We are over halfway through our time in Dublin. I can not believe we are starting week six already. It feels like just last week we were meeting everyone for the first time and playing Gaelic Games! This past weekend we stayed in Ireland and visited another city, Cork. We spent the first day taking a bus there, and then going to city of Blarney. This was a different part of Ireland we have not seen yet, it was very green, and more country side than we have been used to living in the city of Dublin. We went through the Blarney Castle which was incredibly interesting. It was a tight squeeze as people back then were not as big, I 5’4 even had to tuck getting though some parts. There was a swirly stair case, which had different size stairs as you went up. Which I later learned that was on purpose, so that the intruders had a harder time getting up the stairs when attacking. We eventually made it to the top, with a stunning view of the greenery. We then decide to kiss the Blarney Stone, which was a bit scary, as you had to lay down and slide backwards to kiss the stone upside down. However, we all did it, and now we have the gift of gab!!

The following day, we took a harbor boat informational cruise to learn about Cork. They gave us a lot of cool information and showed us where the Titanic set off. An interesting fact was that the Titanic was too big to get into the harbor so the passengers had to take mini boats through the harbor to get on the Titanic. We saw Spike Island which is one of the only islands in Cork that you can not drive too, instead you have take a boat. I do have to say, that out of Cork, Dublin, and Galway, Cork was my least favorite city. However, it was still a great time!!

During my week in my internship, I completed more instagram posts, mailers, and even got out of the office with a co worker to hand out flyers to near by hotels. Getting out of the office was one of my favorite days so far. My co worker and I walked around Dublin going to as many hotels as we could telling them about the Laughter Lounge. We handed them flyers and told the front desk that if any guests are wondering how they should spend their weekend nights that The Laughter Lounge would be a great option. My co worker has lived in Dublin nearly his whole life so he knew a lot of history in which he shared with me. It was like I got my own free tour of Dublin. I learned the lore behind St. Patrick, and how there are no snakes in Dublin because of him, or so they say. He showed me secret gardens, for a quiet place to relax on my lunch breaks, it was really nice to learn about the places I pass by everyday.

I can confidently say that I have learned transferable skills and technical skill in my internship abroad. Regarding the transferable skills, I would say that my professional communication has improved, especially during my trip around the city talking to front desk workers at hotels. I would also say that my creativity and adaptability are two traits that have developed further. I have been able to be creative as I design instagram posts, mailers, and presentations, however, I had to be adaptable when it came to what the company wanted. When I got feedback, it might not always be “that is great” many times it was “lets change this.” I had to be understanding that it was not that I did a bad job, but I just did not have the same vision that my boss had, and it just needed to be tweaked slightly. When it comes to the technical skills, I have come a long way from when I first started. I am constantly using Canva to create my work, and I have improved in using this application. I feel a lot more comfortable when I am told I need to create something because of the amount of time I have spent on it. I also have been working with Shopify, with the engineering of The Laughter Lounge website. I have added new shows for the following months on the website, to get ahead of the game. Furthermore, I have used excel more recently, and feel much better using this than I have in the past. These technical skills will be very beneficial as when I am back in the US, I definitely can use these skills to help with searching for jobs in the future.

Only three more weeks left to soak up my time abroad. Time flies.