Since my last post, I have truly become more immersed into all the Dublin has to offer. From the great outdoors to beautiful art and good food, I tried to thoughtfully spend each moment this past week. On Saturday I spent a decent chunk of time in Howth. Despite some rainy weather, I had a great time shopping at the local market. There I purchased one of my only bucket list items – a wool sheep keychain. Afterwards me and other Pitt students took a boat tour around the Eye of Ireland. Everything from the ocean, to the cliffs and structures on the island were incredible to look at. The best sight of the day was the Puffins. Our tour guide informed us that there were only about 20 who call the Eye of Ireland home, and I ended up seeing two of the elusive birds. When docking the boat, we also saw two seals. They were a bonus to the trip and were so cute as they swam toward us. After such a long morning, we all decided to get a classic fish and chips to celebrate the day. Sunday, I decided to see a different side of Ireland and go to the National Gallery. I could have spent hours looking at all the pieces in there. This week I am revisiting some favorite spots, such as the Howth Cliff Walk, as I have a friend in town. It is strange to think that I have already been here long enough to have places that I want to share with someone else. In a similar sense, more than once this week I have gone bouldering at a gym after work. This is a hobby that I never expected to have time for while abroad. I am grateful for the opportunity to be in Ireland long enough to set down roots and do normal hobbies.

Separate from those parts of my week is my work. While here I am trying to maintain and strong work-life balance, and so far, it has been going well. A large part of it is making sure to do my simple hobbies after work, to make sure to not let work drain me so much that I cannot do the things that bring me joy. Work itself has been going well. My supervisor has begun to give me much greater responsibilities. For example, this past week I was in charge of leading an intern from a local high school. This was a shock, as I did not think that I even understood my duties enough to lead someone else. However, my supervisor was adamant that the best way to learn is to be thrown into an intense situation. While it was a stressful position to be put in, I do think that she was right about me being able to rise to the occasion. Throughout the week I would decide specific tasks for both me and my intern, Nakita. This experience also opened my eyes to how much I have grown since high school. While Nakita was a good worker, I found myself feeling comfortable using experiences and lessons from college to lead her. Being given responsibilities that seem outside of my wheelhouse seems to be a trend, as I will be running an event with a student group next week without my supervisor. While I am very nervous, this past week of leading Nakita has made me more comfortable in my instincts.

As for ambiguity and unclear instructions, I have been attempting to manage them through either asking questions or simply trusting myself. These issues mainly arise when I am being assigned tasks for the week. My supervisor gives me both explicit instructions and general guidelines. While I would prefer more straightforward tasks, I am learning to appreciate her teaching method of less guidance. My supervisor wants me to be independent, as she believes that I have the skills to do what she requires. I appreciate the trust, but this method can be stressful sometimes. When that happens, I go to her and try to clarify what I should be doing. Normally I will tell her what I am thinking and then ask for confirmation. This has worked sometimes, but she has gotten annoyed with another employee for asking too many questions. This makes me nervous to ask her for help, but so far there haven’t been any situations where I desperately need her advice. Mostly I have learned that she would rather me just do what I think is right and then ask for her confirmation after. This system could most definitely have problems in the future, but it is working for now. I am not sure if it is a byproduct of the more relaxed work environment in Ireland, or if my supervisor is just unique. Either way, it is a new work environment that I am attempting to adapt too.