Friendship and learning

By Dearbhla Warnes

I signed up for the Schools Beyond Borders Project with very little information on what I was signing up for. I knew we would be learning about the history of Bosnia and possibly be making a project on Irish history. I was interested in learning about a new place and the prospect of sharing our history with a new audience.

I thoroughly enjoyed participating in lectures where I got the opportunity to learn about the war that took place in Bosnia during the 90s, something I had no knowledge of before. I would say that this was the most beneficial thing I took away from all the lectures we attended throughout the year that discussed the topics of federalism and Irish history, because I not only learnt about a war that took place in a country that I had little to no awareness of before, but I was also able to hear about Bosnia’s history from people my own age who live in Bosnia themselves. Working on projects with my classmates that reflected on what we learnt from these lectures was also valuable.

The recent trip to Italy with my teacher and classmates, who too had participated in this project, really made this project something that I will remember for a very long time. We were able to meet the other professors and students who worked on the project alongside us. This allowed us to share what we learnt with them in addition to comparing ideas and working together on issues that we feel are important in today’s world. Meeting everyone involved was honestly my favourite part of this project. I got the chance to get closer with the friends I came with as we made new friends with people our own age from different countries during game nights and hiking in the mountains.

Some of my favourite memories were when we had a vicious snowball fight, when we all got covered in grass rolling down a steep hill and playing an intense game of football. I am very grateful to those who organised the School Beyond Borders Project and that I was able to take part.