Unfortunately, my travels were slightly hindered a few weekends ago. I originally planned to go to Dublin with my fellow API friends, but I battled a cold for the weekend (possibly from the kissing the Blarney Stone the previous week?). However, I have made a full recovery, and have since traveled to Liverpool, the home of the Beatles. Tomorrow I am headed to Edinburgh, Scotland!
I am already a third of the way through my time in Ireland, and the days keep going faster now that I have developed more of a routine. I have classes all week, but my coursework isn't as rigorous as it would be at Marietta. Except for my physics course, I essentially don't have graded homework here; students are expected to do independent work to keep up with the lessons in class. Most of my marks are based on one big essay at the end of term. Typically Irish students have final exams, but international student usually are assigned a final essay instead. It's a bit intimidating and very different from college in the United States, but to the Irish students it's just a part of their culture.
Going home on the weekends is also part of the Irish culture. The university is a ghost town on the weekends. Irish students pack up a suitcase and head home for the entire weekend. The only students left at Gort na Coiribe (my apartment complex) are international students, and most of us leave, too. I plan to spend many weekends traveling this semester. After Scotland, I am headed to Belfast in Northern Ireland. Dublin, Donegal, and Connemara are also still on my list of places in Ireland to see. However, I've been getting quite nauseous on the long bus rides, and I don't know how many more I can handle.
P.S. Don't freeze at home. I've seen a few pictures of the snow! It's 50 degrees colder in Marietta right now than it is here.
I am already a third of the way through my time in Ireland, and the days keep going faster now that I have developed more of a routine. I have classes all week, but my coursework isn't as rigorous as it would be at Marietta. Except for my physics course, I essentially don't have graded homework here; students are expected to do independent work to keep up with the lessons in class. Most of my marks are based on one big essay at the end of term. Typically Irish students have final exams, but international student usually are assigned a final essay instead. It's a bit intimidating and very different from college in the United States, but to the Irish students it's just a part of their culture.
Going home on the weekends is also part of the Irish culture. The university is a ghost town on the weekends. Irish students pack up a suitcase and head home for the entire weekend. The only students left at Gort na Coiribe (my apartment complex) are international students, and most of us leave, too. I plan to spend many weekends traveling this semester. After Scotland, I am headed to Belfast in Northern Ireland. Dublin, Donegal, and Connemara are also still on my list of places in Ireland to see. However, I've been getting quite nauseous on the long bus rides, and I don't know how many more I can handle.
P.S. Don't freeze at home. I've seen a few pictures of the snow! It's 50 degrees colder in Marietta right now than it is here.
Hello Rachel,
ReplyDeleteThis is Zachary Janus writing; I hope your trip is going well and has exceeded your expectations. I was just wondering how the class room setting is over there as compared to here at Marietta College, especially the engineering classes. In class we have discussed how different cultures will behave differently in the class. I have noticed that most students here will interrupt the professor to ask questions or correct them. A relationship with the professor can be had, but is not a main goal for many students. They want to get in, get the grade they want, then get out. Is this true for the class room setting or does and how it vary?
Thank you and have fun!
Hey Zach,
ReplyDeleteI hope your semester is going well, too! Engineering Physics is my only engineering course this semester, so I base a lot of my assumptions from that one class. NUIG has around 18,000 undergraduate students. Because I'm accustomed to little Marietta, it's difficult to distinguish differences based on size from those based on culture. Physics is my largest lecture, and since starting the course, no students have asked a question in class. My physics course has two lecturers, who alternate weeks of teaching. The professors have a very difficult time getting a response from the students at all. I've also heard students ask their friends what class they were sitting in, so I've concluded that they don't associate the class with the professor and haven't built a relationship with the professor. On the other hand, my history professor gets many responses from his students and has learned the names of quite a few students in his lecture. Ultimately, I would agree that the majority of students aren't as close to their professors because of their culture, but I think the size of the school doesn't necessarily encourage them to build a relationship.
Hi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteThis is Maria Stickrath and I wanted to tell you we miss you here in the states!
Also, I noticed that you have had the opportunity to travel to different countries within the United Kingdom, and I was wondering if you had noticed any specific behavioral or cultural differences between Ireland, England, and Scotland? In class, we looked at the Lewis model which put countries on a continuum of linear-active, multi-active, and reactive. On this model, England is placed on the linear-active side, much like the United States, while Ireland is more in the middle, leaning towards the multi-active side, like a Latin American country. It would be interesting to see if there are any distinct differences considering they are all so closely linked!
Thank you and happy travels!
Hi, Maria! I hope you're doing well. I'm excited to be back for the fall semester! That is a great question about the behavior throughout the UK. I think I will notice a greater difference in the Lewis model when I travel outside of the UK and Ireland. Because this area is a little more isolated from the rest of Europe, I've found that they appear quite similar and differences are hard to notice to someone just traveling through the area. However, I would say that Scotland and Ireland have a different culture than England. Scotland and Ireland all seem to revolve around a Celtic identity. By that I mean more folk music, warmth, and homeliness. England lets off a more formal vibe, much more modern and urban. I would agree that England is similar to a U.S. city because it doesn't have the same character and friendliness that I have found throughout my travels. England is still a great place to travel of course! Hope that answers your question!
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteHow do you see the family structure as being different in Ireland than from the west. I am curious as to if you believe it is a more matriarchial society or patriarchal. With the students going home more frequently than we do at American colleges I was interested in the composition of the family structure.