My experience with marketing classes at Pitt have provided me with a lot of great ideas that I have utilized in Ireland. I am able to apply what I learned and further my knowledge of marketing through this experience. I also feel like living on my own for a few years in college definitely made living in Shanowen student residences easier. I’m used to a routine at Pitt, so it hasn’t been hard to get up early, go to work and then figure out what I want to do for the rest of the day. In terms of transportation, Port authority buses are similar to the bus system here, so navigating the buses hasn’t been as complicated as I originally thought. In addition, networking and career fairs at Pitt have provided me with the confidence to communicate well with the professionals in my office. If I build a strong connection with them, then I can increase my network which will help me get a job in the future.

With classes at Pitt, often if you want to succeed you will have to do a bit of work outside the classroom and keep up with assignments. With this internship, I find that I work quickly and I end up doing research outside of the given task in order to provide my supervisor with more information. My time management skills have improved and I find myself less stressed when asked to do multiple things at once. Similar to wanting to do well in a class, I want to perform well in this internship. My individual drive is strong and I have found that because I’m in a foreign country, I end up working harder because it’s not something that I am used to.

Although some qualities of this internship I am accustomed to; I was not prepared to be given no instruction. Usually there is a set schedule and a time frame in which you should get your work done. However, here they are more lenient with timing and directions. Often, I don’t actually know what I am supposed to be doing so I have to ask a lot of questions and I simply try to complete a task as quickly as possible. I was also not prepared to work directly with the owner on certain projects. I believed that I would be working with a supervisor and simply completing marketing based tasks or working with a team. Instead, I have been given a lot more responsibility and therefore I have to work harder to impress the director of the elbowroom. Sometimes, I even work with the financial department and the elbowroom escape to catalog corporate leads or come up with gift ideas for certain events.

I’m working on addressing the gap through being open to new experiences. Although working in Ireland is in some ways similar to Pitt, it also has many differences which I must get used to. There is nothing wrong with asking questions, and I am embracing the change. I did not expect to be working with all aspects of the company, but it has been an eye opening and rewarding experience. I can aid any member of the company and therefore will be receiving more skills that I can utilize in future employments. This is why I always say yes when given a new project and I am trying to learn everything I can about this company in general so I can take this information with me back to Pittsburgh. Then I feel I will be more well- rounded and more prepared to tackle any new job.  

This weekend was one of the best ones I’ve had yet! Friday I was able to take a trip to the National Botanical Gardens. The greenery and greenhouses were unlike anything I have ever seen. It was such a vast area with many different sections to explore. It contained a lily pond, a rose garden, a great palm house, and much more. It was so full of color and exotic plants that it was so special to experience. The wonderful thing about the gardens is that it’s free and so anyone can come in and read on one of the many benches or simply walk around and see what it has to offer.

I also traveled to Northern Ireland on a guided tour to Giant’s Causeway, the titanic museum, and Belfast city. Giant’s Causeway was one of my favorite sites to date. It had hiking trails, rocks where you could get close to the water, and the causeway itself was unique. We spent a few minutes at the edge because admiring the ocean and the hexagonal shape of the rocks. It was a blast learning about the culture in Northern Ireland because it is a part of the United Kingdom. The views were spectacular and the weather was beautiful making for a peaceful day. I am also a huge titanic buff, therefore the museum was an amazing experience full of history and realistic, in depth exhibits.

I had the amazing opportunity to visit Croke park and see the hurling championship, Kilkenny vs. Wexford on Sunday. The Wexford team won, and it was such an interesting event to attend. The stadium was bigger than I anticipated and the sport itself is truly fascinating. Hurling is the fastest amateur sport and when you see an actual game you can understand why. The score was pretty much tied the whole time so the atmosphere was intense and exciting. When Wexford won, it was similar to the Stanley cup where the team receives a trophy and speeches are given. It’s a very passionate sport with die-hard fans, so there were a lot of tears when Kilkenny lost. It was so fulfilling to be a part of that experience and witness so much pride and culture in one sport.