Problem Solving with Incomplete Information

Here we are wrapping up week three, or is it already week four? All I know is that the time is flying by, and I hope I am able to grasp what is left. Before we get to the fun part, I am going to take a moment to highlight some things I have experienced compared to my life back home.
From what I have noticed, Irish buildings do not have window screens or air conditioning. When I mentioned this to a family member back home, they were concerned about the bugs. While staying on the largest college campus in Ireland, I have only ever seen one fly in our dorm, but the bigger nuisance is the birds. You read that correctly, the birds. I have witnessed several birds hop along my window sill and enter my room to steal any food I may have left out. One of my roommates recently lost her takeout dinner to a seagull! We have also spotted other stealthy birds attempting to open our rubbish bins in our kitchen when the window was only open a crack. Although I do not think this is a problem outside of campus. Still, who would have assumed birds would be the biggest intruder when you leave a window open for too long. The only hassle is that the air is always so pleasant, and it is hard not to leave your window open for fresh air in a room with no air vents or circulation. Besides the birds, this means dusting is almost a daily chore. Speaking of cleaning, I almost forgot to mention that this campus has a turndown service. A team of cleaning staff enters each dorm once a week to change bedding, empty rubbish bins, and even vacuum if students have not gotten around to it. Can you believe that? Talk about spoiled!
One last thing I would like to mention is how impressive the waste disposal system is in Ireland. Back home, location determines what and how much you can recycle. From my experiences in Dublin, recycling is well organized in large corporate operations and even home dwellings. At my placement, they outsource a company to sort any recyclables the operation may use. At the campus I am residing, there are five bins to separate waste. One of the containers bin is for basic rubbish, and the others are for compostable items, glass recyclables, and other clean recyclables such as plastic, cardboard, cans, and paper. I can only dream that my campus back home can implement something this pro-efficient compared to only the cardboard recycling operation we have now. Hopefully, the Environmental Club can take on this project and maybe even start a compost area for our campus. Although, this may prove challenging and not a good idea with all the bear sightings we have on campus.

Moving on, yesterday I treated myself to a trip to the cinema as an early birthday celebration. Back home, our local movie theaters do not have more than ten screens, and there is a limited concession menu. However, some cinemas have recently upgraded their seating to include large reclining seats. When I googled the closest cinema to me, I had no idea I would be entering a cinema that would be four floors and includes seventeen screens! It was also mind-blowing to see how large the concession area was with the addition of a huge bar. I wonder if drive-in theaters were ever big in Ireland.
Anyway, this week is the start of something new. I thought by now I would be moving to a different area of the operation at my placement. Turns out, I have done an excellent job and exceeded expectations that the front-of-house manager is taking off to France for vacation and leaving me to run reception. I never thought this would be possible, especially on day one. Thankfully, there are clear steps to smoothly run and operate reception at the club. Leading up to now, when there is something I am unsure about, I typically ask someone who has worked at the club for more than ten years. Even though I will be left alone to run reception by myself, other staff will be there to support me while I navigate reception management. Although I feel pretty confident in my abilities to handle reception on my own. If I should face any uncertainty, there is no shame in asking for help or for my manager to review that no mistakes were made. Touching on last week’s subject, I think managing my time effectively this week will determine how successful I am. I do not wish to let inquiries pile up for my superior to deal with once they get back. I am hopeful that I will be able to accomplish daily tasks while maintaining an empty inbox. Should I be too pro-efficient, I can always work ahead or review past emails to make sure not a single conversation got lost before a reservation could be made.