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Hi everyone! My name is Madison Trivitt, and I am a senior in the College of Education and Health Professions studying Exercise Science on the pre-Physical Therapy track. I recently participated in a three(ish) week-long faculty lead health professions program in Ireland, and let me be the first to tell you, it was INCREDIBLE!
The group I was travelling with consisted of future health professionals (physical therapists, occupational therapists, doctors, speech pathologists, and social workers). When I initially applied for the program, I was told that we would be in clinics and hospitals as much as possible. The pandemic really threw a wrench in our plans, though, so we ended up spending a lot of time with social workers or with places that worked with different health professionals. Even though I was initially disappointed to find out that I would not be spending much time with a physiotherapist, I think I almost learned more from working with those organizations.
It also rains A LOT in Ireland (for those of you going in the future, pack a raincoat and umbrella, because you will need it), and like many, I HATE rain. One of my favorite excursions, though, happened in the rain. We were in Dublin, and we had scheduled a bike tour of the city. A lot of us were really excited for it, because a lot of locals bike, and we felt like we would get to experience the city more like locals (even though it was a guided bike tour where we would be seeing all of the tourist sites). As the bike tour got closer and closer, our group was watching the forecast, and saw it was supposed to be the coldest it had been since our arrival on top of the full day of rain. One of the things I was initially the most excited about, I slowly began to dread. The day arrived, and it was a warm 45° and raining. All of the students were upset and shivering, but the professors encouraged us and said it would still be fun. Our guide kept saying, “don’t worry, it’ll be grand!” He was right. After initially being a little cold, we all began laughing and really enjoying ourselves. Even with the awful weather, it was still one of my favorite excursions.
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My bike tour group at Grand Canal Square! |
Everywhere we went, the locals used the phrase, “it’ll be grand.”
They used it when things were going exactly as planned and things were amazing,
but they also used it when things didn’t turn out as planned and worked out
anyway. It seemed like they were always upbeat and positive about anything and
everything. Everything was always “grand.” I tell you that to tell you
this—things will not always go as planned (I’m certain everyone knows that),
and it is easy to get bummed or have a bad attitude when plans change on short
notice. Anytime those things happen, though, it is an opportunity to learn. I
learned more about the Irish healthcare system than I could have ever imagined,
and I never stepped foot into a doctor’s office. And when those things don’t go
as planned, take a lesson from the locals, because no matter how it turns out,
with a positive attitude, it’ll be grand!
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Exercise Science major Madison Trivitt spent the Summer 2022 term on the Social Sciences and Health Professions in Ireland program with support from the Office of Study Abroad Scholarship and the College of Education & Health Professions.You can start planning your adventure abroad today! Dive in to our Explore page at https://studyabroad.uark.edu/explore/index.php, and start your program search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
