I officially have completed one week of my internship! Now that I have gotten into a groove with my daily routine and what to expect from day to day at work, time is starting to fly by. I still take my time to try new places and experiences outside of work. For example, I got to watch a staged reading of Ulysses by famous Irish author James Joyce. This was super interesting to watch since the book is celebrating its 100-year anniversary and is very popular with the people of Dublin. Learning to manage my time here has helped me have a smooth and fun time while studying abroad!

Something I have come to learn about my internship is that I have to run different errands daily. Sometimes it will be to grab something small such as a hairbrush while other times I will have to carry large bins down the busy streets of Dublin. All of these items end up going to the stage manager during rehearsals which take place in a building towards the back of Trinity College. This is about a 15-minute stroll from work, not even adding the time it takes to pick up these items from their respective store. You can already tell this means time management is necessary in order to not take all day and show up to the rehearsal room at a reasonable time. I have gotten the idea now of how long it takes to find the stores and walk to the rehearsal space, but sometimes I will run into issues such as not being able to find the items and having to run to a different store to hunt them down. I might also find the right section but cannot see what I am looking for. In order to not waste time, I try to find an employee to point me in the right direction if I am completely lost. If in a mall, I will always look at the directory first instead of wandering around for hours on end. This all goes back to managing time and not wasting it too. The quicker I get these errands done, the more wiggle room I give the stage manager and the more time I have to complete other tasks.

Time management does not end when I leave work. I try to stick to an outside-of-work schedule to make sure my mind and body are on track. This includes spending time journaling, picking what day to do laundry, going to bed around the same time each night, figuring out when to buy groceries, etc. My time in Dublin is definitely not a vacation, but full of work-life balance. I need to stick to a routine outside of work just as much as during work, or else my body would be exhausted and I’d feel mentally drained. That is why I plan out the typical tasks like laundry and shopping for groceries, but also make time for trying fun new places and experiences. This past weekend consisted of everything from cleaning clothes to enjoying my first comedy club experience! I have personally found that on days off, I like to do tasks in the morning or afternoon and go out to experience Dublin at night. It feels like a nice reward to wander the music-filled streets knowing I have a fully stocked pantry at home or clean pajamas awaiting my return. Even during the week, I will try to squeeze in trying a new restaurant or pub, just so long as I don’t stay in the city all night long. Rewarding myself is important and I am here to get as much out of my time in Dublin, but it is also important not to forget those daily or weekly tasks. Doing so would have my life become messy in the blink of an eye.

I’m feeling much more adjusted to Dublin ever since starting my internship and getting a routine started. Keeping to a schedule has helped me bring my best foot forward at work while allowing me to recharge my social battery when at home. I am happy with my internship so far and it feels like I am part of the work-family, despite being so new. Everyone has been super welcoming and it has been a blast getting to meet the cast and crew of the current show ThisIsPopBaby is producing. My supervisor and the stage manager always thank me for my work each day and it makes me look forward to showing up and working hard the day after.