In February I was lucky enough to be able to take part in a Zoology course in Trinity College Dublin. However, the course only lasted two days due to the snow. It was rescheduled for two more days on the 18th and 19th of April.
We did another wide range of activities on the last two days of the course. We searched a pond for organisms and examined our findings in a laboratory. We examined tiny flies called daphnia under microscopes and determined which ones were male or female. We also dissected tiny fish to find out which ones were infested with parasites. I really enjoyed the last two days of the course and the activities were extremely interesting. The course was a really good way to get a taste of what studying zoology in university might be like. As much as I enjoyed the week, I am not sure that I would like to study zoology, as a lot of it revolves around studying dead animals rather than working with living ones.
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For my second week of work experience, I got into a TY course in Trinity College. It was a course in zoology and I had to apply online to get in. The course was basically an introduction to zoology and an overview of what studying zoology in college would be like.
There were 20 students taking part in the course and we were all from different schools. It took place in the Zoology Department in TCD. When we arrived on Monday morning, we were given a tour of the department. We saw all the classrooms and laboratories where the studies take place. We then went into the museum which contains over 20,000 species, such as an elephant skeleton and also a rare copy of the extinct Great Auk. We then examined many different animal skulls, such as tiger and crocodile skulls, and had to look at how each skull was different and come up with explanations. We also listened to lectures, including a lecture about the Great Auk and a lecture about jobs in Zoology. On Tuesday, we were given a lecture about how insects can be used as forensic evidence in crime scenes. This was really interesting as I discovered you can sometimes use flies to determine when and where a body was killed. We had two lectures, one on how animals work and another on vultures. In the afternoon, we went bird-watching around the grounds and had to determine all the different species of birds we found. Unfortunately, the course was cut short due to snow as the college was closed down. I was really upset as I really enjoyed the course and it is a subject that I am really interested in. Although it was only two days long, I feel like I have a good insight as to what zoology might be like in college and it has made me more eager to choose the subject. I am really happy I got the opportunity to take part in this course as I feel it has given me information about a subject that I might want to pursue in the future. During the week of the 4th to the 8th of December, I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to do a week of work experience with Peter McVerry Trust. I wasn't sure what to expect out of the week but I was looking forward to learning more about the homelessness problem in Ireland.
I arrived on the first morning and was introduced to the people taking care of the students, Sabina and Fergal, and the rest of the TY students doing the programme from different schools. Sabina and Fergal talked to us a bit about the organisation, what it does and what we would be doing during the week. On the first two days we were taken down to a daytime hostel in Dublin where homeless people can come and change their clothes, shower, eat or just talk to others during the day. We were introduced to many people that were homeless and talked to a lot of them about their lives and how they became homeless. All of their stories were incredibly sad and it was so eye opening to hear such horrific things that are realities for some people. Many of their family members had died from suicide, many had suffered from abuse as a child, some had parents who were addicts, some were kicked out of their own homes, and some were even in abusive relationships now. Most of them were addicts, some recovering, some not, and talked to us about how drugs have ruined their lives. Some dealt drugs and were sent to prison, others robbed money in order to fund their addiction, which also led to serving time in prison. All of these people had such awful lives but the majority were really positive and had a great sense of humour. Most of them really wanted to talk to us and give us their advice. I found this part of the week the most beneficial as I realised that homeless people are people too , with personalities and were so nice to talk to. However it really opened my eyes to hear their life stories. During the first two days we also got to meet Peter McVerry. He gave us a talk about the organisation itself and also a talk about all the different types of drugs and their effects, which was really interesting. On the Wednesday we helped serve breakfast to some people at the Peter McVerry Youth Cafe. Again, we got to talk to some people who were homeless and listened to their stories. On Thursday we were taken to the Criminal Courts of Justice. We got to sit in on some trials which was very interesting as I had never seen a real trial before. We saw trials for stealing and also traffic offences, however it was quite difficult to understand. There was also a murder trial taking place but we were not allowed to go inside. On the last day we visited a high threshold hostel for 18-25 year olds. We got a tour of the building and a talk on what the service provides. It includes a guaranteed bed for 6 months and helps many young homeless people to get back on their feet. It was a good experience as I had never seen a homeless hostel before and it is really different to what I had expected. Overall, I thought the work experience was amazing. It opened my eyes to the lives that some people are living and made me appreciate everything that I have. I realised that people who are homeless are just like everyone else and that we should never make judgements on anybody else. It has also made me want to help the homelessness problem more as I have talked to some people firsthand. The week really impacted me in a positive way and I am so glad I got the opportunity. |
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