I am about halfway through my time here in Ireland and I cannot believe that in one month I will be returning home to the U.S. I am having the most amazing experiences and meeting some of the most amazing people in my entire life. On Friday night, I got to experience my first ever professional rugby match. It also happened to be the championship game for that league. When I first came to Ireland, I had always said that I wanted to experience an authentic rugby match. I can confidently say my high expectations were met. The environment is electric and the fans are really loyal and dedicated. It reminded me a lot of the stands of an American football game. Overall, I am super grateful that I got to experience Irish culture through sports. As someone who wants to go into the sports broadcasting industry, I love learning about sports culture around the world. It gives me more opportunities to break down plays and stats of a game people love. Such a fun way to begin my weekend with all of the friends I have made.

This past week I started at a new placement with a new company. I am now working as a marketing and social media intern for the Buff Day Spa in center city Dublin. I work to promote the business, their products, and the experience they are selling. My first week has been an amazing experience thus far. The staff has been nothing but welcoming and I have already learned so much within the first week. Filming and editing content for the social media pages is the part of the job that I am very familiar with as a broadcasting focus at the University of Pittsburgh. I also compare pricing and clientele with the spa’s biggest competitors and put formal reports of the information together. This has to do with more marketing work which is something I am not confident in working on. This new placement has allowed me to expand my knowledge and experience within the field of media and communications.

In Irish culture it is very common to communicate with each other using indirect communication. In other words, you are often expected to “read between the lines” when having conversation with locals. This form of communication is used because the Irish love to joke around with each other and this can be a way of them expressing humor when trying to get a point across. I definitely struggle with this form of communication because I am an individual who comes off straight and to the point. If something is done wrong I want to be told “this is wrong can you fix it” instead of “ maybe go back and double check some of the information.” I find the vagueness to be very unhelpful but I think that travels back to how I grew up. This has been the concept that I have struggled with in general and within the workplace. In general I never know when to take someone seriously. I do not pick up sarcasm very well so when a waiter is talking to me, I often never know whether I should be taking them seriously or laughing. Within the workplace, this way of conversation can also be very confusing. Like I said before, if there’s a reel I am working on and it isn’t exactly what the boss pictured, I want to know what I need to fix so I can make it better. I don’t always know what to fix if I am suggested to take another look at the entire project. “Reading between the lines” has been a struggle for me but the longer I am living in Dublin, the more I am beginning to understand the way people converse with each other and the more I am applying what I observe into my own conversations. 

Reflecting on the first half of my time in Dublin has made me realize how much I have grown personally and professionally. I am learning so much socially about the world and who I am as a person. Dublin, and Ireland as a whole,  are amazing places and I am eager and excited to see what the second half of my time here will bring!