“So if I kiss the Blarney stone then I’ll fall in love? But, I don’t want to fall in love!” Calvin Berman said one night. Laughing, a group of us replied, “No, you get the gift of gab if you kiss the stone.” But let’s be honest here. I don’t exactly need the gift of gab.
Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle
(Photo credit: Carla Garces)
My fellow Sweethearts know how talkative I am and sometimes they just can’t get me to shut up. When I was going through the recruitment process in Spring ’09, I forced myself to approach complete strangers and strike up a conversation with them. Through potlucks, mixers with male organizations, service events, and tailgates, I have become much more outgoing and have made some of the best friends in the meantime.
The lessons I have learned through my participation in Texas Sweethearts has helped me out during my study abroad in Ireland. I am taking a public relations course here through The University of Texas at Austin and having the ability to talk to strangers has really come in handy. I have been able to talk to complete strangers in order to learn about the eclectic culture and rich history of this beautiful country. I would have missed out on learning the words to “Galway Girl” (P.S. I Love You, anybody?), learning about the Easter Rising in 1916, and learning about the troubling unrest in Belfast, Northern Ireland that still continues today.
My success in traveling abroad is no doubt related to my experiences in Sweethearts. I have grown a lot as a person because of this organization and hope that our Fall 2011 Sweetie class will appreciate this organization as much as I have.
Cheers from Dublin!
Sapna Patel
Texas Sweethearts Fall 2011 Vice-President
Standing on O’Connell Street in Dublin’s city center
(Photo credit: Lauren Jones)
