Well, it’s July. I’m not entirely sure where the time is all going but I do know it is going by way too quickly and it needs to slow down. This past week was not too busy which was a nice change. This past weekend, some other Pitt people in my program and I visited Cork, Ireland. Cork is about 3 hours away from Dublin, on the Southern coast of the island so we took a Citylink bus there no problem! I love how easy the public transportation is here, especially as a student. We got to Cork on Saturday morning and since Cork is considered the food capital of Ireland, we had to test the theory. We went to a good restaurant and then took another bus to Blarney Castle! The castle was beautiful and the ruins of it were still intact which was very interesting to experience. We walked around the entire castle and finally at the top, we kissed the Blarney Stone! Afterward, we went around the remainder of the park and gardens which were also beautiful, there was a lot of property surrounding the castle to discover and visit. We went back to Cork and had a night out in the small city and the next day, we took a Cork cruise around the ports! We saw a castle on the water and learned a lot of history about all the factories, houses, castles, ships, and row boats in the area. The weather was not great, nor had it been for some time, but the sun finally came out for a while when we were on the boat which was nice. The temperature here only gets up to about 70 degrees maximum, whereas I get a heat warning for my hometown daily on my weather app. The difference in weather is definitely a little hard to endure, especially considering now is the time for warmth and sun. I guess I will have to plan a trip somewhere warm soon.. perhaps this coming weekend.

My internship has been going well enough but at this point in time I do not really understand how people do this for a living. With the commute alone, then working for about 7 hours, and commuting home, this system is awful! Regardless, I am enjoying the work I have been assigned to accomplish, and working under primarily the owner, Ronan Crinion, of my company, Movehome, has definitely taught me some skills. He is very professional and very busy with sales meetings and calls, as well as meetings for property valuations and photoshoots. Some soft skills I am developing most in my country definitely start with communication. At work, communication, both verbal and written, is super important in terms of getting tasks done and in a timely manner. Without it, nothing would properly get done and even if it did, it likely would not be up to par or standards with the owner. Outside of work, communication with the other Pitt students to talk about our plans for the evening, or trips we want to go on each weekend is also so important. Adaptability and flexibility are also some major soft skills I have gotten more used to here in Ireland. Considering everything here is unfamiliar compared to that of America, things like transportation, weather, and even the people and their accents, becoming adaptable is important in becoming successful here. Some days I come in to work and have a slow morning, drink my coffee, and work on an assignment from previous days. On other days, like today for example, I walk into work and put my bag down, and immediately leave again with a coworker for an appointment that is super soon. Being flexible in a new environment, going with the flow of things, and addressing situations with an open mind is a key element I have learned here. Some hard skills I have learned in my time here would begin with web design and development. I never thought or considered I would be working on the website for my company, especially at the discretion that I am, with specific wording and choosing images, and even creating specific pages. Marketing is another big hard skill I have been working on, not only with the website and creating an image for my Movehome, but also with things like social media. I have assisted with Instagram and videos to market new homes that are for sale. A third hard skill I have focused on is sales and business development. Learning under Ronan has been a privilege in that he takes everything very seriously and understands the extent to which his opinion and thoughts are taken when people are considering selling and selling/letting their homes and apartments. Sales in general is a personable transaction that he has mastered in his time of owning this business, and with quality assurance also being a key aspect to his success, the development of this company has been major. 

My global competencies have enabled me to effectively navigate cross-cultural situations by gaining an understanding and appreciation of diverse perspectives and practices. This has involved developing communication skills, adapting to different cultural norms than I am used to, and building meaningful relationships with my coworkers. My ability to remain open-minded and respectful towards different viewpoints has helped me collaborate effectively and find common ground, ensuring successful interactions in a multicultural environment. Overall, I feel much more competent than I did a month ago, and the soft and hard skills I have learned along the way, along with all of the traveling to other areas I have done, have allowed me to navigate my cross-cultural situations with ease!