So far in my experience working in Ireland I would say that success in the in a professional sense is similar to how it is defined in the United States. In both countries success can be measured by the completion of pertinent tasks to the highest degree possible. Success is also probably defined by your boss, and there are incentives for being successful and potential penalties for not performing to a high enough standard. A successful employee in the job I am working needs to be patient and diligent. They need to have the mental stamina to go through a variety of articles and article headlines and be able to consistently identify which ones are relevant without slipping up. It is important to read any article which may contain government fraud, as missing a relevant article could alter the results of the data being collected. Additionally a successful person should not be afraid to ask questions that pertain to the work they are doing. It is better to ask a question to gain clarification than guess as to what one should be doing and as a result perform a task incorrectly. Asking a question can save both a worker and their boss time, as a task will be done to a higher standard and the worker will not have to go back and correct mistakes later if there are error. A successful worker is also able to follow directions from their boss. A good worker should be able to properly interpret their boss’ instructions and as a result be able to deliver the products they need. A worker who cannot follow instructions will not be able to effectively complete necessary tasks, as they will undoubtedly be working on the incorrect things, or work on the correct tasks in an incorrect manner.

This week at work has not been all too different from the prior one. Myself and my fellow interns are continuing to work on our double blind coding of the government fraud index. I only have one week left of work and my time in Ireland is coming to a close. I want to finish my internship off on a strong note, and my dedication to the task I am carrying will not waver just because I am going to be leaving. As much as first impressions are important, a strong last impression is important, as that is likely how my bosses will remember me. I do not anticipate this being an issue for me, as my effort throughout this internship has not wavered since the beginning.

This Tuesday I was able to see my grandmother before she left to return home to the United States. She was here to do a land tour of all of Ireland and she visited a different town in Ireland every day. It was interesting to hear about where she traveled to and compare and contrast my experiences to hers. She was able to cook traditional Irish food and visit a real rural farm, two experiences I have not had during my trip. I attended her tour group’s visit to Taylor’s Three Rock, a restaurant south of Dublin. It was a great experience going there as they served a traditional Irish three course meal where I had an Irish lamb stew for my main course. In addition to the food, there was an Irish tap dancing show where a variety of instruments were played, including a bagpipe. I was very impressed by the performance of both the dancers and the musicians, and it was a performance quite different than a dance show in America would be. The show was opened and closed by an older gentleman who performed comedy. I thought he was quite funny, and his act included a lot of self-deprecating humor. His heavy Irish accent complemented the types of jokes he was telling, some of them being a bit too inappropriate to include in this blog post. During this weekend I was finally able to visit the famous Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Originally this is one of the first things I wanted to do when I arrived in Ireland, but somehow I never quite got around to it until this weekend. It lived up to my expectations, as the tour was very informative and you can get a great view of the city of Dublin from the top of the factory. I am somewhat sad that my time in Ireland is coming to a close, as living in another country is unlike anything I have ever done in my life, and the locals here are so nice and accommodating.