"I feel a greater connection with Ireland and its rich culture and history than I ever thought possible."
Traveling to Ireland with my classmates is an experience I'll never forget. Not only do you get the benefit of traveling to a foreign country with your friends and classmates in enjoying all of the sites and sounds of a typical tourist/vacation experience, but you also get to explore all of the hidden cultural, educational, and historical points of interest through the planning and expertise of your professor and local hosts. As part of the curriculum for this course, each student was allowed to focus on a particular topic or subject area of interest to them.
I work in local government in a Public Works Department so I wanted to focus my research on Solid Waste Collection and Disposal, so my professor and I set up several interviews with local administrators in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and in the Dublin City Council, Waste Management Section to explore the differences and similarities between Massachusetts and Ireland. Other students focused on topics such as educational policy, healthcare reform, and public finance.
We were in Ireland in August of 2009, and while there we heard passionate lectures about politics, government, history, and current events in and around Ireland and the rest of the European Union. We traveled to Northern Ireland and saw first-hand the remnants of a bloody and violent past as well as the clear signs of progress and growth in moving beyond that history. We experienced Ireland's rich culture watching a theatrical comedy, listening to live Irish music, and taking in the beauty and grandeur of classic Irish step dance.
It's particularly interesting for me looking back on this trip as I had traveled to Ireland for the first time earlier that year with my sister, but left without a sense of appreciation for and real understanding of the country or its people. This course changed that perspective forever; I feel a greater connection with Ireland and its rich culture and history than I ever thought possible. This trip was a truly wonderful experience that I will cherish and continue to share with my classmates and Professor Burke for years to come. I highly recommend this course to anyone and everyone - trust me, you'll be glad you went.
Written by: Nina Nazarian
Edited by: Daniel Griffin