Last day in Dublin town----

Well...well...well. We head out to Limerick on the train this evening after several days in Dublin town. It has been an extraordinary experience. We've managed to soak up the local life and it has been (as they say here...) grand.
In a purely academic pursuit (we are always an altruistic group...."givers" if you will), we headed to the Temple Bar area last night. Our efforts to immerse ourselves in the local culture, (thereby allowing us to share with our blog readers and students) "required" that we enjoy the local food...and drink. We sacrificed ourselves on the alter of Guinness, and after about an hour or so, we were able to "facilitate" a rather festive sing (and dance) along with the other tavern goers. We met folks from Germany, Norway, England and Sweden. The mixture of traditional Irish folk music and the occasional Abba song transcended our language barrier. We roamed the room and gave lessons to the more subdued groups on how to boogie. We fulfilled our amateur American ambassador roles and have now dubbed ourselves the "International Party Patrol"----Take that Paris Hilton!!!
We have also been attending amazing lectures at the Project Arts Center. 'Ireland of the Welcomes", our last panel discussion/lecture, was fantastic. It was interesting to see Irish society begin to tackle some of the same immigration issue the US has been struggling with for some time now. The expert panel was diverse. The attendees were international. The topic was controversial. The discussion and question period ran 30+ minutes over as people aired their prejudice, worked through long held resentments, and fueled a great dialogue. The recent wave of immigration in Ireland has left the population nervous about cohesion.
In this blogger's opinion, I must submit that both the Irish and American people are slowly realizing that questions of assimilation and integration are answered through a process. We are learning that these answers do not involve a technical solution or legislation. These answers involve personal growth and a revolution of self. When it comes down to it, recognizing the humanity of any individual does not diminish the cohesion, the identity or the tradition of any society. As I said in the lecture, "Suck it up! Stop acting like adolescents and wake -up to the fact that the resentment that springs from perceived offenses is simply an opportunity to enlighten others. Get over yourselves!"
I miss everyone at home--- terribly! I can't wait to see all of you! I am signing off now, with my friends and loved ones deeply in my thoughts. I am desperate to talk to everyone and I apologize for my calling card issues. I really, really miss you! Thank you Fund for Teachers for this opportunity to share our experiences with the most amazing students in the world. We are the luckiest teachers in the world.