Imbolc de mo chuid féin! / My own Imbolc!

Tamall fada anois ó go raibh mé ag scríobh anseo. Mo mhíle leithscéal faoi sin! An t-am deireanach gur chuala sibh uaim ná mí Meán Fómhair, sular thosaigh mé ag obair anseo i nGaillimh i gceart agus tá go leor leor i ndiaidh tarlú ó shin. Sin an fáth is dóigh nach bhfuil sibh i ndiaidh cloisteáil uaim le píosa anois.

It’s been a while since I have written here and my sincere apologies for that! The last time I wrote was in September, which was before anything had really started here in Galway and a lot has happened since then, which is probably the reason for the silence on my end!

Thosaigh mé sa choláiste i mí Dheireadh Fómhair agus chríochnaigh mé mo chéad théarma de chéim in síciteiripe agus comhairleoireacht le marcanna maithe. De bharr na céime sin chuaigh mé go comhairleoir mé féin ar feadh 13 seachtain agus d’fhoghlaim mé an t-uafás fuaim féin.

I started college in October and I have now finished my first term in my psychotherapy and counselling degree with good marks. One of the requirements of the degree is that we go to a counsellor so I have been seeing my counsellor for 13 weeks. I have learnt so much about myself and my life in that time!

B’fhéidir gur d’fhoghlaim mé féin barraíocht taobh istigh de achar gairid mar tháinig tinneas orm ag tús na bliana agus seo an chéad seachtain sa bhliain go bhfuil fuinnimh ceart agam arís agus nach bhfuil fonn múisce orm. Ag teacht go deireadh an tinnis, bheartaigh mé go raibh baint ag an obair ar fad atá ar bun agam leis an gcomhairleoir agus sa choláiste leis an tinneas. Bhí mé i ndiaidh cúpla mothúchán mór a mhúscailt ionam féin le cúpla mí anuas agus chuile uair go raibh mé ag dul ar ais go dtí an comhairleoir bhí mé ag foghlaim rudaí nua fuaim féin agus ní raibh an t-am agam obair tríd na rudaí a bhí foghlamtha agam an tseachtain roimhe.

I may have learnt a little too much in that short amount of time as I got sick at the beginning of the year and this week is the first week since the beginning of 2020 that I have felt normal again. I was sick for five weeks in total and I almost don’t know myself without a feeling of tiredness and nausea all the time! A few weeks into the sickness I decided that the counselling and the degree probably had something to do with it. Over the 13 weeks I accessed and learnt about some really big emotions and was going through them, while also learning new things about myself every time I went to see the counsellor.

Cé go bhfuil sé riachtanach dom freastáil ar an gcomhairleoir don chúrsa seo, tá mé ar sos cúpla seachtain anois uaidh. Thuig mé agus mo chorp go raibh an sos seo uaim agus thug sé am dom forbairt agus fiosrúcháin cheart a dhéanamh ar na rudaí a d’fhoghlaim mé go dtí seo. Rachaidh mé ar ais go dtí an comhairleoir an tseachtain seo chugainn ach tá plean agam an uair seo. Tá a fhios agam cén rudaí atá mé ag iarraidh a phlé agus céard iad na bealaí gur mhaith liom féin dul.

Despite the fact that counselling is a requirement for the course, I am taking a break for a few weeks from it all. The break has been great! It has allowed me to process all of the things I have already learnt and it has given my body time to recover. I am planning on going back to counselling next week but this time I have a plan. I know what I want to talk about and I know which way I want to go with it all.

Thug an sos faoiseamh dom ó thaobh intinne de agus go fisiciúil. Fuair mé amach an tseachtain seo caite go bhfuil ganntanas iarainn agam agus thug sin tuilleadh faoisimh dom agus mé in ann piolla a thógáil do sin! Ní bean mór piollaí mé de gnáth ach beagnach seacht seachtain d’easpa fuinnimh agus tinnis agus tá mé réidh do chúis fhisiciúil gur féidir liom leighis le piolla!  

The break gave me a mental and physical break and last week I found out that I am lacking iron. My first thought was ‘Oh thank God, I can take a pill for that!’ I am not a big fan of pills and doctor prescribed medication but five weeks of being sick and lacking any energy and I was fully ready to embrace tablets!

Tá mé ag baint suilt as an gcoláiste in anneoin an tinnis. Tugann sé deis dom foghlaim fuaim féin agus faoi dhaoine eile agus mo chaidreamh leo. Tá orm rudaí nua a dhéanamh agus mé féin a bhrú as m’áit bheag chompordach chomh maith. An deireadh seachtaine seo caithfimid suigh os comhair an ranga agus ligint orainn féin gur comhairleoir muid agus tabharfaidh siad marcanna dúinn bunaithe ar an rud a dhéanann muid. Tá faitíos an domhain orm seo a dhéanamh ach tá mé ag dul i ngleic leis tríd na smaointe sin a sheachaint! Níl mé cinnte an rud maith nó olc é sin ach is cuma liom ag an bpointe seo!    

I am enjoying college, despite my illness. It is giving me an opportunity to learn about myself and other people and my relationship with them. It is forcing me to do new things and to push myself out of my comfort-zone. This weekend we have to sit in front of the class and pretend to be counsellors and they will mark us on how we get on. I am really nervous about having to do this, but for the most part I’m dealing with my nerves by ignoring them! I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing to do but I don’t really care right now!

Anuas ar sin ar fad, tá mé i ndiaidh cúrsa sé seachtain aireachais a mhúineadh in ocht mbunscoil agus meánscoil amháin i gConamara ó thuas na scoilbhliana, a bhuíochas le Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta. D’éirigh go han-mhaith leis na ranganna agus tá mise agus na scoileanna an-sásta leo. Thosaigh mé ag imirt badminton arís freisin agus bhain mé duais ag dhá chomórtas! Sílim gurb é an badminton an rud is mó atá ag cabhrú liom agus mé ag streachailt leis an gcomhairleoireacht. Is breá liom go dtugann sé deis dom gan smaoineamh ar aon rud ach an cluiche os mo chomhair agus is léir nach bhfuil mé ródhona aige ach an oiread!

And on top of all of that, I have taught 6 week mindfulness courses in eight primary schools and one secondary school in Conamara sin the beginning of the school year, with thanks to Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta. The courses went really well and I and the schools are really happy with them. I also have gone back to playing badminton and I won prizes in two different competitions. I think badminton is what is helping me the most as I deal with the internal turmoil of counselling. I love that I can go to training and completely focus on the game in front of me, and I’m obviously not too bad at it either!

Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil muid roinnt seachtainí i ndiaidh 1 Feabhra, Imbolc ach mothaíonn an tseachtain seo mar Imbolc dom féin – tá mé tagtha ar ais chugam féin agus in ann tabhairt faoin saol agus faoin obair mar is ceart arís!

I know we are a few weeks from 1st February, Imbolc but this week feels like my own little Imbolc. I feel more energetic and more able for life again!