Before coming to Ireland, I had very little travel experience. I had barely left the east coast of the United States, let alone cross the ocean into Europe. Flying to Europe for the first time is intimidating enough, but doing it alone is twice the battle. I had many anxieties packed into one flight, such as the lack of knowledge for international flight etiquette and the anticipation of culture shock and jet lag upon my arrival. I had several reasons for choosing Ireland as my program destination: my family background, recommendations from friends, the fact that it is English speaking, etc. Despite my many reasons for traveling to Ireland, I knew very little about the country and culture. Nevertheless, adapting wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought. The people for the most part are friendly and welcoming, and my work experience has proven to be very laid back and easy to settle into.

Traveling within Ireland is much different from what one would imagine. This past week , for a promotional campaign organized by my employer, HeadCase marketing, I had the opportunity to travel to Donegal to work outside a music festival for a day. The majority of Ireland is easy to maneuver around, seeing that a large portion of Ireland outside Dublin is comprised of rural countrysides. There isn’t much of a cultural difference when traveling throughout Ireland, although the smaller towns aren’t as densely populated. Nevertheless, getting the opportunity to travel to different spots of Ireland through my internship has granted me with a fulfilling and rewarding experience abroad so far.