NEVER THE SAME, IRELAND 2016 IS A WRAP

By Claire Sherling

As the summer ends and the new school year rapidly approaches, we are wrapping up our segment covering the MMI Gaelic Club's second five-week trip to Ireland with a few final thoughts from one of our teachers, Nicole Peacock--who attended the trip to learn Irish Gaelic alongside the cadets and Dr. Sherling--and with a video that captures the trip,  the beauty of Ireland, but most importantly the growth of the cadets as they stepped outside of their own worlds and into the world of Gaelic Ireland.

The VIDEO captures the trip... watch it HERE-- MMI Ireland 2016

Never the Same: Thoughts on the trip to Ireland
By Nicole Peacock

Toward the end of our visit to Ireland, Claire, two cadets, and myself hiked Slieve League, the highest sea cliffs in all of Europe. As is typical in Ireland, it was rainy, windy, and cold. Our visibility was limited due to the amount of fog, and the trail was arduous. However, making it all 1,972 feet to the top of the mountain, despite the wind and rain lashing through every bone in my body, I felt exhilarated. As I stood there at the apex, attempting to look through the fog at what was below me, it made me think about how the wonder of travel is often not knowing what is around the next bend, not being able to see your way ahead, but having to feel your way through. There is beauty in the imperfection of it, adventure in the unknown.

Certainly, one way to experience a place is through the physical environment. But another essential part of the travel experience is witnessing a culture different from our own. Learning the language helps in understanding the culture. After all, language is one of the main markers of a national identity. Personally, there is something about learning a language that helps me to be a better English instructor. It pushes me to contemplate the acquisition of language at its most fundamental level. 

An immersion course offers a unique opportunity to absorb language and community, meet new people from all over the world, and create meaningful relationships. I was fortunate enough to be in class with people from all over the world—Czech Republic, Japan, Scotland, Austria, and Switzerland, to name a few. We were of all different ages, all different backgrounds, but what we shared in common was that we were in this one space, learning this one language, struggling through conquering a language that was so incredibly foreign. There are moments when learning a language like Irish are as arduous as climbing a mountain. However, there are other people there to help you in that struggle, and you learn from them, just like you can learn from the missteps of the person in front of you on the mountain.

Traveling opens the mind to new ways of thinking. We evolve in our experience. And we are never the same once we get off the mountain, just as we are never the same once we return home.