Before the start of my internship, my leadership skills were limited, and the opportunities to utilize them were also limited. At first, my leadership skills were very task-focused and oriented, and they were used in only some scenarios, such as school projects. In most cases, where I felt confident, I would take the reins and lead the group. However, in cases where I was not satisfied with the project that we were working on, I would lead someone else to lead the group unless I had to. I also played several sports when I was younger, and I served as captain on multiple teams, helping to lead the team alongside my co-captains. The primary goal was to win and succeed.
My internship has changed my view of leadership because leading in a work environment is different from the other scenarios I have previously worked in. Although in some cases you have team leaders in work projects, most of the time that team is working for a long time together, possibly years, so the approach and the ways that you must lead the team have to be changed because you are with them for longer than a school project or sports season. I would say that I have improved my leadership skills in this experience by adjusting to the workplace and adjusting to the techniques and ways to lead a team in a work environment, compared to any other environment that I have led a team in before.
After this week of work, my parents flew into Dublin on Friday morning, and I spent plenty of time with them over the weekend. My father is from County Tyrone. I met my parents at the airport, and from there we rented a car and made our way North. Over the weekend, I had the privilege of spending a lot of time with my family, and on Saturday, I celebrated my aunt’s 50th birthday. As the Irish say, it was great craic where I got to see some of my extended family that I have not seen in years. We spent several hours at the party, where I had the opportunity to talk to many different people and overall had a great time at my aunt’s birthday celebration.
Then, on Sunday morning, my father and I decided to visit Ireland’s northernmost point, Malin Head, in Donegal. Strange enough, the most northern part of Ireland is a part of the Republic of Ireland and not Northern Ireland. From Cookstown, Tyrone, it took around 2 hours to get to Malin Head, but in my opinion, the trip was very worthwhile. We got to drive through so many different places and a change of topography, which became a little bit more mountainous, which reminded me much of my home in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The first stop we made was a town that was deeply divided with regards to loyalists and nationalists; the rest of the area was much like the rest. Although the Troubles have been over for twenty-plus years, there is still a noticeable division between Catholics and Protestants (Nationalists and Loyalists) in the area, especially between those who can still remember the Troubles.
I feel like this divide will truly never disappear, where depending on the town that you drive in, it will either have Union Jack flags or Irish tricolors. I do hope that this division between the population in the north disappears, and I believe that it could be due to much of the younger population having no recollection of the Troubles, but one can hope. After we made our way through Derry, we went up north to Malin Head, where the land becomes quite rural and barren. Malin Head is home to former British watchpoints during the world wars to help pilots identify where they were. My father told me that in Malin Head,” the wind will blow right through you,” and he was absolutely correct. It was by far the windiest place I have ever been, and there were no gusts of wind; it was a constant breeze. Now, although the wind was a bit of a nuisance, the view was worth it. Wherever you are, you can see endlessly into the ocean, and it just keeps continuing and never ends. From where the waves crashed against the rocky shores to the couple of rock islands that you could see to the east, the area was breathtaking, and I would definitely consider visiting there again. Like any of the previous weeks, I had a great time seeing family and spending time in the North of Ireland.
