Grand Challenge Competency: Multicultural
This semester, Fall 2019, I am fulfilling the Global/Multicultural competency of the Grand Challenges Scholars Program by studying abroad at University College Dublin in Ireland. Living in Ireland for the semester has allowed me to immerse myself in the culture and learn about its history. Through class and playing soccer on the UCD Women’s Premier Team, I have made new friends through from all over the world and learned about their diverse backgrounds. I have also experienced that the looking “Left, Right, Left” before crossing a road does not apply here as cars drive on the left side of the road.
To gain a formal understanding of the heritage and influence the landscape has on its people, I enrolled in a course titled “Discovering Ireland: Landscape and Heritage” through the school of archaeology. Through this course, I have seen sites in Ireland that I would have otherwise missed. The two field trips included visits to Castledermot, Co. Kildare, Brownshill, Co. Carlow, Ballymoon Castle, Co. Carlow, Monasterboice, Co. Louth, Loughcrew, Co. Meath and Fore, Co. Westmeath. Castledermot and Monasterboice are both early monastic sites which feature a cemetery and round tower. Brownshill is a portal tomb and Loughcrew is a passage tomb. At the last site Fore, a village founded around 630, we saw a rag tree. Folklore reveals that the tree had healing powers. Visitors take a rag or piece of cloth, rub it on their ailment and hang it on the tree to seek relief. Although now it is more of a tourist site, as we witnessed bras left behind.
On my first trip, I went north to the Giant’s Causeway. Northern Ireland is a part of the UK, but there is free travel across the Irish border. The Giant’s Causeway is an area of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns formed by an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. On the way, we also stopped at the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. We even got to go to the dark hedges, which is where a scene from Game of Thrones was filmed. On the way back we stopped in Belfast. We were only allowed to drive through Catholic towns since our bus was green. The Catholics and Protestants disagree about Ireland’s involvement in the UK, so much so that there are peace walls separating their respective areas.
When I went to London, I walked 12 miles a day. Even though the Tube is great for covering long distances in a short period of time, it is underground so there is no site seeing along the way. I was able to see the ceremonial changing of the guards, step back in time in the old phone booths, and walk across abbey road just like the Beetles did in 1969.
Traveling to Munich was a very fun and meaningful 48 hours. The first day, I went to Oktoberfest which is a once in a lifetime experience. The city was filled with women in dirndls and men in lederhosen. The second day, I was able to visit Olympia Park, the site of the 1972 Summer Olympics. The top of the tower is the highest elevation in Munich at 291 meters. There is a beautiful memorial for the Munich 1972 massacre, where 10 Jewish athletes were murdered in their residences. The athlete housing has since been turned into student housing and was a really friendly community. Each apartment had unique art painted on the front. The most meaningful part of this trip was visiting the Dachau concentration camp. There are segments of the original railroad that the trains passed on at the entrance to the camp gates. It was surreal to me to be walking the same path my ancestors did, but with completely different circumstances. The hardest building to walk through was the “showers”. At that point, all of the stories and history became real for me.
I was able to escape the cold for a weekend and visit my friend studying in Nice, France. The beaches were beautiful, but there is no sand, just rocks. One thing that was unexpected was that there were lots of cacti. They were growing in every park and outside some buildings. While I was in Nice, I took a short train to Monaco, where I saw the Monte Carlo Casino: the set of James Bond. It was also interesting to see all of the high-end retail stores. One after another, they lined the streets. And of course, I couldn’t leave France without having cheese and a baguette.
After arriving in Amsterdam, I quickly learned how bike friendly the city is. Bikes are so popular that 130,000 are fished out of the canals each year using a crane; imagine a giant claw machine. House boats are also very popular and very expensive since the permits are highly regulated and limited in quantity. To enrich my understanding of the Holocaust, I toured the Anne Frank House.
Seeing her story through my own eyes and walking through bookcase to the annex Anne and her family hid in has inspired me to read her full, unedited diary. At the end of the museum they had a short film comprised of videos of people speaking about her legacy. During the video, one man recalled that it is important to celebrate Anne’s legacy. However, when he read the deportation list, there were four Aron Frank’s, with no one to mourn them. This really made me think about other historical events and what stories have been lost over time. On the other hand, the nightlife was definitely a sight to see. I had heard about the red-light district before, but no words can truly prepare you for what you see.
Morocco was a very different from the European cities I have traveled to while abroad. The culture was so rich. I shopped in the markets in the old city and put my bargaining skills to the test; I learned that you should never pay the first price they offer. I also visited a Berber herbalist and learned how to make traditional Moroccan mint tea which is consumed after every meal. The tea is thought to aid in digestion. I also hiked the Atlas Mountains, rode a camel through the Ourika Valley and took an ATV tour through the desert. The square in the medina, old city, reminded me of Jackson Square with many street performers and money charmers.
While studying abroad, I have learned a lot about other cultures and ways of life. I will carry these lessons with me even after I am removed from their physical roots. I have created memories that will last a lifetime.
