This past weekend I was able to cross to big things off of my bucket list. A group of us visited the Cliffs of Moher where we also saw puffins. I’ve been fascinated by puffins ever since I was little and I’ve always wanted to see one in real life. We took a train from Dublin to Galway the night before and then woke up bright and early for our adventure. The best way to see the cliffs, in my opinion, is to take a two hour bus ride to Doolin, a tiny town just north of the cliffs and one of the starting points for the Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walk. The full hike is 20km (just over 12 miles) but we just did Doolin to the Visitors’ Center. Several weeks ago I saw mention of the walk and decided that it would be a cool (and cheap) way of seeing the cliffs. The five miles from Doolin to the Visitors’ Center winds its way along the cliffs, sometimes taking you right to the edge. When we mentioned to locals that we were doing the walk, they warned us of the wind and one woman was shocked that we were doing it alone without a guide. But I had done lots of research and felt comfortable that although it would be challenging it would still be doable. There are hills comparable to Cardiac Hill and with the wind blowing you sideways along with pouring rain, the hike is definitely not an easy one. But the entire route had gorgeous views of the ocean and cliffs complete with seagulls and puffins hanging out on the rocks below that made it all worth it. We definitely all had a sense of accomplishment finishing at the Visitors’ Center and seeing everyone who had no idea the walk existed. For anyone that hasn’t gone to the Cliffs yet I highly recommend the cliff walk. That night we celebrated our journey with some amazing Italian food and fun Galway nightlife as well as explored more of Galway the next day. A friend of mine is in another Pitt program and they happened to be in Galway at the same time so we met up with them and listened to some great live music. We also had a chance to see Waitress earlier this week and it was amazing. I had never seen the show before but my friends had and one of them sobbed almost the entire time because she loved it so much. I am headed to London this weekend and I am excited to check out a new city/country.

This week at work I have finally chosen a topic for my exhibition and have started to move forward with the research process. Francis Bacon published his book, The History of the Reign of King Henry VII, in 1622, so this year is the 400^th year anniversary. Edward Worth has a copy of this book along with several others by Bacon which makes him a perfect subject for an exhibition. I am excited to continue exploring Francis Bacon and his works because it is a time period that I haven’t explore much in my classes and have a very basic knowledge of. Next week I will start working with the books themselves to determine what will go in the display cases and what pictures will be used in the online exhibition. In terms of experiencing uncertainty or unclear directions, there hasn’t been very much because I am mostly working on my own. Although my supervisor checks in with me regarding my progress, everything else has been straightforward and independent. I am definitely someone who struggles with asking clarification on things but it’s something I am trying to work on. There has been some uncertainty with work itself with not knowing if I need to wait for them to tell me I can go or if I can just leave at 4:30. Luckily before I had to ask, my supervisor told me I could just head out whenever I wanted with no need to wait for them to tell me. Work environment is definitely something tricky to figure out, especially some of the logistical things so I’ve developed a policy of watching and learning for a few days and if I still ned clarification than I ask someone. Obviously if I am very confused then I don’t wait to ask because I know it will take me much longer to figure it out.