I took my clues during work mainly from whether or not they liked or were impressed by the work that I was doing. For instance, if I went above and beyond and performed excess research or they found a blog post or advertisement unique and well written they would often verbally praise me. In that case, I knew I was doing something right. In terms of communication with coworkers, I used how they spoke to each other as a template as to how I should approach them as well. Although sometimes they were a bit more informal with each other, and I avoided acting as such. In terms of acting around other Irish people, I noticed that they joked around a lot and were very blunt and forward. I was told not to be offended by certain comments or ideas they had about politics or even about my life. Therefore, whenever someone said something I thought was a little offensive I stopped to think about it and realized they were joking. In addition, if there ever was a problem at work, I didn’t hesitate to voice my concerns or ask questions about the issue. I found that was the most effective and quickest way to ensure that all was well with my assignments. Living in the city of Dublin, I took most cues from the locals. I tried to blend in instead of acting like a tourist. I would watch how Irish citizens acted in the pubs, parks, museums, even just around the city. If I was ever in a predicament however, I mainly asked questions and utilized common knowledge to diffuse a situation.

The feedback at work was mainly verbal or occasionally by email. Since I completed many assignments, it wasn’t as frequent as I would have hoped. However, if they were highly impressed by my work, they would praise me and then give me more responsibility. It was an effective mechanism because it would force me to continue the good work or even work harder to ensure that I was still impressing them.

The last week was filled with many enjoyable experiences. My work took me up to the elbowroom escape in Wicklow so I was able to witness exactly the area I have been writing and researching about for weeks. It was a lot of fun walking around the area and taking a hike through the Wicklow hills and providing my boss with feedback from an outsider’s perspective. We worked in one of the cabins and enjoyed scones from the kitchen. I even took pictures of the site that I could use in future advertisements on their social media sites. It was a rewarding experience that they decided to take me along for a work trip and allow me to sit in on meetings. The Wicklow escape is a beautiful area, and I’m so glad I had the pleasure of exploring it. Now I feel like I am truly able to capture exactly what the elbowroom can do to advertise for it.

Over the week I enjoyed reading in phoenix park, eating traditional Irish food at a pub called O’Neills, shopping for souvenirs and much more. I went to Bray to watch the sunset and take a walk along the cliffs. In addition, I took a hike in Howth and enjoyed traditional fish and chips by the water. I spent a lot of time walking in city center and soaking up the last of the area as well as taking walks along the river liffey in the beautiful weather.  On my last day I was able to explore a new part of the city that I had never seen before. It was called the grand canal quay. A beautiful place right by the water with many shops and a beautiful garden right nearby where I was able to drink coffee and read. There are many things that I am going to miss about Dublin. Mainly I’ll miss not being able to travel to nearby seaside towns or even booking day trips to places such as the cliffs of Moher or blarney castle. There is so much to see in Ireland and all within short distances. The people are friendly and open to communicating and sharing their stories.

This internship was a great professional experience to gain leadership, responsibility and teamwork skills that I will carry with me back to Pittsburgh. It was an opportunity to grow my network as well as learning how to carry myself in a workplace. Lastly, living with new people from Pitt, I gained new friends to experience Ireland with, and for that I am forever grateful. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know everyone and I am so glad I decided to participate in this internship.