Numbers 3 and 4 took a little more thought and intention on my part, because I had to research places to go and groups to join; I then needed to make time to engage in those things. None of this is really all that difficult. It is the last item (number 5), however, that has taken the most effort on my part and usually is what "seals" my integration, because it means I have taken time to reflect on how I envision myself as part of the community. To do this, I normally look for some common ground to help me feel connected to the community, something that resonates with me. I did the same here in Ireland.
To help me begin reflecting and connecting to Ireland, I took a trip to a park in Midleton. It is in this park that the Irish have installed a sculpture entitled "Kindred Spirits". This sculpture serves as a monument to the Choctaw Nation to commemorate a historic act of generosity on the part of the Choctaws to the Irish people. During the "Great Famine", many Irish were starving and had to leave their homes. The Choctaws heard about this and felt deep empathy, having experienced starvation themselves and being forced to walk the "Trail of Tears" which took them away from their ancestral homeland. Even though the Choctaws were still very much recovering from their forced migration, they came together and raised what would be the equivalent of thousands of dollars today and sent it to the Irish people. Since then, the two nations have continued to share a bond and to engage in cooperative activities.
Being Choctaw myself and having heard about this connection while growing up, I thought one of the best ways for me to begin envisioning myself here was to make this connection in person.
