Since returning home from Dublin, the biggest emotion I’ve felt is gratitude. As I was at the airport with my friend Shwetha, I noticed that she wasn’t upset, but was rather hopeful and in awe of the experience we had. As she repeatedly said, “Oh, look at the places we’ve been”, I felt myself inching away from grief and closer to acceptance and gratitude. I was initially sad and concerned about coming home after all the fun I’ve had the past 2 months. But after saying bye to my friends at the airport, I felt a wave of strength and confidence as I reflected on all the adventures, challenges, and uncertainty we overcame. If anything, I was excited to return home to apply the personal growth and lessons I’ve learned from the trip to my everyday life. Though I’ve always been quite independent and I didn’t struggle with homesickness, I was still terrified to go abroad. It finally dawned on me at the airport that I would be totally alone and outside of my comfort zone in a new country. The small voice in my head was telling me that this was a terrible decision and I wasn’t ready. Despite the overwhelming fear, I took a deep breath and put trust in myself to navigate all the challenges that were thrown at me throughout the program. I reflected on how terrified I was prior to arriving at Pitt where I didn’t know anyone previously, and I was far from home. I faced a lot of challenges in the beginning, but after a few months, I found my rhythm and made great friends. Using my experience from my freshman year, I knew that I would be able to adjust and find community within the program just as I had done before. Because I love making lists, I jotted down some of the biggest personal breakthroughs I experienced on the program and how I learned these lessons.

Personal Lessons from Dublin

• You will never grow inside of your comfort zone

This is my biggest takeaway from the program that helped me overcome the initial fear and discomfort I felt while settling in. A daily affirmation that pushed me through was “do it scared”. It is normal to be scared to do new things and meet new people, but that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t do it. I almost declined going to a work social because I was scared to socialize with my coworkers. But, I realized that I can still be scared initially and still do it. I now have a love-hate relationship with fear because being scared is an unpleasant feeling, but it leads to personal growth. If I never did anything that scared me, I would have never left my hometown, or rushed DSP, or met most of my friends at Pitt. Instead of running away from fear, I acknowledge the feeling, I repeat my affirmation, and I tell myself that this experience will help me grow positively by going outside of my comfort zone.

• Skip the dwelling and go into problem-solving mode

Before starting the program, I struggled with problem-solving and would paralyze myself with emotion instead of attempting to solve the problem. It’s ok to feel feelings, and I’m naturally highly emotional in most instances of distress. But, I would stop at the emotions and let my problems fester, while being upset about the situation that I wasn’t fixing. This may seem like common sense to most people, but I didn’t realize that I could try to solve my problems instead of dwelling on them. A key moment when I acknowledged this shift in mindset was when I lost my glasses at the Vico Baths and was left to navigate (with the help of my friends) with very poor eyesight. This experience was scary and distressing, but I stopped myself from dwelling right as it started, and I consciously pushed myself into problem-solving mode. I made an eye doctor appointment for the following morning and asked a friend to help me navigate there. Boom, problem solved in under 30 minutes. Things go wrong all the time, and there’s no stopping inevitable uncertainty and challenge, but what I can control are my actions and reactions.

• Mindset can make or break an experience

After a tough year, I adopted a negative and bitter outlook on life that I carried with me into the program at first. I struggled to appreciate the positive aspects of my life, and I allowed my struggles to consume my mind in the worst way. My friends, especially Shwetha, had such a positive outlook on life that it began to rub off on me. When my roommate Mara would frequently express how grateful she was for this experience, it reminded me to feel grateful with her. Life gets tough sometimes and feelings are natural, but it’s also crucial to look around at the beauty of life and how fortunate we are. I’m still grateful for my life back home, though I’m not going on international weekend trips anymore, I missed home and I’m glad to be back. This program has helped me stop and appreciate the little things, like sunshine (Dublin was quite rainy), working at Outback, and driving. It is so easy to take our lives for granted and overlook the privileges we have. So now I’m slowing down and feeling grateful for my life.

• Free will does exist

As a chronic people pleaser, this was another key daily affirmation that I’m still coming to terms with. Meeting a lot of new people at the beginning of the program and finding the right friends for me was a journey that taught me about what I’m truly looking for in friendship. There were many instances where I found myself automatically agreeing to do things I simply didn’t want to do. It doesn’t have to be a negative thing or drama, sometimes people are on different paths that don’t align, and that’s perfectly normal. It is way better for both parties to say “no” when you don’t want to do something instead of being insincere and harboring resentment. Through this program, I learned to say “no” more often and processed that I have control over my actions, not other people. I also learned more about myself, how I like to spend my time, and what friendship means to me.

• This will pass (one day)

My favorite quote is: “This too shall pass”. This can apply to any hurdles, big or small, from rainy days to personal hardship. I’ve never considered myself to be a calm person until this program. I’ve adopted a new mindset where I’m dwelling less about things I can’t control. When my friend Virginia and I got lost on the train in Amsterdam, we both kept our cool and understood that we couldn’t control the train and must stay on until the next stop. When I think back to any challenge I’ve faced, there hasn’t been a time I haven’t figured things out…eventually. Some challenges are layered and take multiple months or years to figure out, while other challenges can be solved in the same day. My point is that everything will be alright one day, if not today. Adapting to a new international environment was tough at first, but I eventually figured it out. I’m developing more confidence in myself to solve problems and adapt to uncertainty. Not all struggle or suffering is permanent or unmanageable; what goes down must come back up. Regardless of whatever storms litter the sky, the sun still rises every day.

Professional Lessons from Dublin

I work with a gift card company called Allgo in compliance. I was tasked with verifying Allgo’s clients to ensure they meet the company and Irish regulatory standards by going through a list of KYB procedures, including checking the company’s origin of funds, leadership, ect. I gained competency within Hubspot and experience in data entry. I had a great experience at Allgo. I felt pushed by the daily and weekly goals, but I also worked in a team and felt supported by my colleagues and supervisors!

• Independence

Prior to starting my role at AllGo, I lacked a strong sense of self, confidence, and independence. Working in security without direct oversight has improved my decision-making and self-reliance. I now have trust in my experience and knowledge to make judgment calls on compliance checks.I gained confidence in my ability to navigate uncertainty using problem-solving skills. In leadership roles, it is important to trust yourself to make the best decision for yourself/your team. Independence and confidence are the backbone of self-trust. The ability to stand on your own and rely on yourself builds confidence. I now have confidence in my competency and problem-solving skills. I plan to transfer my increased confidence and independence to future leadership roles when making key decisions and motivating a team.

• Problem-Solving & Teamwork

When I approached companies with flagged leadership or complex management structures, I use my the KYB procedure document and my experience to decide if I will proceed with the verification or not. I’m also improving my teamwork skills by collaborating with my colleague, Jonathan to figure out ambiguous or complex company verifications. Before this program, I used to be very hesitant and I struggled to believe in myself to make decisions. Now, I go back and forth less and I have trust in my experience and competence to properly execute my tasks at work. 

• Time management

I learned to manage my time and stay focused on my tasks during the day. My day-to-day tasks were monotonous and repetitive, so I struggled initially to maintain motivation and self-accountability. Now, I have improved my focus and self-discipline to complete my work without direct oversight. With a lack of structure during the work day and independence, I controlled when I took breaks and how many compliance screenings I got through the day. I liked to challenge myself by tracking the number of compliance screenings I completed each day and setting daily/weekly goals that are doable, but also helped me push myself. To retain focus during the day, I also like to take smaller breaks during the day, as opposed to one long break. During my breaks, I went on walks, got a snack, and sat outside to give my mind a break. Listening to my body and prioritizing self-care in the workplace was transformative for my productivity and motivation.

I look forward to bringing these strategies with me to my next corporate role to help me stay focused and energized during the workday. I will also bring my self-accountability and increased independence to maintain productivity and motivation during the academic school year as I complete work that may be repetitive. 

I’m endlessly grateful for the opportunity to go abroad for 2 months and grow professionally and personally while immersing myself in a new culture. This was challenging at times, but so fun and worthwhile. I’ve made many new connections and fond memories I happily reflect on. I now feel confident to continue throwing myself into unfamiliar environments because I can and will adapt.