As I anticipate my summer language abroad program, I hope that my experience will give me the opportunity to see Irish in a different light than a traditional education environment. While classrooms are necessary, and school work can improve one’s conversational skills, I expect that immersing myself in Irish-speaking culture will force me to think through Irish. I want to take up this new way of thinking, because it is only in experiencing for myself the thought patterns and way of seeing the world that native Irish speakers embody, that I will be able to experience Irish culture in a uniquely authentic way.
I am anticipating that the majority of the way in which I will be using Irish during my program will be in everyday life contexts such as food, drink, music, and daily activities. Given the natural beauty of Gleann Cholm Cille and the nature of Irish as a traditional language, I hope to learn Irish geographical terminology to describe the environment in which Gleann Cholm Cille is situated. During my time abroad I hope to learn how to submerge myself into a community not my own, by connecting with the locals in their own native language.