Easter In Limerick
Today was a very rainy day. It started raining last night and kept going until the afternoon. It cleared up for a little bit, then it went back to raining. In the evening, it stopped. When it wasn’t raining in the afternoon, the sun came out and I even saw a rainbow. It was a beautiful Easter rainbow reminding me of God’s promise to never flood the whole world again.
God always keeps his promises. As soon as Adam and Eve sinned, God promised that he would send a Savior. That Savior would defeat the devil, pay for the consequences of all the sins ever committed, and win eternal life in heaven for everyone who believes in him. Today, we celebrate that God kept that promise. At Christmas, we celebrate that God sent his son, Jesus, to earth as man and God to live a perfect life as our substitute. On Good Friday, we remember that Jesus needed to die in our place as payment for our sins. Doing wrong has consequences. The consequences for not listening to what God commands is death. Jesus needed to die to make that payment for sin. On Easter, we celebrate that Jesus dying as the payment for the sins of the whole world was not the end, Jesus came back to life. He showed that he has power over sin because he paid for it. He has power over the devil because he fixed the relationship between God and his people. The devil no longer has power over God’s people because all the work needed to be done for their forgiveness is completed. Jesus showed that he has power over death because he came alive again after dying. We have the promise from God that because Jesus became alive again, after we die, we will live eternally in heaven. There will be no more sadness, pain, or death in heaven. There will be joy and peace because we are with our God who loves us.
One way that I was reminded of God’s love today, was by all the people he has put in my life. I was able to stream my home church service. I was able to share in the joy of Jesus coming back to life by texting my friends and calling my family. I was even able to share some of my Easter traditions with my good friend, Wibke.
Wibke and I went for a walk during the afternoon when it stopped raining. We each ate a piece of chocolate cake, she purchased from the store, as my egg bake was in the oven. The egg bake still needed more time in the oven, so I shared with Wibke Easter candy from the United States, like jellybeans and Peeps (thanks Mom and Dad for the candy). The egg bake still wasn’t done, so we went for a walk, drank some tea, and sampled some of my hard boiled eggs. Finally, my mini egg bake was ready to eat. It was fun to be able to share some food from home with Wibke.
I miss all my people back at home. I know that I am very blessed to be here in Ireland studying and seeing the country. I am excited to finish up my studies here, see a few more sites, and be home in a month.
Happy Easter! Christ is Risen!
Puerto Ricans in London
I expected that upon coming to London, I would learn a lot about UK culture, and I have. I am proud of the way I have changed to fit in and become comfortable with the way of life in England. However, I am even more impressed with the changes that have occurred in my relationship with my own culture. I have grown to understand the American culture and the ways it differs from that of Europe.
Most of all, I am proud of how I have grown in my relationship with Puerto Rican and Latin American culture. I have always tried to stay in touch with my culture by learning Spanish and spending time with other Latinos when I can, but the only other Puerto Ricans that I have ever been close to have been my family.
I was placed with my flatmates randomly, and Karla just happened to be one of them. She was born and raised in San Juan, and is as Puerto Rican as you can get. We immediately had something in common and quickly became friends.
Since then, we have had many conversations about our culture, the aspects that we share, and those that we don’t. We have discovered a part of our culture together by going to salsa classes. Karla has pointed out things about me that I never would have attributed to being Puerto Rican, but very well could be a product of culture. She has taught me a ton, and I have taught her a few things. On just the surface level, we speak the same language and have the same comfort foods, but culture goes a lot deeper than that.
Our other American flatmates have commented on more than one occasion how gracious of a hostess Karla is. No matter how briefly someone enters our flat, they are always offered juice, water, or coffee at least once. As it is with most Latinos, her family is the most important thing in the world to her. Not only that, but family doesn’t just mean blood. In Puerto Rico, any older person in your life can be your grandma or your aunt.
I know a lot about Puerto Rican culture, and I am learning more every day, but there are some things I will never fully understand. We don’t really learn about the history of PR or its status in relation to the United States government in school, but the topic is on the minds of many Puerto Rican residents. The trauma of living through Hurricane Maria still lives in the cultural memory of the island, and they still deal with random blackouts in electricity. I can sympathize and listen, but I will never know what that’s like.
This week, I joined Karla on a trip to Italy with her brother and some of their friends. They are all very nice, and I’ve had a great time, but it hasn’t been without its difficulties. Even though I am also Puerto Rican, I am decidedly the cultural minority in the group because I didn’t grow up on the island. My Spanish serves me well, but it’s not perfect. There have been times when I’ve been lost. It’s not a good feeling to sit at a table with a group of people talking and laughing and not being able to understand or contribute. I have to remind myself that it’s ok to make mistakes and ask questions, and I’ve learned a lot in just a few days.
This experience has opened my eyes to how so many people must feel. I have so much admiration for Karla and other international students I know who use their second language all day. It can be exhausting and frustrating. I felt so grateful whenever someone noticed that I was confused and took a second to explain something to me.
It was totally by accident that Karla and I even met, but I couldn’t be more glad that we did. Not only because of how much I’ve grown but because she is an amazing flatmate and friend.
Culture Chat
Living in Ireland has shown me many differences between the American culture, which I am used to, and the Irish culture. I have been able to talk through some of these difference with my good friend, Wibke. She is from Germany, which allows her to see the culture here from a different perspective. We found that the cultural topics we talked about the most where food, clothing, and transportation.
Food
Wibke was telling me, that in Germany, they have three main meals and a time in the day to have a warm drink and bread and cake for special occasions. I am used to having three main meals in my day as well. That is common in American culture. When I was a kid, we had snack time at 3:00pm. That was the best time of the day. We would get home from school and have a snack with Mom before starting our homework. My favorite snack times were when it was cold and snowy out so Mom would heat up water with the kettle on the stove for hot chocolate. As I have been getting older, snack time is not very consistent. I would say that this is a difference between our two cultures, but I would be very happy to adopt this bread break into my afternoons.
We also shared how our lunches are different. I am used to lunch being a sandwich or some sort of cold lunch. I do not exclusively have a cold lunch, sometimes I will eat something warm, but most of the time, supper is the meal I put the most effort into making. I have a warm supper that is usually larger and takes longer to make than my lunch. Wibke is used to lunch being a warm and larger meal. Bread is eaten with most of her meals and potatoes are a common addition in her house.
In Ireland, bread and potatoes are very common for meals. One time, I ordered garlic breaded chicken and they gave me mashed sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and chips (french fries) also. Tea is also a very popular drink in Ireland while ground coffee is less popular (I miss ground coffee. I am tiring of instant coffee and going out for an espresso drink is expensive.)
Clothing
It is hard to miss the clothing differences between the Irish people my ago and the people my ago back home. There is almost a uniform for Irish guys: athletic pants, a sports shirt, and the standard Irish guy haircut often called a fade cut (this is of course not a haircut exclusive to the Irish, it is just very popular). The day time outfits for Irish gals has a little more variety. The going out outfits are the most interesting. Guys will were almost the same thing in the day as they will when going out to the pub or club. The gals will put on their fake tan, eyelash extensions, and short bodycon (formfitting) skirts and dresses before heading to the pub and club.
In Irish culture, they are very conformist in the way they dress. This is different in German and American cultures. Trends are still very popular in both, but people are more open to express different senses of style. The German people may be better dressed though. In Ireland and the United States, people will wear athletic clothes as every day wear instead of solely for athletics. In Germany, it is more common for athletic clothes to be worn solely for athletics.
Transportation
I use the bus a lot more in Ireland than I ever did in the United States. I rode a school bus to school as Wibke did in Germany, but that stopped as soon as I went to high school. In the United States, a person can acquire a drivers license at the age of 16. It is very common for 16 year olds to be driving to school in the United States. In Ireland, a person needs to be 17 years old before a drivers license can be acquired. In Germany, the age is 18. This means that taking public transportation to school is much more common in Ireland and Germany. When I need to get somewhere, I drive. When Wibke needs to get somewhere, she will most often bike. Americans drive more than Europeans because the gas is almost half the cost and many areas are not made to support walking or biking as a primary form of transportation.
I hope you enjoyed learning a few of the cultural differences and similarities that I have noticed. Let me know if there are any other topics you would like me to learn more about or share.
Looking Back and Forward
Study abroad is only four or five months, so it’s important to be intentional. Everyone I’ve met talks about making the most of their time in Europe. They want to travel as much as possible, make as many friends as possible, and have as much fun as possible. But it’s not just about doing the most; it’s about working toward your goals systematically. I know that I can’t just live willy-nilly and expect to have a feeling of closure at the end.
Now that I have reached the halfway point of my time in London, I want to look back at how far I have come. Altogether, I am immensely proud of my growth in the past few months. I came to another country by myself and have managed to build a full life. I have balanced academics, a social life, and everything that comes with living in a big city. Not everything has been easy and life is stressful at times, but I’ve made it my goal to push through and enjoy every moment.
One of my goals before leaving was to widen my political and social viewpoint. One of the biggest roadblocks in communication is the inability of one party to see things from the point of view of the other. By living among people from another culture and country, I have become acquainted with their point of view. I have seen their reaction to the pandemic, worker strikes, and the crisis in Ukraine. With my knowledge about world events coming from multiple sources, I have formed more well-rounded views. And even when I don’t agree, I have developed the important skill of staying civil and finding common ground where there seems to be none.
I don’t want to make it sound as though study abroad is all sunshine and rainbows. It is true that my experience has been overwhelmingly positive, but there are some regrets and things I want to do differently in the future. The culture in England makes it tough to reach out and make friends with locals because they can seem quite cold towards strangers. However, most are very nice when you get to know them a bit. Going forward, I want to talk to more locals. It would be a shame to live in London for five months and not do my best to get to know the Londoners. They are the people who make the city what it is.
Because of the way classes are structured in the UK, I only have a week of actual instruction left. After that we have a few months to turn in our final essays. However, I have a class that starts in the second half of the spring semester. The classes I have had were enjoyable, but I will admit that I did not always give 100% effort. Sometimes if I was tired or didn’t feel like talking I didn’t participate much in class. During the next few months as my last class starts, I want to really engage with the material and apply it. My teachers are experts in the material, so I want to really utilize them as a resource and be an active student as much as I can.
My third goal for the second half of my time in London is to be more intentional about my time. I want to make more of an effort to plan out my days and weeks in advance. This will allow me to get more done and have more time for everything I need to get done. I have implemented a no-phone-in-the-morning rule. I set two alarms: one to wake up, and one for an hour later. At the first one, I wake up and start my day; and I am not allowed to check my phone until the second one goes off. So now, instead of wasting an hour on Instagram in the morning, I have that hour to get ready and start my day off on the right foot.
I knew that the UK education system was different before I came to London, but it was different in a way that I didn’t expect. I had an idea in my head that British school was formal and stiff and serious. The reality is actually the opposite. Most university instructors are simultaneously conducting their own research or pursuing PhDs. They are called by their first names. There is also less pressure to attend class and a lot of students don’t seem to put a lot of effort into their studies. This threw me off at first because it made me feel like I stood out for participating in class, but I now understand that classes are more casual because of the emphasis on independent study.
Something that I didn’t expect to improve on, but did, is my general life skills. I go grocery shopping every week, I cook all my own meals, I navigate public transportation, and I make all those little decisions that are necessary every day. This has also improved my confidence because I know that I can be independent and live on my own.
I have undergone many changes in opinion in the past few months, but my opinion of myself has changed the most. When I was totally in my comfort zone, I never had a reason to have a strong personal identity. Now that I am among people who are different than me, I know who I am. I am an American, I am studying teaching, and most importantly, I am a Christian. I am sure that without being strong in these truths, and unashamed of them, I would not have the confidence or drive that I have now.
Halfway Home
I am half way through my time abroad. That means it is time to evaluate my experience and see what I would like to focus on for the rest of my time in Ireland.
1. How do you feel about your experience so far? Why?
My experience has been very positive. I am learning new information related to my degree in my classes, I am making friends, and I am learning more about Ireland. Classes are different than at Martin Luther College. Part of the differences are due to COVID-19. All of my larger lectures are online. Every once in a while, a lecture or tutorial will be online due to the instructor needing to quarantine. Classes are also divided into lecture periods, labs, and tutorials. If you want to learn more able that, check out my blog entitled, “Seashore Studies.” The University of Limerick has many clubs and societies. I am taking part in the craft society. We meet once a week to do a craft, like making origami shamrocks, or a hangout where everyone brings the project they are working on. I have made a friend through craft society and hope to make more. I have made friends through my Ecology and Inclusive Education classes and I made a friend through the University of Limerick Buddy Program that I joined. It took a little longer to meet friends than I was expecting, but they are worth the wait. We have explored Limerick together, and gone on trips offered through the University of Limerick. I really like seeing different parts of Ireland. It is one of the best ways to learn about the county.
2. Which goal have you made the most progress toward?
When I made my goals for studying abroad, I was still at home. I did not know what to expect. This lead me to make very general goals that I felt confident I could achieve. Within the first week of arriving in Ireland, I was wondering what in the world I was doing. Why did I want to do this? What am I doing here? What was I thinking? This was always the plan though. I had this plan since I was in high school. I was serious about this plan freshman year of college when I started planning when I would take all my classes. My plan, from the start, was to go alone. When I started wonder why I was here, I tried to think of all the reasons I wanted to study abroad. This lead me to add on to my goals from my experience studying abroad by including goals to further my teacher education, increase my confidence, and experience public university.
I have been doing the best with my academic goals. I am learning a lot. I am continuing my teacher preparation. I am learning more about Ireland. I am learning about different cultures and even learning more about myself.
3. What are 3 areas that you can improve on for the second half of your time abroad?
Going forward, I want to focus on deepening relationships, spending more time on the campus of the University of Limerick, and grow in my faith. I have made friends, now I want to make sure I am spending time with them. It is hard when I don’t have class with some and others I only see in class. By asking people to go grab a tea or coffee, study together, or go for a walk, I can get to know my friends better. All of those can be done on the University of Limerick campus. It is a beautiful campus and I want to spend more time appreciating it. I have adopted the habit of working on assignments in my room when there is a perfectly good library to use. There as so many flowers on campus to enjoy too. They are a reminder to me that I want to be growing in my faith at all times.
4. What surprised you? What have you improved on? How have your opinions evolved?
I think my biggest surprise has been the night life. It is common for students to go out any night of the week and come back around 1:00, 2:00, or even 3:00am. The culture here lends itself to later nights since many morning actives will not start until 9:00am. Being exposed to a different college life culture than I am used to has helped me to improve my openness and listening skills. I am able to see how different people live and I see value in how they do things differently than me. I am able to listen and try to understand people better now as well. My opinions have changed while being here even in the small things, like with the weather. I used to not like the time right after it rained. It felt humid and everything was wet. It bothered me. In Ireland, after it rains, it is so nice. After the rain, the air smells fresh, and the sun comes out to reveal a rainbow. It has changed my opinion.
With half my time studying abroad behind me, and the other half in front of me, I have good memories and many more to make. This next half will include more school work, as assignments are coming due. It will also include deeper connections, and more learning. I will be happy when the time comes to return home, but for now, there is more to do.