Independent Cultural Immersion Project - CHECK!

ICIP - even while away from campus, Holy Cross found a way to give their Study Abroaders a graded assignment. The ICIP stands for Independent Cultural Immersion Project. Every student who goes abroad for the full academic year is required to complete this project which should focus on one aspect of their time away. You can really write about anything. For example, of the eight Holy Cross girls in Cork, one wrote about her participation in the Doctors Without Borders organization, another girl did a visual arts project, and another did her unique relationships with her Irish roommates. The ICIP is also supposed to be a little more creative than a simple paper. You can add any type of memorabilia you want to make it original and special. We have been meeting with Vicki about this little by little over the year, but we didn't really start practically discussing it until around mid-March. I thought about focusing on being in Slainte, and then I thought about discussing all of the different Irish festivals I have come across, but at the end of the day, the answer was quite simple: the Alumni Office.

I feel so blessed that I had the opportunity to work in the Alumni Office this year. Not only did I learn so much, meet great people, and have amazing experiences, but it was also a great topic for my project! I had sooo much to write about. From my work in the office, to the events I attended as a member of their office, to the amazing amount of self-confidence I have gained, my paper basically wrote itself. Vicki said the paper should generally be between 10-15 pages.....yeah, mine ended up being 20. And not to brag, but I'm pretty proud of it! Vicki really enjoyed my rough draft, so hopefully the finished project came out just as well. What was most surprising was that it was actually enjoyable to write. I thought I was going to be pulling teeth thinking about what I wanted to say, but it came so naturally and fluidly.  I really loved putting it together and reflecting on such a large piece of my study abroad experience.

And it's finished! I handed it in this morning! The deadline isn't until the 27th but I'm so happy I finished it early.  Now when I walk out of my Social Theory final exam on Monday, I will be totally done with my Junior year. Not a single thing left to worry about.....except for packing.

Slan!