A lesson in history

 

 I recently took a tour to Northern Ireland, which included a Historical/Political walking tour of Derry, the site of the infamous Bloody Sunday Massacre. It was fascinating to hear the stories of Northern Ireland's troubles from someone who lived through that era. It's one thing to read and research this information, but quite another to walk the streets where the events took place. The grafitti is on neighborhood buildings in the area known as 'Free Derry' which depicts various aspects of the troubles from social activism to molotov cocktails. Very powerful.

Howth

   

A few snapshots from the town Howth, a peaceful coastal community a short train ride outside of Dublin City Center. The weather was gorgeous that day, so I decided to soak up the sunshine and hike along the coast, where I met a friendly sea lion who was posing for pictures up and down the dock.



It's my last week???

A funny thing happens when you’re enjoying every single day…time flies! I looked at the calendar to plan my week and realized that I only have 1 week left of this amazing journey I’ve been on. It’s hard to believe my time in Ireland is coming to an end, after months of anticipation and planning. Everything about this trip, the people, the work, the scenery, has exceeded my expectations in the best possible way. It’s strange to think that just a few weeks ago, this city was unfamiliar, and this trip was just a date on my calendar. In a short time, this place has begun to feel like home – with friends, work and a routine that has become as comfortable and familiar as my life at home. I don’t want it to sound like my experience has become mundane by saying I have a comfortable routine. I just have settled into the country in a way that I didn’t expect to. I expected to feel like a tourist the entire time, but after learning how to navigate my way around, make new friends and get down to work, I feel at home.

Reflecting

Throughout my internship with YAP, I’ve been given the chance to do some one on one work with a few young people in Dublin around anger management. This area of counseling is something I’ve fallen into over the past few years of working with young people, and I have found I really enjoy it. I was a bit nervous when given the opportunity to do some one to one work with youth here because I didn’t know how receptive the young people would be to work with me. My experience in working with young people has taught me that being a new face is always a difficult barrier to get over. A lot of teens involved with programs such as YAP have had so many people in and out of their lives that a new face can often be ignored or resisted. Not only am I a new face to these young people, but I’m a social worker (in training) and not from the country.

I’ve also been able to attend some groups focused on youth participation, and have had some great conversations with young people around how they feel they’re being heard in a few aspects of their lives. Young people never cease to surprise me with how insightful they can be in coming up with solutions for their own problems. I think a lot of times, especially in social services, their voices are overlooked when it’s their opinion that usually matters the most. That’s what I appreciate the most about YAP is that the agency and the people that work for it really live the mission, and give young people an opportunity to be heard.



Greetings from Northern Ireland! This weekend I took a trip up to Belfast, Derry, the Giants Causeway and the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge. This photo was taken on a small rocky cliff after crossing the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge (which was only slightly terrifying). The views were magnificent, and the water was beautiful. I never cease to be amazed by the scenery here. I was recently talking with one of my roommates about this, and she related it to living in a fairy tale, and you know what, she's right.


Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, not the best activity for a windy day
but well worth the trip.



What's in a name?

Since arriving in Ireland, I've been asked many times if I have Irish descent because of my last name (Mahon), and I do. Then comes the next question: where is your family from? To be honest, I don't know. I never knew much about my family's heritage other than the fact that we had Irish relatives, and that's an embarassing answer. People here seem to have a very close connection to their family name and where their roots are, and while I've always been proud of my family and who we are, I didn't know much about where we came from. So when the opportunity arose to visit a heritage center came about, I jumped at the chance to learn more about my Mahon clan.

So a few things I learned about my family name. Mahon is one of the best known and most distinguished names in Ireland, and there's many variations of the name itself. The name itself comes from the older Gaelic word for bear (mathuin) and my family originates from County Clare and Ulster. I also found that our family motto is "Fortitude Preserved Me From Danger." Aside from this brief summary of my family history, I was able to get a more detailed version along with our family coat of arms. I feel really fortunate to have had the opportunity to not just learn where my family came from, but to have traveled through the area as well.

Bus-t a move

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind indeed! After a fantastic weeek working in the YAP Ireland office in Galway, I hopped a bus back to my home sweet hostel in Dublin to catch up with friends, unwind and prepare for my Spring Break plans. Being a first tkime solo traveler, I was back and forth on how to tackle my time off. should i try to hop around Europe? should I rent a car and try to make it on my own through Ireland? (difficult decisions, really). In the end I decided to book a 4 day bus tour of the Southwest region of Ireland, which is rumored to be some of the most beautiful landscape around.

County Clare
(Home of the Mahon clan)




'Beautiful' doesn't do this region justice. Enchanting and majical were the sweeping hills lined with rock walls, wild horses and waterfront views. The tour explored the cities of Galway, Killarney and Dublin with stops to charming villages along the Dingle peninsula. Fishing villages and quaint towns, with a stop in a small beachside town were all destinations along the tour. It's nice to step outside of the city and be in such peaceful, natural surroundings. Aside from gorgeous scenery, the tour was a great way to learn about Irish history and infromation about the towns we passed through. Our tour guide peppered in historical and comical stories of Ireland's history along the way, making for a truly enjoyable getaway.

Famine House
During the famine, houses like this were built for families in the area to get meager amounts of food in exchange for their 1 cent a day earnings.

Just hanging out with some horned sheep.

Kylemore Abbey
The photo doesn't do this place justice. Absolutely breathtaking Abbey that pops up out of its surroundings

Don't Judge a Book

This week I was able to meet my first Irish Traveller family, which I had been anticipating since I’ve been preparing for this internship. Since arriving in Ireland, I’ve been able to meet a lot of people from around the area, outside of my YAP co-workers. When I explain to people what I’m doing in Ireland, and that I work with ‘at risk youth’ I get similar reactions to that in the states, “wow that sounds hard” or “that must be rewarding” etc, etc. Yet, when I tell people here that I’m interested in working with Traveller youth I’ve gotten a very different reaction. Most often people ask me why? Which is usually followed with warnings to watch my wallet and be safe.  It’s one thing to read about how badly people are discriminated against, but it’s another thing to witness it firsthand.

This particular family I met would be considered, settled travellers, because they reside in a cul-de-sac community and not in caravans. Like going into any new situation I was a bit nervous as to how the family and young person would react to me tagging along for the afternoon. Despite all of the criticisms I’ve heard about Travellers since I’ve been here, the family welcomed me into their home with immense warmth. I was immediately offered a cup of tea, and invited into the conversation like an old friend. The family was so polite and so curious about me and my visit to Ireland. It’s a shame that misconceptions about a community can taint their image so widely.

After meeting with the family, I was invited along with the young traveller and his advocate to do some community gardening.  Teens are teens, no matter where you go and they’re sure to give you a hard time at first, especially as a newcomer. The young man was a little apprehensive of me at first, but once we got into the dirt, and got to work things loosened up. The gardening experience was new to me, so it was great to start up some conversation about the right way to plant the bulbs and turn the soil. I find that experiences like this are a far better way to get to know young people, as opposed to in an office behind a desk. It’s easier to find common ground with someone when you’re elbow deep in dirt, joking around than in a professional environment. Experiences like this remind me why I love doing what I do.

On Top of the World

 View from on top of Trim Castle, just before the rain came!

Stepping out of the City

 (left) River Boyne, beautiful and peaceful.

(right) Walkway through Newgrange Park. A nice break from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Walking Through History

(left) Newgrange Passage Burial: Navan, Ireland. This structure is older than the pyramids, making it one of the oldest standing structures in the world. The passage burial was used for rituals, and the primative artwork etched into the stone has yet to be deciphered.Interestingly, there was grafiti on the inside walls from the 1800s.

(right). Trim Castle. This castle was featured in the film, Braveheart.

Going Green



 




  The green that paints the countryside is unlike anything I've seen before, sometimes it doesn't look real. 



 



 Walking through the countryside is like being in a postcard, surrounded by serene clouds and rolling hills.

Westward Bound

It’s strange how a once unfamiliar place can suddenly feel like home. I have a bittersweet feeling about leaving my hostel in Dublin to travel around for the next 2 weeks. I’ve settled in, met some really great people and have started to feel at home and just like that, time to go! But, such is the backpacker’s life I suppose. I’m incredibly excited to travel to the north and then the west coast of Ireland and really explore everything Ireland has to offer.

Down to Business.

Work has been a whirlwind of opportunity this week, and I’ve gone from settling in to jumping into all kinds of work at YAP. Everyone has been really great about making sure I’m integrating into the agency and getting the most out of my time here.  It feels great to be able to combine my interests in art and health with my love for working with young people. I’ve been given the opportunity to create a mural with the youth involved in YAP over the course of 4 sessions. I have a lot of ideas of how I want the project to play out, but I think once the group gets started it will take on a life of its own. It’s all part of the process!

I took part in a participation group last week and we talked to the YAP young people about judgment and how they feel they are judged in various areas of society. I really appreciated the young people opening up about how they are viewed in various aspects of their lives, from home to school and in the community. I was really surprised to hear how much judgment is placed on these young people on a daily basis and the harassment they often have to face just because of their age or family name. The group is going to work on turning these negative judgments into a funny skit to reframe the situation, and I’m interested to see the end result.

Some more of the beautiful countryside

11th Century Church in Wiclow National Park. I was amazed that so much was still standing, and some of the details that went into the archways and architechture.

Off to the Country

One of my co-workers, Anna, graciously invited me out to her home outside of Dublin to spend the day with her family and to get to see some of the country side. What a contrast to the city! The natural colors of the coast and country are unreal. It happened to be a gorgeous sunny day, and the blues and greens of the ocean popped. I felt like I was driving through a painting as we made our way out to Wicklow Mountain, passing by fields of the greenest grass and rolling hills I have ever seen dotted with sheep, horses and beautiful country homes.

Hiking through Wicklow Mountains was gorgeous. At the foot of the mountains were two pristine lakes, and as we climbed higher into the trees there were babbling brooks and flowing waterfalls. At one point as we were climbing towards the top of the mountain in a section of woods where the trees created a ceiling, blocking out the wind and noise of other hikers, when all of a sudden it began to snow. Peeking through the ceiling of trees were beams of sunlight and flakes of snow, and I have to say it was pretty magical. As we climbed higher, the snow picked up and the wind gained incredible strength, we decided to turn around before Anna, her daughters and myself got blown off the mountain!

Settling in after a long day of enjoying nature, Anna invited me to have dinner with her family. We had a delicious meal of thai food. I was so thankful to Anna and her family for welcoming me into their home. It was great to be at a kitchen table having a meal with family, and gave me a taste of home that I’ve been missing a bit since being in Dublin.

Hello Mr. President

Meeting my new co-workers has been such a joy. I really feel welcomed into the YAP Ireland office, and everyone has been great about making sure I am settling in to the city, and that I am getting the most out of my experience with YAP Ireland. Immediately, I was given the opportunity to attend the “Older and Bolder” convention, which dealt with linking older and younger generations because often those two groups are not given the opportunity to have their voices heard. I was able to meet two other advocates and their young people, which was great to get to know some of the Dublin youth. One young girl we were with was an 11 year old and she was so outgoing and full of questions for this American visitor. We talked about music, food, pop stars and joked around for the day, it was a great introduction.

The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins gave a speech at the conference as well, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to hear him speak. It was interesting to listen to his speech, because he has a background in sociology and seems to really ‘get’ the cause of social problems, and the need for social justice and human rights. As an aspiring social worker, it’s really refreshing to hear a political official talk about these subjects, because in the states these topics are often ignored unless you’re talking about budget cutting.

Throughout my  time in YAP Ireland I will be given the opportunity to work on some creative projects with young people, and I think this will be a great way for me to get to know some of the youth in a fun, creative way. I was able to participate in a games night, where kids and their advocates come into the office and play different video games. This was another great icebreaker to meet some new young people in a more relaxed environment than a formal meeting.

All in all I’m settling into my new home and office and I’m looking forward to seeing more of Ireland, and (hopefully) leaving a positive mark at YAP Ireland.

New Kid in Town

This first week of living in Dublin brings me back 10 years to when I was dropped off at college for the first time. You’re on your own in a new place, you don’t really know anyone and are forced to figure it all out. It’s a strange combination of being lonely, scared and incredibly excited all at the same time. After the initial shock of “what did I get myself into?” I found myself saying, this is going to be my home for the next 9 weeks so let’s dive in.

Living in a hostel puts me in an interesting position because there is such a wide mix of people from all over the world. It’s incredible to hear peoples traveling stories and what has brought them into town. In a way I feel like the odd man out, because most people I have met are here for a long weekend or a week to sightsee, whereas I’m here to work, study and see as much of the country as possible. I almost feel guilty taking time to read and study and keep up with my work because I feel like I should be out exploring every minute of the day, but I know that’s not a possibility. After this first week I think I’ve set a pretty good routine for myself, and I have to keep reminding myself that I have 8 more weeks to see all the beauty Ireland has to offer, so it’s ok to take time to be a student, and intern and a tourist.

 Caught in a bit of a freak snow storm at the top of Glendalough Mountain, quite an adventure!

 Gorgeous hiking trails in Wicklow National Park just south of Dublin City Center.

Life can be an interesting book, depending how you write the chapters.

As I pack and prepare to leave (procrastinating every step of the way, of course). I’m reminded of one of my favorite poems by Shel Silverstein

The Voice

There is a voice inside of you

That whispers all day long

“I feel this is right for me,

I feel this is wrong”

No teacher, no preacher, parent, friend

Or wise man can decide

What’s right for you – just listen to

The voice that speaks inside.

This poem works for me in a few ways. For a long time, I listened to others and let their fears or doubts influence my choices but recently I began to listen to my instincts, or as my mom would say: my gut. Since making that decision I’ve had this amazing opportunity to go to a country that I’ve always wanted to go. I stopped listening to the people who had negative things to say. ‘Oh won’t that be expensive?’ ‘Won’t you be scared?’ ‘Won’t you miss home?’ Well, yeah, but if you never take chances, you never know how far you can push yourself.

If there’s one thing I hope to instill in my work with youth, both here and in Ireland, it would be to listen to that voice to decide what feels right and what feels wrong. Don’t let negativity bring you down or stop you from going after a goal. Never let your fear (or others) decide your fate. 

Final Countdown

Tying up loose ends is the name of the game as I get into crunch time for my trip. Making sure I have all the information and supplies I need for 9 weeks away from New Jersey, the only home I’ve ever known. I’m not sure when reality is going to set it for me about this trip, maybe when I say goodbye to my family and friends, maybe when I’m waiting for my plane, or maybe not until I step foot on Dublin soil.

Sending Ceremony

Let the countdown begin! Today was the sending ceremony for all those traveling abroad. Basically Monmouth University holds a ceremony to show the faculty and student body support for the students leaving for an international internship placement. We were presented with words of wisdom, encouragement and told stories of past traveling experiences. Then the 7 of us who are leaving were presented with journals to document our experiences. Much like this blog, I can’t imagine how the pages and entries will look like in the weeks to come.  I had a surge of feelings: blessed, excited, nervous, anxious. This is the first time I’m going to be doing any kind of major traveling and the reality of it all set in today. I feel like this experience is going to force me out of my comfort zone and open up so many doors. I’m not sure what to expect, and people keep telling me this is the experience of a lifetime. I’m not sure how to react to that because this is all so new to me. I’ve often questioned my decision to go  back to school, because I’ve had  to make a lot of sacrifices over the  past year or  so to make this happen.  I’ve often felt that my life has been on pause since going back to school. I see friends and family start exciting chapters in their own lives, while I’ve had to give up some independence and have had my nose stuck in a book or behind a laptop. This ceremony made me feel part of a community, our little social work family.

Passport is here!

My passport came in the mail today, and I couldn’t be more excited! This may not be a big deal to some people, but for me, this fresh unstamped little blue book is a key. A key to adventure, opportunity, who knows what else!  The only time I’ve been out of the country was to go on short vacations with friends, nothing like this. 9 weeks away from home, on my own. Holding the crisp, unstamped booklet makes me excited and I look forward to making the most out of it. I’m not sure what the coming weeks will bring but I’m excited to see what will happen.

How’d you like to go to Ireland?

A simple opportunity from school.  One question that for me, only had one answer: sign me up! I was drawn to Monmouth’s International program because of the opportunity to travel and be a part of something bigger. I’ll admit, when I saw the list of possible places to travel to, I was intimidated. I’m a newbie to traveling and wasn’t sure if I wanted my first solo experience to be to such an unfamiliar setting. When I was asked about Ireland, for me there was no question. The opportunity to do what I love in a country I have always wanted to explore seemed too good to be true.  I jumped into this opportunity with both feet, not thinking about the details because I was so excited at the chance. Finances? School? Social life? Work? That’ll all work out…when is my flight leaving?

Cead míle fáilte

Welcome to my blog! On the road to getting a Masters in Social Work and International Development I was given the opportunity to travel to Ireland and work at Youth Advocate Programme in Dublin. Over the course of the next few weeks left in New Jersey, and 9 weeks in Ireland I’m going to be telling the story of my experience traveling and creating an interactive photography project with kids in Ireland. They say if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life, and that’s how I feel about working with kids. They days are sometimes long and hard, but it never felt like a chore to be helping out kids.

How did this opportunity come to be? Is a question I’m asked often by friends and family. Well, here’s the long and short of it. I’m studying for a Masters Degree in Social Work, with a concentration in International and Community Development (whew!).  Part of the program allows students to travel overseas to practice international social work in a variety of settings, depending on the student’s interests and experience. Since September 2011 I have been interning with Youth Advocate Programs, on the international development team. For the past several months I have taken a break from my more traditional social work role counseling youth, to diving into research and meetings on policy, advocacy and emerging topics that affect youth across the globe.  This experience has not only opened my eyes to a lot of things going on, but presented me with an amazing opportunity that is going to unfold in this blog. So welcome to my adventure!

The arrows point to the two locations I'll be staying at over the course of my stay. For the most part I will be based in Dublin, on the east coast of the country, but I will be spending a week in Galway on the west coast as well.