Post Assessment

At the end of this trip it was a bittersweet feeling. I had a great time exploring Europe and getting to experience their sport culture. I learned a lot about the way sports work over there. I definitely appreciate that we got to learn about Gaelic sports in Ireland. It gave me a new outlook on how American sports aren’t the most dominant sporting leagues everywhere in the world. Especially in Ireland where everyone’s goal is for their home districts football or curling team to win the title. 

I remember being really excited to see the women’s national team play in the world cup. That was an experience that I will never forget. If the women’s team goes on and ends up winning the whole thing it will make that game all the more memorable to me. 

One thing that I am extremely happy about is how much I felt like I learned about myself and how much I felt like I grew as a person. I really was nervous about getting out of my comfort zone and doing something on my own for once. What I learned was that I have a flexible personality and that I can keep my cool when a lot of people in the group are getting aggravated about things. I found myself being somewhat of a mediator for a lot of people. 

I’m happy that I decided to do this and I got out of it what I wanted to get out of it. I met new people, broke out of my shell a little bit, and gained a lot of confidence with who I am as a person. 

Paris

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the opportunity we had to visit Paris for 2 days. When we first got there and got into our room it didn't start too great. The room was small and was going to have to room eight of us guys. The mood was bitter since we were all tired from the trip there so tensions were pretty high. It took longer than expected for us to find a way to get to the U.S Women’s World Cup game and when we finally did get there it was too late to go to any of the tailgating events. 

Nonetheless I wasn’t in such a bad mood that my entire time was going to be ruined. I was still really looking forward to watching the women’s team play and experience what it is like to be at a real World Cup game. The game ended up being awesome. I’m honestly not that big of a soccer fan but I think that’s because I don’t have a team that I can root for on a regular basis. When it comes to the U.S though I can get behind any team of ours no matter what the sport. Winning 3-0 was awesome to watch and made me appreciate women’s soccer on another level.

After the game the bunch of us headed towards the Eiffel tower where we planned to hangout until it lit up once it got dark out. I honestly think that was my favorite night of the trip because of how surreal it felt. Never in my life did I think that I would be sitting at the Eiffel tower watching it light up like that. 

The next day we pretty much had the whole day to do whatever we wanted to do. This was a huge relief to me because I was exhausted and was ready to just chill. I really didn’t have any desire to go and explore France or see any sites there so a group of us decided to just head back to the Eiffel tower and spend the day hanging out there. Before we got there Jillian, Brian and I saw some I <3 Paris T-shirts that were only 10 Euros and I convinced them both to buy one with me and wear them around for the day. It was the first time we could really embrace our tourist nature and we simply didn’t care what anybody else was thinking about us. I think it was the funniest and most refreshing day that the three of us had on the trip. That weekend is a weekend that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Writers Choice Blog

The Driving

One of the biggest things that is different between the countries we have visited and America is the driving. It still throws me off that they are driving on different sides of the road and have the steering wheel on the other side. I find myself still looking the wrong direction whenever I am crossing the street. Just today we were about to cross and Will looked the wrong way and almost walked straight into a van that was coming in the other direction. 

Another thing that is different is that they have the yellow light for people who are crossing the street. I feel like especially when walking people see the yellow light and instead of slowing down because of it people speed up to try and get to the other side. Everybody who walks is just trying to get to where they are going as quickly as possible I don’t know if the yellow light makes it more safe or more dangerous. 

Writers Choice Blog

Interview

For my interview I interviewed a guy named Andrea. Andrea was actually one of the taxi drivers that we had in Dublin. This guy actually travels around the world a lot and we bonded over the fact that he was planning a trip to Colorado this summer. When I asked him about what he thought made Gaelic football so much more unique than American football he talked about the amateur aspect of the game. He actually knew a lot about American football but his main point was that the people here don’ t get bribed with money or drafted away from the cities that they are from. Essentially he said the teams they grow up being a fan for and admiring are the teams that they eventually play for. He talked about how they become icons in their districts and how big of an impact they have on their communities. 

I asked him whether or not people tended to be more passionate about the Gaelic sports here more than sports like soccer or rugby and why that is. He said that a lot of people still care about soccer and rugby but it depends a lot on what people play when they are younger. For Andrea he said that he grew up mostly as a soccer player and his family was really into soccer so he follows soccer more that the Gaelic sports. It’s pretty similar to America where the sport someone plays when they are younger is typically the sport the follow hardest however sports fans are usually fans of every sport. I know for me I played basketball but still follow American football and baseball as well which was what he was saying about how he still follow Gaelic hurling and football. 

Interview Blog

London V Dublin

When I came into this trip I knew that I had a lot of Irish heritage and knew that I was looking more forward to Dublin than London. I am from a pretty small town in Cincinnati and have never been to New York or any big city in America for that matter. I have never used a public transport system, I’m used to driving everywhere and being able to get to places on my own time. I was excited to experience what it would be like to live in a big city. I was looking forward to getting to know the British culture in London and see how people lived. 

If I am being honest I don’t think that London or any big city is a place that I want to spend my time in. It rained basically every single day so I think that made me not really like it as much as I was expecting to. On top of that I everyone was in such a rush that lived there and the subway system stressed me out. Even though I thought it was easy to figure out how it worked, overall I think it’s just an annoying way to travel places. For some reason I kind of just felt out of place the whole time we were in London. 

I still appreciated the whole experience and thought it was really fun but looking back I don’t think it’s a city that I would pin point to come back to anytime soon. When we got to Dublin though it felt like a breath of fresh air. The weather was nicer, the people seemed nicer, and the pace of everything seemed a lot slower.

Dublin reminds me a lot more of my life in America. I can walk up and down the streets without feeling like I need to watch my back, and there’ s cool shops and bars every place that we go. Going out to the pubs it’s a little less crowded and it’s easier to start conversations with locals here. I think every restaurant that I have been to or pub we go to there have been locals that I’ve gotten into genuine conversations with. At one point they even dragged me into one of their traditional Irish dances. 

On top of that the way they do their sports here is something that I appreciate. It’s unique to any other country that I have heard of. The aspect of not having professionals in the GAA and that their best athletes are local teachers or mechanics or doctors is something that I find very admirable. I could legitimately see myself living here and becoming part of this culture. 

Writers Choice Blog

Croke Park

Croke park is probably the most important stadium that we went to when it comes to people and what it means to their culture. In my opinion it was the most fascinating stadium that we went to because of all the history that has taken place there. 

The biggest reason this stadium means so much to the Irish people is because of Bloody Sunday. This was when the British Army invaded Croke Park and opened fire on the stadium. There were 14 people that were killed and one of them was a player named Mick Hogan. After this happened Croke Park forever became a special ground for Irish people. 

On top of that tragic history, originally Croke Park was a place that was only meant for Gaelic games to be played on. Games like soccer and Rugby were dubbed “English” games and banned from the GAA. It has forever been associated with Irish identity. Although there have now been rugby and soccer games that have been played there it still is mostly used for Gaelic sports. 

The Gaelic sports in general are a staple of Irish pride. Every county in Ireland has a top team in hurling and in football that compete against each other each year. The games are played strictly to bring pride to the teams district. There is no money that is exchanged between players and the team yet you’ll see these athletes lay it all on the line for their teams simply because they want their district to be known as the best in Ireland. Sports in Ireland hold a completely different meaning, people here live and die for Gaelic sports and when if their district ever wins the Iron Cup most people remember it as being one of the best days of their lives. 

Croke park is not a home to a single team. It is used by all teams and sports so it technically gives nobody a “home field advantage”. It gives the sense of a home away from home for all Irish people. It means more to them than just a place that hosts sports. It is a part of their history and a part of their culture, the traditions of Croke Park will live on forever. 

Imagined Space Blog

Gay Pride Month

The month of June is a month of pride for the LGBT community. One thing that I have noticed about both London and Dublin is that both cities celebrate their pride a lot more noticeably than in America. It might be that I am from a smaller city in Ohio so the LGBT communities aren't as big, but it seems on every street and every shop they’re flags expressing gay pride. 

In Dublin especially there are pride flags on every street that you will walk done. Ireland was the first country to actually legalize gay marriage which is something that I did not know so it isn’t surprising that there are flags everywhere showing their support. This topic has been a big debate in the United States over the past decade. When Obama came out and legalized gay marriage it was a huge deal. America is still working on getting everyone to be inclusive with the LGBT community and there is still a fight to be fought. When you talk to people from Ireland they all have such great things to say about that community and they take pride in being inclusive. 

Honestly when I first got to Dublin I forgot that it was gay pride month which probably speaks on how little I pay attention to things. I thought that Dublin was simply just really all in on gay pride and this was just how it is everywhere all the time. I saw restaurants that were rainbow themed and gay themed, it was such a change of pace from a major city in America. In America most businesses try to stay as neutral as possible on these kinds of topics or if they do go out and show support they do it in a very minimal not in your face way. Overall, seeing all these things kind of makes you realize the way the world is going and how inclusive things really can be. It is exciting to see things like this and makes you hopeful for how attitudes can change in America.

Current Event Blog

Brexit

As much as I hate to admit it, coming into this trip I didn’t know very much about Brexit. I do my best to stay up to date with current events in America, and even then I don’t know as much as I should about what is going on. So when I first heard about it I was expecting it to be a topic of conversation everywhere I went.

However, most of the time when I heard people talking about Brexit it was in passing or they would make a joke about it and then move on with their conversation. It kind of reminds me of how American’s acted during the Trump campaign. Everyone kind of just laughed him off and made jokes about it because nobody actually thought he could ever win. I feel like British people are the same way in that they don’t believe that there is any way they could possibly leave the EU. 

I think that there are probably a lot of different reasons for this. One being that it seems like it’s getting harder and harder to get people to care about politics. People are just assuming that it won’t affect them and so they don’t need to worry about it. Another reason could be that people are just simply not educated on the topic. Not knowing what is going on makes people feel dumb and so they avoid even talking about things they don’t know about in fear of sounding stupid. Either way it is an interesting topic and will be interesting to see what happens in the coming years. 

Brexit Blog

Rugby

Rugby is one of the most widely played sports around the world. In America, although it isn’t very popular, there are still millions of people who play it. At Miami I have a few friends that are on the club rugby team. When they played Cincinnati I actually went to that match because I have other buddies who are on UC’s team. The way that the game is played in America is obviously very different. I was pretty ignorant to the rules of rugby and also the history, to my knowledge I had thought that there was only one way to play the game and that everyone in the world played it the same. However, since coming here and learning that there are various adaptations to the game it is easy to see why the sport is losing some of it’s luster around the world, specifically in England. 

On top of that, the way that rugby is specific towards certain social classes, it makes it hard for people to want to get involved with it. In America I think football has such a strong following because it is a sport that is appreciated by all social classes. I would compare rugby in England to sports like golf or tennis in America. There not the most popular sports because usually the only people who follow those sports are people who are from the upper-middle class. 

The confusion between the different types of rugby and the way that they are trying to change the game to commercialize it simply causing confusion for people. When you mix that in with the social class issue, it makes sense that rugby is a dying sport. 

The Sport Blog

David Blaine - The Final Act

David Blaine is currently the top rated magician in the world right now and has been traveling all across Europe on what is his final tour doing these types of stunts. Throughout his career David Blaine has made the impossible possible. He travels around Hollywood wowing some of the biggest celebrities in their own homes. He has his own TV show and in my personal opinion, he is the best at what he does.

Going into this show we had no idea that we were about to witness history. Blaine did not come out and say to anyone beforehand that this was going to be his last tour doing the stunts that he was doing. It wasn’t until after he was finished that he told the audience this was the end of an era. His reasoning was that the things he was doing were simply becoming too dangerous and since he now has a family to take care of he want’s to focus on being a parent. 

Blaine started the show with some basic card tricks. Gradually he began to get into some more interesting and serious stuff. One of the most memorable stunts that he did and that he is famous for is being able to put sharp objects through his body without leaving any trace of blood or showing any signs of pain. In this particular stunt, he put an ice pick all the way through his forearm until it came through the other side. When he eventually took it out, there was no sign of any blood or damage to his skin, it was truly unbelievable. 

He followed this stunt by doing something that most magicians are far too afraid of doing because of how risky it is. He took out a bottle or kerosene and literally blew fire onto a David Blaine candle and lit the whole thing on fire. If that was interesting enough for you, he then proceeded to chug 7 bottles of water, and turned himself into a human fire extinguisher by literally spitting the water out and putting the fire out. 

Although all of these things were truly unbelievable and mind boggling, the thing that made this act historic, and what Blaine is most known for in the world, was the underwater act he does. For his entire career Blaine has tried to push the limits of what doctors believe should be humanly impossible. In his early career, he attempted to break a world record of holding his breath for 8 minutes. He failed in front of thousands of people and had to be rescued by his team. Since then he has sworn to never let an audience see him fail to go at least 8 minutes. In this particular attempt, he said he was eager to push the limit and break his own personal record. I had no idea what to expect and honestly wasn’t sure how entertaining it would be to watch a guy hold his breath. 

He started off and he was clearly well versed in this act. He made it to 3 minutes and I was thinking wow this is actually nuts no way he makes it to 5. Then he makes it to 5 and I say to myself “ no way he cracks 7″. He cracked 7 easily. This was when things started to get really interesting. There was no way he could make it all the way to ten minutes, he seemed to be struggling already. He then began to move towards the top of the tank and I thought that it was over. However, he simply flipped himself onto his head to preserve the oxygen that was still in his lungs. Eventually, he makes it to 10 minutes and the whole entire crowd is going nuts. I found myself simply entranced by what this man was doing. In the end he ended up holding his breath for 10 minutes and 27 seconds! A personal record for him and when he eventually told the crowd it was his last show everyone gave him a standing ovation and he nearly started crying. He began to tell us about his journey and how hard he’d worked, it was something that I will never forget because it felt like everyone there was now forever connected to David Blaine and the history that he made that day. London will forever be known as the last place David Blaine ever attempted anything like this. 

Writer’s Choice Blog

Bear Gardens - A Historic Road

Bear Gardens, an innocent road name is what you’d think if you were a simple man walking along the road one day. However, the history of this road and the things that happened here are not so simple, and is actually very dark, yet very interesting. It was during the first tour of the trip after arriving in London. There was so much that was talked about and there was so much that we saw. One thing that stands out about London compared to anywhere in America is the immense amount of history there. A lot of what we saw and heard were things that I was somewhat familiar with but was still cool to see in person and learn a little more about. 

This road however, was one thing that I had never heard of and although it isn’t a proud past time, I found it incredibly fascinating. In the 16th century, during the peak of Shakespeare and his plays, another form of entertainment was available just down the street. This street is what is now called Bear Garden and it was a feature spot for bear-baiting. Essentially, when people couldn't’ t get into any of the shows, they would come to this road to drink and gamble. This all seems relatively innocent right? Except they were gambling on how long bears could survive while they force fed them beer. These bears would be starved and deprived of any food or water so when they were given beer their survival instincts kicked in and the chugged as much as they could. Once they got the bears nice and drunk they would one by one send dogs inside the cage to attack it. Usually, the bear would be able to fight off a few of them until the alcohol became too much and they died. This was apparently great entertainment for the people of the 16th century. 

It baffles me at how savage and ruthless people have been to animals throughout history. Even to this day we are dealing with similar issues of abuse and using animals for entertainment while they are being mistreated and starved. Could you imagine a 16th century conversation with your lads about what to do after not being able to see a show? The first thought they have is to go watch a BEAR get drunk and die!? 

History can be so dark and so mind boggling sometimes. It makes you wonder what would we be like if we were born in those times? Would we have the same integrity? Are people born good or evil or are we all just a product of the situation we’ve been given? 

French Lasagna

In my personal experience with food, it is very rare that I come across a dish that I won’t eat. One of my favorite activities is going out and trying new and good foods. During my time in Paris, one of the goals we had as a group was to find a nice Italian restaurant and try our favorite Italian type dishes. Throughout the first week in London I would look at the various menus of the restaurants that we had been going to and was also disappointed when I couldn’t find anything truly unique from American food. 

Mostly every restaurant that we went to was famous for their fish and chips. It always looked and sounded good, however I knew that would be a common meal that people are writing their blogs about so I chose not to use that. It wasn’t until we sat down at a little restaurant in France right near the Eifel Tower that I found a meal satisfying enough to write about. 

Of course, for any meal, a nice glass of wine will add to the flavor and experience. Since the menu was written in French and the server seemed eager to get our orders and get us out of their, I panicked and ordered the first drink that I recognized, which was a glass of Rose. To be honest, I never drink Rose so I didn’t know what to expect but upon further research it turns out the French were the ones who first made Rose popular. It was created by a bar man named Johnny Mitta at the Chatham hotel in the 1920′s (https://glenbow.blog/cocktails-couture/). So without even knowing it I was fully immersing myself in French culture and French history. 

For my main course, I once again was rushed due to poor translation of French words and the feeling of being a little out of place. However, one word that is universal is lasagna. I have grown up eating lasagna, my good family friends own an Italian restaurant in Dayton called Mamma Disalvo’s and until this week I have sworn it is the best lasagna in the world. However, this dish that I had was one of the most unique and satisfying meals I can remember. The meat and sauces were covered with a layer of cheese and when you got through that first layer, there was even more different types of cheeses. Although it was extremely hot and burned my tongue it was one of those things where I didn’t care I couldn’t stop eating it because it was so good. Fortunately for my burnt tongue the glass of Rose helped ease the pain. The whole experience was very unique and it was one of the best and most memorable meals that I have had in my life. I don’ t think I will ever be back to Paris again any time soon but to have this meal in the last hour that we were there made me absolutely love Paris. 

The Cuisine Blog

Tate - Modern Art Museum, Brinco Exhibit

The Brinco exhibit in the Tate Modern Art Museum struck me as one of the most interesting pieces of work that I saw. Although this isn't simply one artifact I wanted to write about it because of the cultural significance that it holds. An Argentinean named Judi Werthein came up with an idea to create a shoe that would be free for people trying to cross the border from Mexico to the United States. She started this project in 2005, and the tensions between the border control and Mexico have only gotten worse. 

This actually holds a lot of meaning for the people of London because of how much they pride themselves on being diverse and being a safe haven for all types of immigrants. A big talking point about the reason for doing this project was to prove how easily material things are transported between countries. The artist had the Brinco shoes manufactured in China where labor is cheap. It is interesting to note how many companies in America use labor from other countries because it is loosely relegated and inexpensive compared to American manufacturing companies. The way that material goods transfer from country to country is rarely regulated heavily, yet the countries (especially America) who use the cheap labor are the ones who have the strictest regulations on people transferring from border to border. 

The artist received a lot of hate mail throughout the process of this project which were put on display at the museum. The word “Brinco” means ‘jump’ in Spanish. Since Judi Werthein is an American immigrant, a lot of American’s said some very hateful things towards her and her legitimacy in the States. It is an interesting topic of conversation as to who deserves to have a say in these kinds of political and ethical issues. The room is filled with all the hate mail and news clips related to the project. 

The Museum Blog

Pre-Departure Post

The anticipation of this upcoming trip to London and Dublin has had me extremely anxious. I have never been to another country and the longest time I have spent on a plane is a 2 hour (max) flight to Florida. Besides some pre-departure nerves I am looking forward to getting this trip started. I have been watching ESPN and the news and they both have been constantly covering the US women's team and what they are doing to prepare for the World Cup. It is a surreal feeling to know that I am going to be attending one of the games and it is going to be in a different country. I’d say this is what I am most looking forward to. I have been an avid sports fan my whole life and enjoy going to any type of sporting event but this event will be the most special and one that I will tell stories of for the rest of my life. Besides being able to go to a World Cup game I am looking forward to trying to get more cultured. I have a goal that if someone suggests any type of foreign food to me I won’t say no to it no matter what it is or what it looks like. I have a goal to not only meet friends through the Miami program but to meet a friend who is from either London or Dublin that I can connect with and stay in touch with even after the trip. Overall, I am going in with an open mind and am excited to experience what these cultures have to offer.