Posted By: Career Enrichment Network
Liberal Arts student, Sarah Hartman, spent her summer in Ireland. Sarah took part in a faculty led program that traveled to Ireland. Representing the Irish Landscape and Visual Arts , is a four week program that focuses on the culture of contemporary Ireland and how it is depicted in visual art and literature. The program is 9 credits, most students ear six credit in English and three in Arts. Students must be at least rising Sophomores and have a minimum 2.5 GPA. Learn more about Sarah’s experience below!
Content and photos contributed by Sarah Hartman, majoring in English and minoring in Women’s Studies and Film Studies.
I was on the program “Representing the Irish Landscape, Literature and Visual Arts” for four weeks in the summer. I chose to go to Ireland because, initially I knew that I wanted to go abroad but wasn’t sure exactly where. I wanted to go on a trip that was relevant to my major. As I looked into the programs a little more, there were a couple relevant to my interests, but the moment I read the description of the Ireland trip, I knew I had to go. There is such an immense amount of history in every single inch of Ireland, and it is impossible to miss when you visit. There is so much to learn from such an old area, which was amazing to experience while simultaneously reading poems and other pieces of literature from history referencing its present events as I was looking back at them at the very place they happened.
I chose to go in the summer going into my junior year, because I wasn’t sure that I wanted to miss an entire semester of school. It was nice because the entire beginning of my summer was Ireland but I still had some summer when I got back to do other things. Although, while you’re over there, you are never going to want to leave, and when you come home, you’ll yearn to go back.
As of now, I would love to pursue a career in writing, particularly in media and the entertainment industry. I love how media and surroundings affect how we take in all forms of art and literature. Studying abroad impacted my goals because the program improved my writing, artistic, and analytical skills immensely. The program benefitted me not only academically, but it introduced me to an entire new culture and language of how to view things. I became so much more comfortable in having knowledgeable discussions and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone both socially and academically. The advising department was incredibly helpful in the entire process. They always responded with guidance and patience. It helps to know that you have people to fall back on for help when you’re at college, trying to go through this process alone. They have also provided extremely helpful information on career and internship advice.
My advice (about studying abroad) is to just do it. Do it while you’re young and have the opportunities Penn State gives you. Almost everything I did in Ireland I definitely could not have done had I just gone over as a tourist. DO IT!!! You will not regret it. Take advantage of the administration’s willingness to help you along the process. It’s normal to be nervous and scared, that’s just an integral part of going to another country for an extended amount of time with strangers. But talk to anyone who’s done it, if you study abroad, you will emerge with incredible relationships, experiences, knowledge, and of course, pictures. Wherever you go, it will be life changing if you have an open mind and enjoy the culture around you!
Since the program was only four weeks yet three classes, there was tons of learning every single day. Even when we did things for fun we were learning. We literally spent nights doing our art homework in the local pubs (and enjoyed it). Being an English major, the English classes were rigorous at times because of how much we were learning, but it was the most intimate learning environment I have ever been in. There is no other time I will meet in person more amazingly talented and equally kind artists, writers, poets, and professionals than I did on this trip. Getting that first hand experience in meetings and workshops is something that will never leave me, and has impacted my life forever. I could talk forever about all of the memories that impacted me in Ireland, because every single day I had there impacted me in some way.
I loved the cities, but some of the most amazing days were spent in the more rural areas. I felt so connected to the country and the people around me because it’s almost impossible to ignore when you are surrounded by such beauty. One day, on Achill Island, we took a guided 6 hour hike up and down the mountains by our houses, and the top was the most indescribable thing I had ever seen. Surrounded by green rolling mountains, sheep, and the bluest water I had ever seen, I could do nothing but stare in awe. Another favorite memory was staying in the tiny tiny village of Allihies. I, along with two other girls, stayed with a host mother for the week at the very bottom of the main (and only) street in the village. We were at the bottom of the hill, right alongside the beach, and every morning we had the ocean as our wake-up call. Not to mention our house mother was the most fantastic and sweet woman. Everyone I met in Ireland was incredibly kind and fun. Our group had tons of fun times, whether we were joking around in class, hanging out in pubs, or exploring, there was never a sense of boredom.
To learn more about study abroad, attend the Education Abroad Fair on September 30, 2015 from 11am- 4pm, in the Alumni Hall at the HUB!
All Liberal Arts students studying abroad are eligible for Enrichment Funding. To learn more, please schedule an appointment via Network Symplicity or email Jackie Smith, Global Experiences Coordinator (jds54@psu.edu).