I had a great first week in Dublin. I flew out of Washington Dulles Airport which is only a 10 minute commute from my home in Northern Virginia. I flew Aer Lingus it was my first time flying a different airline than united in over 5 years. It was definitely hard saying by to my parents knowing I was going to be away for over 6 weeks. My flight had arrived in Dublin around 8am local time and I was surprised how quick I got past customs and got both of bags in a span of thirty minutes. I had taken a taxi by myself to the UCD campus and the drive was by the Irish coastline it was a beautiful scenery to start my trip.

When I had gotten to campus I had to wait a couple hours for my dorm to be ready I was one of the first kids in the program to arrive at UCD so it was kind of funny just being one of the only kids waiting at the university. I was later greeted by our EUSA program managers and it was so great to actually meet them in real life instead of virtually. They gave us a gift bag and welcomed us to Dublin so nicely. I spent the rest of my first day just unpacking setting up my dorm for the summer and then catching up on rest after my almost 7 hour flight.

I would say my second day here was the longest just because we had orientation for around 5 hours without a lunch break. We were introduced to how our internships will work, what we can and can’t do on our campus, and learned a little more about Irish culture. After orientation I got to visit city center Dublin at night time and it was amazing I had a great time with my 3 roommates here from Pitt and met a lot of other students in the EUSA internship program. I’ve gotten to meet so many locals and they have all welcomed us with open arms. We learned about the term “Craic” an Irish word for having a chat or just getting together with groups of people here in a social setting.

Day 3 was great our EUSA program went to play Gaelic sports together. I learned so much about the culture of Gaelic sports here in Ireland and how kids are born to play these sports. I got to try hurling the most popular sport in Ireland. It was so difficult to play but I can see why people really enjoy it. I also got to try Gaelic football which was very fun and played at a fast pace. Towards the end of the event we got to have a meal with the rest of our group and then got to take our 1 hour bus ride back to campus.

Thursday was our day off for the week so I just caught up on some reading. I got to explore the campus a little more. I adventured off into the student recreation center which is giant. I did not expect this campus to be so large. Later on I got to go get dinner with my roommates in the city and listen to live music in our restaurant. I enjoy how lively it is here during the night time. An advantage to being here is also that the sun doesn’t fully go down till around 10pm which is great.

Friday was by far my favorite day. Our program took us on an excursion to Kilkenny and Glendalough. Both those places were beautiful Our first stop was in Glendalough where we got to go on a hike to visit 2 beautiful lakes and how very nice mountain views. The weather was perfect definitely one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. The tour bus also took us to Kilkenny which was a smaller city and had a beautiful view of a castle and is home of the best hurling players. Everywhere you went you saw kids holding their hurling sticks.

Overall it has been a great first week I am starting my role as a financial admin intern next week at Casey Kennedy Estate Agents. I will be working in the real estate industry. I am excited to work in this real estate industry because I group around my family working in the real estate industry. To succeed in real estate and finance, you need strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and good communication. Being able to read market trends, understand financial data, and work well with clients and colleagues is key. In Ireland, it’s especially important to be aware of the culture and stay adaptable. Building relationships is a big part of business here, so being friendly, respectful, and willing to learn helps build trust. Also, knowing the local market like property rules, tax differences, and the impact of tourism and foreign investment can give you an advantage.

I am super excited for Tuesday to come!