The People #HogsAbroad in Ireland

-Singing man in the Milk Market of Lymerick, so many smiles and singing!

Oh the beautiful Emerald Isle is so sweet and filled with such kind people! Not knowing what to expect of the people in different countries has to be one of the most exciting points of travel for me. Upon arrival to Ireland I have heard and talked to many different people. The accents, the mannerisms, and personalities are all different making it such a unique and exciting experience to meet new people while traveling. Yesterday was our first full day in Ireland after we landed from a few re-routed flights and a long lay-over.

The first local that I was able to talk to was a kind bus driver that drove us from the airport to our dorms. I had no clue what he was saying! And trust me I know he was speaking English it was just a lot more mumbled and faster than what I am used to. He was kind, I just wish I could have understood more of what he said. Later when we were exploring the town center of Lymerick we ran across some locals who had three sweet girls and were proud of their city. My group also met a man from England while we were doing our scavenger hunt in the city, such a kind and jovial man. A lot of the people here tend to carry that jovial spirit about with them making it fun and enjoyable to talk with them.

Today we were able to go teach a local primary school! This school loves children and focuses on the goodness of children. They would be considered an ‘average demographic’ (upper lower to middle class) for most Ireland. The school was separated into grades differently than the American system but it is still very similar. The students, teachers, and principal were all very welcoming and wanted to get to know more about us and the United States. Students had funny questions like “why is Arkansas not pronounced like Kansas?” and some more politically minded question like “have you met Donald Trump?”. Every student was polite and engaged in the learning process throughout the day as well as the lesson that my co-teacher and I taught.  Teaching such sweet and inquisitive students who were also excited to try and teach me Irish was quite the delight! I cannot wait till tomorrow where we can teach and meet more unique people!
Keep Traveling!
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Read more from Sarah at https://sarahtravels985.wordpress.com/
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This program for education majors highlights similarities and differences between the Irish and American education systems, while evaluating the impact of culture and history on education. Students will be immersed in the Irish education system through interactive visits to primary and secondary schools in Limerick. Find out more at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/eduireland.