I have really enjoyed my time so far in Ireland.  It is absolutely beautiful here.  They may say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but pictures of Ireland cannot do it justice.  The scenario is one of the things that has surprised me the most about Ireland.  I was expecting amazing views and unique landscapes.  My expectations were completely blown away by seeing the views in real life.  I have seen only a portion of the landmarks we are visiting and I am amazed how many things there are to see here.  So far we have visited the Cliffs of Moher in Ennis.  The Cliffs were breath taking, this was my favorite thing we have visited so far.  The Cliffs was a great way to start my experience in Ireland!  

So many things about Ireland have surprised me.  I have been happily surprised by how welcoming and nice all the native Irish have been to us.  I have also been surprised by how many interesting shops the town of Sligo has.  I was not expecting Ireland to be a fashion forward, and I have seen so many cute stores here.  There are so many clothes I have seen so far that I want to buy, they are are so different from things sold at home.  Another thing that has surprised me is how nice all of the roads are here.  After spending a life time on bumpy Pennsylvania roads I was shocked that the roads in Ireland are so smooth.  

My first day at my placement was wonderful and beyond my expectations.  I am placed at Beachwood at Cregg House in Sligo.  Cregg House is a wonder place for people with special needs.  Today I was able to meet all of the clients I will be working with during my time.  They were so unique and I was so thrilled to see how excited they were to meet me.  I was able to paint some of the clients finger nails.  This was a great way to meet some of the girls and was also a benefit to the clients.   I went on short walks with groups of the clients around Cregg House.  This was so nice because the girls were able to show me around what for many of them is their home.  It was also the first sunny day since I have been in Ireland so it was a great day for a walk.  My favorite part of my day was during the music session at  Beachwood.  Everyone of the clients went around in a circle and they each sang a song.  It was so interesting to see how music benefited the clients and how much they loved singing.  Singing is not one of my talents and I avoid singing in front of people at all costs.  After seeing all of the Clients overcoming their fears by singing in front of everyone and seeing the miracle of how much the music effect them I knew I couldn't pass on singing.  It probably did not sound good but I am very happy I sang them a song.  I came here thinking I was meant to help people with special needs but it was apparent on my first day that they will be the people who are helping me become a better person.