After several weekends of go go go traveling I finally was able to take somewhat of a break and stayed in Dublin for the weekend. After visiting Belfast, Galway, London along with exploring Dublin as much as possible after work I was ready for a weekend off. I, along with some others, got up early on Saturday to check out the Pride Parade and all the festivities that came with it. The street was packed so we weren’t able to see much of the parade, although we did see the Aer Lingus float which was in the shape of a plane with a DJ as the pilot and people dancing in the back. We stopped for a quick lunch where I had this amazing Beef and Guinness Casserole before heading to wander the city for a little more. On Sunday I hung around UCD for a while before catching dinner with one of my friends and her parents who were in town visiting. During the week I was able to mark off some restaurants that had been on my list. We had pizza right on the canal, ate at the oldest pub in Ireland, and tried what was described as the Irish version of Chipotle. This week was definitely a slower week and that was in part due to how tired we were after four weeks of go go go. As for work I am still working on my exhibit and I have actually began to write the descriptions and chose the images that would be uploaded for the online exhibition. As the days countdown I am a little nervous about making sure everything is ready in time but hopefully I will finish everything in time for the open exhibition day.

This internship has given me the opportunity to further develop both hard and soft skills that will then translate to future positions. Because I work mostly independently I have to make sure to manage my time well. With a large project spanning the entire internship I have set smaller goals and deadlines for myself to make sure I am on track to finish everything (and yet I still worry that I won’t finish in time). I’ve also been working on my organizational skills. I haven’t always been the most organized person but it makes things a lot easier especially on a larger project. Staying organized means that when I come back after a couple days off I know exactly where I left off and what’s the next step. Another soft skill that I’ve had the opportunity to work on my adaptability. I’ve always seen myself as very adaptable however this program has had its twists and turns, some completely unexpected. From missing pots and pans to missing buses I’ve had to adapt. Adaptability is always a good skill to have because you never know what might pop up in life and in your career. You can plan all you want but something will go astray at some point. There are two buses I can take to work and when first one was cancelled I proceeded on the second. Except the second one broke down five stops later forcing me to catch a completely different bus. That bus stopped four stops early and I had to run to the next stop to catch the correct bus to get to work. I had to adapt quickly or I would be late to work. In terms of hard skills I am learning how to develop an entire exhibition from start to finish. I have to figure out what the topic is, what specifically will be featured, research and write out the exhibition. This is definitely a skill that might not work for every career but for my targeted career, it will be very helpful. In addition, I am able to work on my research skills. This exhibition requires heavy research (I feel almost like an expert on Francis Bacon) and although I’ve done several research papers this is one of the bigger ones. I not only have to research Francis Bacon but also the time and circumstances around Bacon’s life, analyses of Bacon’s works, Henry VII, James I, his wife Anne and others. Good research skills include knowing where to look and what sources are useful and which ones are not. It also requires knowing when you have enough otherwise you could be researching forever. While I am not developing as many hard skills as some of my peers, I am able to work on soft skills as well as the specific hard skills that are important for my chosen career path.