Today, we had our midterm. There were 3 questions, I just hope all of the class preparation was worth it.

Moving on, we had another EIR lunch with Bryan Schultz, director of the Global Experiences Office at Pitt! It was really nice to talk to him, I learnt a lot about the different abroad programs. Jules Smalis was also there, and she talked about her experiences. She’s been on a lot of programs, super cool! But it’s good to know there are a lot of options for study abroad going forward, and that there are people who are willing to help!

We then went to the Irish Design Center on South Craig Street and met the owners, Tom and Maura! They were so sweet, and so welcoming. Everything from their shop comes from Ireland, and they told us a little bit about Irish tradition! They explained Irish traditional sweaters, different crosses and how Irish people used them to hide from the British at a time when they would be persecuted for practicing Catholicism, as well as some history about the Potato Famine, St. Patrick, and other symbols of Christianity like the Trinity Knot which represents the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Then they also provided some chocolate, biscuits, and chips for us to try! It was delicious.

We then just wandered around the shop a little bit, and they were so gracious to provide us with a discount!

I really enjoyed my time at that shop, and they also told us how they keep people coming in! They host knitting classes in the shop to increase community engagement even when they have slow days to keep people coming in! I think hosting small community outreach events like that is a great example of what we can do in Carrigart!

Then we had some class discussions about the Troubles and the aftermath of that politically.

I’m very excited to go to Ireland, we leave this Monday!