Robert Emmet Society - Scholarship

What did you do this weekend? The highlight of my weekend was walking the boardwalk along the bay, watching the parasailers. Families walked along and took photographs, and elderly couples walked their dog as the sun slipped behind the lighthouse on the point and finally sank into the horizon, leaving the sky a soft pink.

Sounds familiar? You would never guess that I am actually 3,000 miles away from Petoskey, in Galway, Ireland.

Since everyone back home keeps asking, I will tell you a bit about life over here. Galway is on the west coast of Ireland, about four hours from Dublin and one hour from Shannon.

Like Northern Michigan, its largest industry is tourism. Unlike Petoskey, Galway is now the third largest city in the country. Just like home, the people are friendly and family oriented. The people at the corner grocer know your name. Dads can be seen playing ball with their kids, except they have hurlys instead of baseball bats. Just like home, people care about the environment, so three bins can be seen at the curb each week. One is for garbage, one is for organic/food waste, and one is for recycling. Just like home, the teenagers with cars drive by and the adults on the sidewalk can be heard commenting about how loudly the music is being played or how fast they were driving.

I am sure there are many more similarities, but since they are similar, they don’t stand out like the differences can.

There are the immediately visible differences, such as the lack of fences. Instead, there are stone walls everywhere. Instead of intersections, there are roundabouts. The street signs are all in Irish and English. And, of course, the first thing you notice is that the traffic is coming from the opposite direction.

The significant differences are not immediately noticable, but there. For example, travel differs here in Ireland. Since it is so close to the rest of Europe, I could be in Spain in the same amount of time it would take to drive to Detroit from Petoskey. And the cost would be about the same, thanks to RyanAir. Also, you simply wouldn’t function in Northern Michigan with out a car. But here it is common for people that live in the cities to go their entire life with out owning a car because public transportation is readily available.

Also, many homes in Ireland, especially on the west coast, are bilingual. In the Gaeltacht region just north of Galway, the Irish language is still spoken. In fact, several Irish television stations are broadcast in this language.

Student life in Ireland is not that much different than back home. GMIT, or the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, has about 3,500 students here at the Galway campus. Of those, about 140 are exchange students. They come from countries as varied as China, Croatia and South Africa. There are 14 students from America, including myself. But nationality is never an issue of contention here. We ask when we meet, as it helps to know how to greet someone. You are just as likely to be greeted with a kiss on both cheeks by the French or Spanish as a ‘Hey! What’s the craic?’ from an Irish student or a hug from a Romanian. And, of course, it is always intriguing to meet people of different cultures. After all, isn’t that part of the reason for the exchange programs?

The first day I arrived in Galway is a day I will never forget. I wandered around the Lurgan Park housing development, trying to make sense of the house numbers. It seemed like I had drug my suitcases around the sidewalk for hours when I finally found 184, the house where I had been assigned. My new French housemate was the only one home. His English was sketchy and he was shy, but he opened his cupboard and indicated that I could eat whatever I wanted, as he knew I was exhausted from travelling.

My first day of class was equally memorable. As soon as Irish students saw a new face, they went out of their way to welcome me. I will forever be grateful for the patience and good humour as I struggled to pronounce their names.

Classes are about the same here as in Petoskey. You have the students that are incredibly serious about their studies and the students that worry more about what to wear. As the year progresses, a definite bond has been formed between classmates.

We study in history class about the defeat of Oliver Cromwell’s forces. That night on our way to the city centre we pass a nondescript pile of rocks. We pass it every day, and take for granted the knowledge that it is all that is left of Cromwell’s fort that his forces built while having a stand off with the residents of Galway over four hundred years ago. We study archaeology. We learn about ringforts and hillforts, and realize that we walk by one every week on our way to get groceries. There are ruins of castles within walking distance of GMIT. We study Spanish four days a week, and go home each night and actually speak it at home while cooking Spanish food. As my Irish friend Eva McGuire put it, ‘We don’t just read about it here. We’re actually living it.’ Indeed, if I had to draw one distinction between studying in the states and studying in Ireland, it would be the rich historical content of this country. It becomes so real to you when you can actually see the place where it happened, or see the castle or fort where people lived hundreds of years ago.

I share a house with students from Romania, Germany, Poland, France, Spain and Sweden, and they can all speak Spanish and English, as well as their native tongue. (Nearly every European student seems to be bilingual.) . There may be small differences, like native language or geography even politics, but overall, I would say people are about the same here as at home.

I go shopping and meet friends for coffee, just like any other student. It makes no difference that one friend may be from Budapest and another from Ennis. As spring break approaches, most of my Irish classmates begin to think about what they will do for summer jobs. In Petoskey, some of my best friends work as lifeguards. Here, my best friend Aisling is excited because she is going to work as a tour guide at a castle.

This weekend we are having another picnic in the park by the bay. As we shoo the gulls away, I will think about Petoskey. And as we enjoy our wine in public, I will appreciate that I am not in Petoskey anymore. But as we watch the sunset, I am sure it will feel just like home.

I WILL be returning to GMIT for the rest of the year. I feel it would be foolish not to take full advantage of the wonderful opportunity RES has presented to me by paying tuition for the entire year at GMIT. The cost of postponing my next degree by a mere semester has been far outweighed by the experiences I will have here in Ireland. While I have had a few excursions to historical sites, this country is just too rich with culture to possibly experience it all in a mere 3 months. (Months that have flown by like days, by the way!) In addition to excursions I plan to take on my own or with other exchange students on weekends this spring, our professors have scheduled several more field trips this spring. Paula Carroll is teaching us about traditional Irish music, and has several more trips up her sleeve that will expose us to famous musicians first hand. Paul Gosling has promised to take us to an archaological site, perhaps even a dig if circumstance permit! Mark McCarthy is teaching us history from a perspective that I just couldn't receive in an American institute. And, of course, I am studying Spanish and computer skills, topics that are entirely necessary and universal.

In addtition to continuing my studies with these wonderful professors and seeing all the sites of Ireland, I have had opportunity to become great friends with many Irish students. Several of these have expressed interest in an exchange program. I have also discussed the exchange program with Helen O'Reilly, the liasion for exchange students, and she has passed on this information to Mary McCague, the head of the Humanities Department at GMIT. While I know that this has been in the works between RES and NCMC and GMIT for some time, I believe that I can be the link over here to make it happen this year.
Eveyone here has been so warm and welcoming. The students and faculty have went out of their way, and it really feels like home here! All in all, that is the best reason I can give for staying here as long as possible....it feels great here, so why leave if I don't have to yet?

Well, winter is finally upon us here in Ireland. That means rain, rain, and, oh yes, more rain! The kind of rain that you see in the movies where the umbrellas turn upside down as the wind billows all around. But it's only water, and it doesn't freeze, and most of us have the sense to come in out of it eventually, so it's not all that bad.

I would like to let you know that Marie Vincent and I have been invited to have lunch with Mary MacCague and John Tunney. Mary just said she would like to have the chance to see how we are getting on here, our impressions, etc. We have yet to pin down an exact date, but probably some time within the next week. I know you have been trying to encourage more exchange between here and NCMC, so I would welcome any and all suggestions for topics of conversation at this point.

Wait....it is a house with 5 rooms all rented by students. I just meant it is privately owned. (As opposed to a dorm owned by the college).
Sorry for the misunderstanding.
You know, I didn't go to Dublin after all. This wet weather has gotten the best of me, and I had a really sore throat and my ears ached that morning. I still wanted to go, but we had met an American journalist in the pub earlier that week. He actually advised against it, saying that he found the locals rude once they knew he was American. Well, I think that you will find whatever you are looking for, but couple that caveat with the fact that a protest against american politics was taking place and my feeling under the weather, and I just decided not to go. But there will be other times.
We signed up for many clubs today, and I personally joined 4. Equestrian society and archery are both looking exciting. Am beginning to have a bit of a routine: socializing with Irish during the week and exchange students in evenings and on weekends. Very well rounded.
George, I love it here and never want to leave. Thank you so much for this experience!
Have a great day!
Sincerely,
Jennifer

I just got out of my tourism class. The professor for tourism said she is going to design exams just for me and Marie, as we won't be here to take the entire course. It is titled tourism, but talks more about Irish culture and the ways people are trying to market it and how it is being changed as it is marketed. Very interesting and relevant to both my interests as well as yours. Archaeology class and history class were canceled til later this week, but look great. If I am here long enough I will get to travel and go dig up roman ruins! Am also enrolled in a folklore class, which I look forward to learning a great deal in to hopefully share at the Celtic festival next year. They also have enrolled me in a technology class that consists of learning MS publisher, MS word, excel and others....I talked with the professor and I may just drop this altogether as most of it was already covered in previous classes in America. Am meeting with Mary MacCague tomorrow to discuss which classes to keep and which to drop. So far the prevailing attitude has been to try all of the classes in the heritage program out and then decide which to keep and which to drop. Everyone here is just so friendly. Oh, and Spanish. Foreign language is also part of the program, so I will definitely not be missing any Spanish classes! As you have probably heard from all of your students, I love it here and never want to leave!

As far as rent, I don't think anyone is to blame and there are no worries. She's coming around on the 2nd of October to collect what is due til that day, so we are just fine. And what can you do when Anita assigned me to a completely different neighborhood than last year's student? But no worries, you will be proud when you visit and see how modern it is. Thanks again for this amazing experience.

As we landed in Shannon early friday morning I immediately saw why they call this the emerald isle. Everyone said it would be green, but I never imagined how beautiful the country side is. The patchwork of fields and hedges spread out before us, each one a different shape and shade of green. The fog rose from the bodies of water and crept out into the valleys like little fingers reaching for the sea.

Met with Helen O'Reilly briefly on friday, and she immediately knew who I was and about the Emmet society. Am already thinking of ways to promote this scholarship upon my return. GMIT is much bigger than NCMC but has the same small town personal feel to it, so students from our area will excel here. Our area is so much smaller than this city, but the right student from here would love it in Michigan. So I will certainly mention an exchange when I meet the dean on monday. Any suggestions for this conversation?

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
P.O. Box 2027, Petoskey MI 49720
Telephone: 231/535-2346 ~ Fax: 231/535-2618
Email: info@emmetsociety.org



2006 Robert Emmet Scholar Jennifer Hallman in front of the RES Commemorative Plaque at the NCMC Library in Petoskey	Jennifer Celebrating St. Patty's Galway City Ireland 3/17/2007 note the "soft weather"