Study Abroad Fund: Ireland

On September 3rd, 2012 at 8:30am, I will leave my home in Southern California for 110 days to follow my dreams and study for a semester in the beautiful town of Limerick, located on the west coast of Ireland, where I will attend the University of Limerick. It has been a goal of mine to study abroad for as long as I remember, and nothing could benefit me more in my major than being abroad and learning to see the world through a different cultural lense.

I am currently entering my 3rd year at Chapman University, where I study Political Science, Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution, and International Relations. I chose to study in Ireland for two main reasons: 1.) A large part of my family has immigrated to America from Ireland in the past two centuries, and I think this experience will help me connect with my ancestor's roots and 2.) As one of the most famous recent ethnic conflicts, studying the Irish Religious Conflict in Ireland will be an enlightening opportunity to apply my studies to a real life conflict zone, and learn about it from those who were present.

My parents have helped me an incredible amount in college, and they have been amazing enough to bless me by paying my increased tuition for my study abroad program. In return, I have been saving and working full time in order to have enough money to take with me abroad so that I may comfortably enjoy my time.

Although my program includes tuition, housing accommodations, and classes, it does not include food or meals. They have suggested bringing around $1,000 American dollars to subsidize your food costs while abroad (think $3 per meal x 3 meals per day x 110 days = $990).

I am passing around this link with hopes that through my friends and family, I may raise a substantial amount of funding to use to pay for my meals during my time abroad. There are also both grocery stores and farmer’s markets on campus, as well as a fully equipped kitchen in my housing accommodations.

I want to take this opportunity to thank anyone and everyone that has supported me thus far and continues to do so, even without monetary support. A link has been provided on this page to donate via PayPal, but if you prefer to send personal checks, you may send them to the address below:

Samantha Dawson
7217 Aloe ct.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739

Also, please enjoy the blog I have set up to record my time abroad: the lessons I will learn, the travels I will have, and the amazing experience I am hoping to pursue. You can follow the link below to find my blog:

http://craicdown.tumblr.com/