Hey y’all!! It’s been a little over a week now since I’ve been back in the United States, and I still wake up very early expecting the bright shining sun and the sound of the 39A preparing me to get ready to go to work or see a friend in Merville’s opposing residence house. But, that just isn’t the case anymore, and I think I’ve gotten used to it. I packed my things up from Dublin and made the long, LONG, traversal back to the United States. Unfortunately, I was stuck with a cancellation of my connecting flight due to the data outage of CrowdStrike, leaving me to have a 9 hour layover in JFK, which was not the most fun. However, it did give me the ability to have my first legal drink in a restaurant in the United States, which was very nice to have and enjoy freely. Now, here I am back in my hometown getting used to the daily American “Lingo”, and some of the food that I missed so dearly(thank you Chioptle and Dunkin Donuts for being so amazing). I will say, coming back in the way in which we did just one day and that was it has made my yearning to seeing my new group so much stronger. I know I’ll see them in a month, but I’ve made it a goal of mine to additionally keep in touch with some of my friends as much as possible, which has made the transition back to regular hometown activities more smooth.
Going into this program, I think my perception of everything was a bit of an oblivious one. I knew I would experience something I had never before, but I truly couldn’t imagine what it could look like. I thought I would end up meeting everyone in the program, which turned out to be most definitely not true. However, I thought this would just be an internship in a different country where I would show my skills in the same way I have before, with no strings much to it. I must say, professionally, I now can state that I feel the most confident for the real world in terms of job professionalism than I ever had before. Working for Jobcare, I quickly learned that I would need to work at a pace and a standard that I had never forced myself to be placed in. However, I’m so grateful my supervisor and co-workers helped lead me into the position I am now. Starting off in the beginning, I went into work extremely nervous, and not confident in the skills I could bring to my workplace. Everything felt like a challenge, and I felt everyone was judging me and that I was a burden. However, as time went on, I learned the power both leadership and confidence can hold to one’s psyche. I began to learn I had the ability to lead meetings, facilitate clientele reviews and assistance on my own, asking questions without guidance, and the ability to adapt on the flow. These were things that seemed like large gaps in my experience going into my senior year, but now that I’ve begun to increase my use of these skills, I believe I am beginning to master them. Academically, this social work-oriented position allowed me to understand more diverse populations, and begin to understand the necessities different individuals need, and most importantly, that assistance is often needed constantly; you must never give up on a goal, it can eventually be won.
This trip opened many real, and mental doors for myself and my future. Sitting here today I feel as if my life was changed forever, and it might seem funny to say at 21 years old, but I will remember this experience for the rest of my life. I learned what life is like living independently in a European country, with a time difference relying on my instincts and past skills. Especially after I injured my foot less than a week, I learned life can throw you lots of random obstacles in the way, but perseverance is something no one can take from you. I was on the brink of giving up and heading home, but something told me to take the blow and use it as motivation to be the best version I could bring to the table, and that’s what I did. Lastly, I learned that life is always ever-changing, but as you pick up more skills, and learn more experiences, the crazier and more efficient your life can become. Take that chance, ask that question, be yourself, no one wants. a different version. Eventually, things fall into place, and you will succeed.
This experience has been great, but now, it’s come to an end. It’s been great, and I’ll never forget it. Thanks, thanks thanks thanks, until next time 🙂
Best,
Ethan Snyder
