When we started driving down the coast heading to Dublin, I was surprised to see how beautiful the beaches are. I’ve always heard about Ireland’s mountains, but I never thought about its bays. I also realized how culturally significant Dublin is and how much history is everywhere. For example, I learned about how Trinity College was founded in the 1500’s by Queen Elizabeth. I think it’s amazing how the college is still using its original buildings.

After we landed in Dublin, we went on a hike with our professor for the week. The hike was very much needed after the flight and it taught me a lot about Ireland’s nature. On this hike I also learned about the differences in Ireland’s and the U.S.’s educations systems, like how Ireland’s is more progress based. We talked about how when having conversations, the Irish speak in a less demanding way than how Americans usually do. I think all of these cultural lessons are going to be very helpful over the next week.

While waiting in the airport, I noticed that there were three trash cans: one for waste, one for recycling, and one for compost. This made me think of Shareclub because it helped me realize how invested the Irish are in becoming more sustainable. I think that there is a lot of opportunity for Shareclub in Dublin with their shared interest in preventing unnecessary waste.