Ireland: Bryanna Wilde
Program: UW Inclusive Physical Activity & Sports in Ireland, Summer
Bryanna’s Majors: Dance, Health Promotion and Health Equity
How will your experience benefit you in the future? How might it affect your future career or studies?
This was my first ever experience being on the other side of learning about disabilities. I have yet in my college career to take a class about helping those with disabilities. In Ireland I not only got to interact with those with diverse abilities but I also got to watch how my classmates and professors of that field did. I also got to see the way in which programs in Ireland are currently going about dealing with prejudice and different problems related to those with diverse abilities. Given that this was my first experience, I didn’t necessarily know what to expect, but I can now confidently say that I am much more excited to pursue classes and delve deeper into these ideas that were brought up while abroad. I had just joined the health promotion health equity major in the spring and am so excited to continue with it now going forward.
What did you learn about yourself or the world because of this experience?
While abroad I learned that I am most definitely a people person and any job option I choose should be one where I am actively helping people or working to provide them happiness and joy. Before this program, I had always known that I love to help people; but while I was abroad watching my classmates also help people as I also got to help people there was a fire and joy inside me that I never want to get rid of. Seeing the looks on others’ faces when they accomplish something or see something that they have never seen before brings me more joy than seeing it myself which I wouldn’t have thought would be the case until I truly experienced it.
While abroad I learned that I am most definitely a people person and any job option I choose should be one where I am actively helping people or working to provide them happiness and joy.
What is your most memorable experience from your program?
We had a day where we went to an area of Ireland called Dingle. This was my and a majority of my classmates’ favorite day for more than one reason. It was the first scenic drive that we had taken which made it more special because we really got to see the true beauty of Ireland. The landscape was phenomenal; every bend and turn we went around we got a new view of the ocean and mountainsides surrounding us. We also passed many farms in which we all loved the sites of the sheep and cows that were different from ours at home. My absolute favorite part of this day was about halfway through the scenic drive there was a small farm on the side of the road that we stopped at. The original reason we stopped here was because it’s by a scenic drive off and the bus driver wanted us to be able to stop and take pictures of the ocean and mountains. However, I found the other side of the road to be my favorite part. The farmer had a sign out saying come and pet baby lambs. I immediately asked the professors if that would be allowed and I ran across to the farm. It cost four dollars to get in and you had unlimited time with the baby lambs. I wouldn’t trade this moment for anything all of them were so precious and sweet and there was one that each time I put it down it would come back and rub up on my leg to be picked up again.
What challenges or barriers did you face as you prepared to go abroad and/or during your time abroad?
My biggest challenge was definitely budgeting. I went there knowing I would want to get things to remember each place as well as for my family to try. What helped me the most with staying on a budget and being aware of how much I was spending was keeping every single receipt and writing it down when I got home. This also helped at customs then when I had to share what I bought and was bringing back.