Saturday, November 14, 2015

Mother Nature

Yesterday I experienced the true weather of Ireland!  According to the locals, Hurricane Abigail was expected to bring high winds and heavy rain which is nothing out of the ordinary for Westport.  The wind was brutal while walking the Greenway to school and by the end of the school day it began to get much worse with heavy rain.  Regardless of the the weather the school day was very interesting and engaging.

                     



















The pictures shown above are from the Greenway, a path that leads us directly to and from the Gaelscoil School.  As you can see there are many homes, rolling green hills and mountains that you will be able to view while on the thirty minute walk.  However, some of the wonderful teachers were very gracious and showed us a new path that is quicker as well as easier to walk.  The new path will only be a ten minute walk through an estate to the school.


On Thursday I had the opportunity to present the gifts I brought from the states to my cooperating teacher.  The students were fascinated with learning about my hometown and where I go to school.  I was able to tell them about the state of Kentucky and Tennessee.  I presented the students with WKU pencils, a red towel, a WKU penitent and the big red blob mascot.  I also presented the teacher with a pillow with the state of Kentucky embroidered on it and all the important features that represent Kentucky.  I brought the teacher a T-shirt and ornament from my hometown.  They were all very appreciative and loved looking at the gifts.

Another opportunity I had was working with the first class or first grade students.  I was able to listen to assist the students with their reading and speaking in English.  Some of the students would translate books in English into the Irish language and explained how to say different words in the Irish language.  I also was able to learn different Irish names and how to pronounce those names. The day was a wonderful cultural experience filled with learning a new language and exposing students to another culture.  Stay tuned for more adventures to come!

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