread. It’s actually much better than any bread that I’ve ever eaten in the caf. Yes, that was subtle shade. Oh, also, my apologies for all of the dramatics throughout this entry; it’s been a week. Ok, I actually have to go now. Classes here may start five minutes later than the appointed time, but I don’t want to be the person who makes people have to stand up, so I can get a middle seat in the lecture hall. Until next time!

Peace and Love,

Mathilde