Last week, the Arcadia Abroad team hosted a free weekend trip to Killarney, Ireland. We got to see Killarney National Park, the Ring of Kerry, and check out the town a little! Here is a picture of me and a few of my flat mates at the Torque Waterfall.
During my internship and classes in Dublin, I am expanding both my hard and soft skills. In the classroom, I am learning how to adapt to a new cultural and learning environment through group work and class discussion. As I have said in previous blog posts, the education system here is a little different and I have fewer extracurriculars, I am still adapting to having so much free time.
Additionally, I am discovering what it is like to work in a different country. I work primarily with my manager at the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (RSAI) and I have had a positive experience thus far. I am working on creating a bespoke private tour program and I have just finished with a mock layout for a brochure. Through this project, I am furthering my skills in the adobe suite, specifically I used a lot of Photoshop and InDesign for this project. I have really enjoyed getting to use my artistic and graphic design skills that I do not usually have the opportunity to use.
Throughout this program, I have also gained skills outside of my formal experiences. For example, planning trips and learning about different countries transportation systems has been challenging but fun experience. I have learned a lot about myself and navigating new situations. Keeping in touch with friends and family from the states has been an adjustment for sure, but I think it will help me in the long run as at move into post-grad life. Making time for people is super important and it is even harder over a five-hour time difference, but I am getting better at it!
I am making friends both in my flat and on trips. When I visited Cork a few weeks ago, I met another girl in the hostel I was staying at, and we decided to get coffee when we got back to Dublin. I have had a positive experience overall with hostels and have met a lot of different people while staying in them.
Anyway, I have my first exam in my International Finance class, so wish me luck!
More later,
Maddie