As of today my first whole week in Dublin is over. I have really enjoyed my time getting settled in and exploring Dublin. Having done a day trip to the Wicklow Mountains and Kilkenny I am excited to explore more of Ireland when I get the chance. I enjoyed the variety of activities we did during this first week. Starting out slowly by learning about UCD and Ireland was a nice way to ease us into this new experience. From there we had a day to learn about Irish sports which was fun to try out different things and learn about the culture and story behind them. Lastly ending with the aforementioned Kilkenny trip where we got to enjoy different environments that Ireland has to offer, from the beautiful lake in the Wicklow mountains where we started the day, to being able to explore Kilkenny which was way more of a city environment. I have bee lucky that the weather was so perfect during this first week so I could truly experience these things as best as possible. I have also enjoyed going around Dublin and finding the places that will soon become part of my routine. Throughout my time exploring UCDs campus and going around Dublin I have found that I really enjoy the food, and don’t necessarily love the public transportation. Though leaving campus is fairly easy and consistent catching a bus to come back has been a challenge for me and I hope I can get better at that aspect of navigating the area.
Finding where I will be working was nice because it allows me to have a better idea of what my day to day will look like when I am working. As of now my plan is to walk to work since it isn’t too far and takes about as long as the bus would anyways. Before I start my walk I’ll be sure to have breakfast and pack my bag with anything I may need for the day. Then I will do my work until it is time for my to go home. There are a few shopping places that are very near to where I will be working so if I need anything I can pick it up after work and then either bus or walk back.
Though I have my schedule roughly set up for myself, since I have not started my internship yet the flow of the day could be different than I currently plan it. I hope that in the event something has to change I will be able to adapt quickly and find a routine that will work for me.
Though this week has been about relaxing and learning about the area, I am also excited to begin work tomorrow. I don’t really know what my day to day activities and projects will look like form a work perspective and I can’t wait to figure it out. My current plan is to go into the day trying to have an idea of what I need to accomplish and set myself incremental objectives that will allow me to keep myself on schedule while also giving me checkpoints so I can feel the progression of the day. That will be helpful for me if I hit a rut at some point during my work day, by setting tasks into categories that allows me to power through to the next objective as opposed to seeing my work for the day as one giant job to do.
It will be important for me to also prioritize tasks. Though it may seem obvious in theory, not all things to do are of the same importance, and I need to be aware of what needs to be done first. In theory that is a simple enough thing to do but if I get caught up in a certain task too much I could be not using my time as efficiently as I could so it will be important for me to be mindful throughout the day.
The last thing that will be particularly important for me to manage my time is communication with my supervisor. I am sure he will be busy throughout the day so if I have any questions I will need to be able to find a time where he is free enough to answer them. When I do go to ask him a question it is important that I am concise and specific so he knows what I may need to know and this will allow my time following the answer to the question to be productive. If I have a question and he is busy I also can’t let that get in the way of me doing something. I need to find something productive to do while I wait so it will be important for me to balance my projects so that I am never just sitting around.
I am excited for the challenges and learning experiences that starting work tomorrow will give me and I hope to use these ideas to help me manage my time well.