Another week has passed, and this might have been the most fun and interesting week that I have experienced yet. Not only was this my first full week working at my new internship, but I also was able to take a trip to Amsterdam with my friends this past weekend. Amsterdam was so much fun and one of the most unique and cool cities that I have ever been to. It was also really fun to be able to take a trip with the great friends that I met during my time in Dublin, being with them made the trip so much more enjoyable and entertaining. Leaving on Friday, I and a couple of my friends headed to Amsterdam on a Ryanair flight which was not the comfiest, but it was worth it for the price that I paid. After we landed in Amsterdam, we all got settled into the hostel where we would stay for the weekend. Afterward, we started to explore the city where we found a Chinese place to eat dinner, the food was good, but it took a while for our food to come, and it was a little bit expensive. After dinner, we were able to catch the Netherlands and France game in the Euros at a nearby bar, which was a lot of fun. After the game, we were able to meet up with everyone and headed to a really cool bar called the “Amsterdam Ice Bar”, which was a bar that featured this freezer-type room where everyone was given coats, gloves, and two drinks. Then outside of the freezer room, everyone was given a cocktail to help you warm up before you leave. This bar was unique and cool, and I had a really good time hanging out with my friends there. After the ice bar, we went to another bar and hung out there for a bit, before heading back to the bar underneath our hostel. The next day, the group split as a couple of the guys, and I explored more of the city and saw this really cool and big park in Amsterdam while the rest of the group took a tour around the country of the Netherlands. Exploring both the city and the park was lots of fun and it was great to experience an area of nature that I have never seen before. After exploring the park and the city we got dinner and met up with the rest of the group before going out for the rest of the night. During that night, I was also able to try both churros and crepes which both tasted amazing. Our last day in Amsterdam was kind of short but still was a good time. We started by all getting breakfast together before seeing the Museum of Prostitution in Amsterdam’s Red-Light District, which was an experience. After the museum, I and the other guys heading home early visited a couple of stores and tried Amsterdam’s famous stroopwofels, which like the churros and crepes, were amazing. After all of this, we headed back to the hostel to pick up our stuff and then took a train to the airport, and then we headed back home. I loved my trip to Amsterdam and really hope I can go back soon.

In terms of the culture in Dublin, I feel like the hardest thing to get used to is the way that Irish people talk to each other and their senses of humor. Especially in my internship placement, these were tough to get used to as it is very different compared to my experiences back in the United States, but as the days went on, I was able to adapt to these struggles and form good relationships with my coworkers. Another thing with the sense of humor that was a little confusing was the little jabs and teasing that Irish people would do to each other, but again I was able to realize that these jabs were not personal and meant that my coworkers considered me to be one of their friends, which made working at my new placement so much easier. Outside of the way that Irish people conversate with each other and the difference between the Irish sense of humor and my sense of humor, working at my new placement has been really smooth, and it is an environment where not only I can be productive but where I feel supported and with people that I vibe with. It has also helped me learn more about working in both the finance and business industries, especially in a different country.