Nicole Latimer

Overall Experience

I absolutely loved every location we went to! Some were big cities and some were quaint farm towns which were so cool so experience both sides the gorgeous country had to offer. I think the program was planned beautifully as far as the balance of scheduled activities in the itinerary and free time and also a perfect balance of school coursework and traveling and exploring the country. I became so close with the students in my group while also having experiences of a lifetime.

Learning experience

I would say the most valuable thing I experienced would be just adapting to all of the new environments and I really made it a point to myself before I left that I wanted to fully immerse myself in the culture and really experience Ireland and I would definitely say I did just that and it made my entire study abroad trip that much better.

Memorable experience

The most memorable experience would definitely be all of the sights we went to see. I wish I could pinpoint exactly one but they were all so beautiful. The Cliffs of Moher, Giant's Causeway, Howth, and Carrick-a-Rede Bridge were my absolute favorite. It is so green and absolutely stunning and I am so happy that I got to visit such a beautiful country. Another memorable experience would be when we hiked Croagh Patrick. This was a very difficult, long hike up a mountain and there were many points throughout where I did not think I was going to make it to the top but I did it and the view at the top and feeling of accomplishing that hike was the best.

What did you not expect?

I learned a whole new approach to therapy which was a lot more holistic and I really loved it and hope to apply it in my practice when I am a therapist. Learning from another culture how to practice medicine helped me understand that different is good and that there is rarely one sole solution to a task.

What advice would you give?

I would say to save up as much money as possible prior to your trip because it does go by very fast and really just take advantage of all of your time there. Every opportunity you get to adventure and explore, just take it. You will be tired but you will not regret going out at every chance you get to discover each city you will be staying in and meeting people from all of the world share their incredible stories with you. It is such an amazing feeling to get out of your comfort zone and learn to adapt to a new culture and environment and quite liberating when you realize how easy it is!

How has this experience impacted your life?

Participating in this Kinesiology in Ireland program helped further my passion and expertise on the foundations of Kinesiology. This program was more hands-on and I received feedback from people in different regions of the world and different cultural backgrounds will be more valuable than anything I can read from a book. Learning about their practices for therapy and how they integrate their knowledge and skills into creative new forms of therapy was such a gift to be able to learn and experience. With this knowledge, my long-term goal from this program would be to grasp another culture's innovative approach to therapy where I can later apply these skills and techniques in the United States someday. I have always had an intense curiosity about my heritage and would love to see where my family originated from. Since my aunt and uncle were inspired by Dublin's oldest pub they built 2 of their own in Ohio. it was a really cool experience to know how close that place is to my family and their accomplishments. Another personal goal I achieved was to meet lots of new people from different regions of Ireland. I met so many people from all around the world who gave me so many new outlooks on life and a new perspective on different things. Expanding my cultural base will allow me to begin to build up a global network of connections, which may develop an immense amount of opportunities in the future.

How did you learn about this experience?

I attended a lecture about this program and learned all of the details and was very interested in going so I wrote an application and made a meeting with CHS International Programs with Nicole Humphrey to receive her advice and expertise and have her answer a few questions of mine as well.

International Connections