Social Justice, Ireland, and Me

Right around this time a year ago, I was seriously grappling with where I wanted to study abroad. I knew that I was going to- it'd been a dream of mine since childhood, and one that had been growing ever stronger with each new globe-hop I took, deeply desiring to live in a place for long enough to truly become a part of the community. I looked at lots of places, extraordinarily fortunate to have the financial aid available from La Salle to make any of their programs a possibility (it's actually cheaper for me to be here than in Philly, but the cost of living...)! Besides Ireland, the final runner up was Argentina, which I very seriously considered and almost applied for, but eventually gave up. Besides the opportunity to expand upon my Spanish, I was very much interested in living in a country where I could learn something beneficial for my hopeful future career in international development or non-profits (what's the technical term? Actually I'm at a loss for my future path but moving on). In the end, Ireland won out because as an English major I had to study subjects in, well, English. I was excited of course, but still always a little sad at the thought that my service-minded endeavors would come to a halt for a semester.

OR SO I THOUGHT.

Last night, I attended an interview between Fintan O'Toole, respected Irish journalist, and Mary Robinson, the first female president of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. To tell you the sort of shameful truth, I didn't really know much about her or what I was in for when I signed up for the event, which was packed and booked out, and for which I was fairly under-dressed. However, I am so, so glad that I went and had the opportunity to do so. I took about four pages of notes (and seemed to be the only one), which I won't even attempt to recreate here, but I'll give you the highlights. She and O'Toole had a conversation first, and I had happy flashbacks to the last public interview I attended with Maggie (!), and then there was a panel discussion between those two and three other important people- some from NUIG. 

Ms. Robinson herself was extraordinarily humble, while also fiercely vocal about the importance of human rights, and in particular the education of girls around the world- a topic I've been very invested in recently after reading Half the Sky by Nick Kristoff, which I recommend to absolutely everyone. One of the greatest topics she touched on that I had never considered regarding Ireland's relationship with international aid was that of the Great Famine, which everyone here talks about a fair amount. She expressed how Ireland has a unique experience of being able to empathize with the suffering of the global south, since they had their own great struggle with poverty caused by foreign oppression. Ireland has built up a strong connection of trust with developing nations- she mentioned Malawi in particular, and that has worked consistently to their advantage of enacting positive change. 

She recently wrote a book called "Everybody Matters", which they were selling there but I didn't purchase, but have every intention of reading. If anyone who reads this little post has also read the book and wants to let me know how it was, please do! This lecture changed my mind on Ireland's position globally and reminded me that it's not just up to the United States or Americans to make things better in the world- we have our own problems, so does everyone, but each country should also take responsibility to improve things for both themselves and others. 

At La Salle, I spend a lot of time with our FOCUS service programs. Here they have something called ALIVE, but there doesn't seem to be much of a coordinated university-focused service system. I've joined a few groups, and went to a meeting for one that works with the elderly, which I will hopefully be starting soon! In addition, I think I mentioned it here before but I was accepted into NUI's one service-learning class designed especially for American visiting students. We'll be learning about issues of literacy for underprivileged youth, studying educational strategies for at-risk students, and working in local 'homework clubs' which give these kids a safe place to learn and study. I had my first class for that today and am absolutely ecstatic to get started, the professor was phenomenal and the other students in the class seem wonderful as well.

Things are starting to come together here for me in Galway! There's a Quidditch match happening on the quad tomorrow, and one of my best friends from home is coming to visit for a couple days. All's well. :)