Bonjour! I just finished up a trip to Paris, which was pretty darn cool. My first day in Paris I spent about 6 hours in the Musée d’Orsay, and at that pace I gave up on the idea that I could conquer the Louvre in an afternoon. I absolutely loved the museum’s collections of classical to impressionist paintings. Of everything I saw, I fell in love with Christian Krohg’s art the most because it felt so human and emotional. That afternoon I met up with a friend who is working in Paris, and we waited in line for the famous steak frites. Honestly, the meal lived up to its internet acclaim! The next day I wandered through a market, bought fresh strawberries, and enjoyed them on the lawn of the Eiffel Tower. Some of my favorite moments of the summer were from just wandering around the city and exploring wherever looked most exciting. This led to some lovely moments, like seeing a live organ concert, getting a boat ride on the Seine, and exploring some French architecture that I had all to myself. Paris was a treat!

This week has slowed down even more than last week. As my internship comes to a close, the amount of work in front of me that I have left to do is dwindling. However, I am making the most of this by adding extra elements like furniture and materials to my previously very conceptual model. I also decided to render my work. It’s great to see the model come to life a bit more! My boss has come to me with a few corrections and tweaks to the model that I have been working on. One tricky part of this is correctly attaching and merging the 5 rooflines that come together all in one corner of the home. Some are flat and home out of pitched roofs, and some are pitched roofs that meet ajar from each other. I’ve enjoyed this challenge and have started getting more comfortable with designing with my “design sense.” My desk has moved across the office a few times, which has introduced me to plenty of new people. The other day we had a work social event where I finally got to know and become friendly with so many coworkers. I wish I got to know them more at the beginning of my internship; it’s sad to leave when I’m just getting to know so many awesome architectural influences!

I think Ireland has a double-edged sword when it comes to success. On one hand, flaunting one’s success or wealth is heavily looked down upon. People in Ireland generally view others as their equals no matter what their career or social status is. I think that pride is particularly viewed negatively in that those that have pride are assumed to think that they are better than others. In this way, typical career success doesn’t have as much social currency, at least at face value. Someone with a successful career could be in the trades, business, or art. As long as they can make a decent living, Irish people seem to view career paths with less stratification. However, I believe that, like Americans, the Irish do judge careers in more superficial ways; they just do this more internally and in private. There is still the notion that having a better title, making more money, and working in certain careers is desirable culturally. So, I think professional success means making enough money to live your lifestyle, but all the superficial markers of success are very much added to the equation.

In architecture, a successful employee would be someone who has graduated school and is competently working. A successful architect is someone who is good at designing and is a competent communicator and multitasker. A more truthful representation of what is seen as most successful would be someone who is a project manager or leading within the firm. These people get to call more shots when it comes to design as well as making more than a regular architect. I wouldn’t say that success would necessarily be the title of director to some, as you have to take on more business and client-facing responsibilities when in these roles.

In America successful employees tend to be more loud and proud about their success. In Ireland this pride would definitely be considered rude. Success in America is definitely defined by having more versus having enough. I would say Ireland has two tiers to success, the first being enough and the next being having more. Flaunting money, power, or titles isn’t always considered rude in the United States, but this behavior is generally frowned upon in Ireland. The idea of someone earning their success and thus the right to flaunt it is much more accepted in the states. Americans are also much more open about judging or praising someone based on how much material success a person has gained. This often makes Americans look up to “successful” people, whereas in Ireland this is much more subdued.