Oh hey! No Internet .... March 6th update!!

Dear fellow blog readers ...

March 6th was a jam packed exciting day!! We started off the day with the black taxi tour. This tour took us through Different parts of Belfast and explained in detail the areas that were influenced by the troubles between Catholics and Protestants. The drivers shared personal experiences and stories and were very open to different questions that we had about Belfast today and the divide between the two religions. The amount of violence and hatred that still exists was shocking and made us more aware of the everyday struggles that individuals are still challenged by. There hope with each generation and the mixing of religions, they can become more accepting and create peace amongst everybody. After the tour we signed the "peace wall" which ran 13 miles down and was signed by inspiring stars such as Justin Bieber and Rihanna. All of us left a message of hope to all who will see and definitely made our mark! After the tour the taxi dropped us off at the newly opened Titanic exhibit. This exhibit included facts, interactive videos, and recreations of artifacts in order to enhance our Titanic experience. It was incredible! (Unfortunately no Leonardo DiCaprio):( Next time!! After the titanic we adventured out to the red rope bridge and giants causeway. The red rope bridge was 98 feet above the water and we had to run across the Atlantic to the Salmon island! Giants causeway was our next stop! It was just a wee bit down the road and could definitely be considered one of the 8th wonders of the world. It was a beautiful view of the ocean and had copious amounts of rocks that overlooked our view. Each rock had a different formation that were hexagonal and pentagonal shapes and many more! Another highlight of giants causeway was the wishing chair (we all made wishes!!) and the giants boot! After an exciting day, we traveled to our next destination, Creevy Cottages. It was a beautiful drive there on the Antrum coast and we all got to discover another beautiful part of Ireland! Once we arrived to Creevy Cottages (beautiful stone cottages along the ocean)we got to spend time together as a group and then lights out for another exciting day in Ireland! Love to all reading! All the best!

Love,
Christina and Erin :)

Thursday March 7th

We woke up this morning in our Creevy Cottages right next to the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. We have three separate cottages, all with their own beautiful character.
Half of the group started out their morning with a hike to explore the coast around our cottages. It was a beautiful site to see and a relaxing time! Afterwards, that group went to visit with some family members of Dr. Mickus. Students were welcomed into the homes of local elders and able to have a very casual conversation about their life in Ireland.

The other half of the group took a trip to Irvinestown Primary School(elementary school). This was a special opportunity for some of us to see what a school looks like in Ireland and learn about the services the school offers for those with special learning needs. The school was filled with artwork and was full of smiling faces. It was World Book Day at the school, so all of the children were dressed up as their favorite book characters. It was absolutely adorable! The children LOVE Disney characters in Ireland.

Our entire group met up later in the day for lunch and then went to visit Dr. Mickus's cousin, William, who is a local sheep farmer in Pettigo. We fed sheep and all had the chance to hold a baby lamb. Afterwards, we decided to try out the Chinese food in Ireland for dinner.

To end the evening, we went to a small pub in Belleek called The Black Cat Cove. This was one of the many highlights of our trip because we had an ultimate Irish culture experience. Erin, one of our leaders and a Irish dance instructor, taught us Irish dances which we performed later at the pub. The night was full of dancing, music, and a lot of memories!

It was a full and fun Thursday!


-Mary & Kayla

WMU Study Abroad Ireland 2013 Photos

Carrick a Rede Rope Bridge - WMU Study Abroad Ireland "2013" One of our favorite experiences.



Black Taxi Tour "Peace Wall Pic" - Belfast, Ireland

Friday March 8th

Today we left Creevy Cottages at 9:00 in the morning. We worked our way to Raphoe, which is by Donegal, for the Voices of Older People. Voices of Older people is an organization in Donegal that works as a source of social participation for older adults in the community. At Voices of Older People we discussed the purpose of this organization, decreased funding to the older adult population, lack of police stations and an increase in crime, and the poor economy. After stories, poems, songs, lunch and good conversation, we were on the road for Fintona to visit with Stan Hillard, a man originally from Scotland who moved to Ireland to link back with family ties. We arrived in Armagh at 5:00 and checked into the Youth Hostel. Staying in a hostel was a first experience for many of us. Our largest room held eight beds with one toilet and shower. After catching a nice meal downtown Armagh, a few members from the group proceeded onto a ghost tour. Barbara, the woman who led the group, told many stories dating back 2,000 years. She also said that Armagh is the oldest city in Ireland. We saw no ghosts but may have a picture with hints of spirit present! Others claim they saw a light turn on and off in the abandoned jail when discussing its history. Meanwhile, the other group remained locked out of the hostel for half and hour due to lack of key for the main doors. Good times were had. The night ended with visiting and telling stories before bed. Everyone is excited to be in Dublin tomorrow but has bittersweet feelings of it being our last full day in Ireland. Well goodnight all! Wish us safe travels and luck on our last full day.

Annie Borema and Sarah Antrobus

March 5

Today the group went into many different directions with varied individual and group experiences. Some went to hospitals in the Belfast area for a day of clinical observation in OT departments including rheumatology, oncology, acute care, chronic pain management and mental health. Others went to King's Castle care home in Ardglass to visit with residents and tour the facility. These experiences allowed us to better understand varied aspects of the Northern Ireland health care system. Some students even got to see a podiatry procedure featuring maggot therapy...talk about a new perspective on the delivery of health care!! Several students were able to visit St. Patrick's Cathedral and grave site in Downpatrick, and tour the ruins of Inch Abbey which allowed for a moment of quiet reflection.


Jess and Tish

Monday March 4th

Sitting here in our tracky bottoms (sweatpants) and here to give you a run down of what our first day in Northern Ireland was all about. We left the Oakfield B&B and set out for the city of Belfast. We then dropped our suitcases off at the Tara Lodge hotel and made our way to the University of Ulster in Jordanstown. After wandering the campus to find the OT department we finally were greeted by great faculty with nothing else... But TEA. While looking for the department, everyone we asked for directions, both students and faculty new nothing about OT or it's location on campus. We met with about 30-40 Ulster OT students in a classroom. Both WMU students and Ulster students gave presentations covering the different field work placements they had experienced along with comparing the set up of the OT programs between the two Universities. It was extremely shocking to the Irish girls that in the US we pay for college because they do not. It was equally as shocking to us that they do not have many job openings and many students end up moving to Australia or the US. Also, they are not required to get a masters like in the US. Before lunch we exchanged money to get pounds because the north has kept British tradition and does not use euros like in the Republic (south). We then all broke into groups mixing the two universities where we discussed a fall risk case study. It was a long but informative day at Ulster. We got settled at the hotel and met up with some of the Ulster students at Scalinis, a local Italian restaurant. From there we explored the nightlife and even celebrated one of the Irish OT's birthdays. It was a great day with many new friends made :)


- Kelly and Rebecca

Sunday March 3rd

Today we finally woke up to sunshine! We walked up to the Rock of Cashel from our cozy b&b and snapped pictures of the fort. We were supposed to get a tour but instead watched a video on the history behind the rock. Afterwards we said fare wellto our lovely hosts Pateick and Anna, and traveled to a care home in Ardee. We toured their amazing dementia unit and then listened to Irish country music with them! Once again we travelled the motorways and bumpy roads across the border to Northern Ireland, we never saw so many sheep in our life! We checked into the adorable Oakfield b&b in the northern countryside. Our hosts welcomed is with a giant spread for dinner and even had a birthday cake for Marissa!!! We ended our night with a talent show and learned and laughed a lot. Tomorrow we're off to The University of Ulster in Belfast!

Samantha & Marissa