I just had to check the calendar to make sure everyone was not lying about being halfway through this trip. I know this is what everyone does say but it really is so difficult to believe that I have been living in Dublin for more than 4 weeks!! I wish there was some way to somehow slow down time and give myself more time to take in everything that has been going on here so far. At the same time though, I am excited to return home and see everyone that I have been missing back home. But enough talk about that, I really want to share what happened to me this week and how this week has been the most special time I have spent in Dublin so far.
The reason this week has been so special to me is because I had my girlfriend visit me in Dublin for 6 days. In the beginning there was a lot of hesitation to make this trip happen because it is a lot to ask for your loved one to make a long and strenuous trip out to a foreign country they have never been to before. Luckily though, a couple weeks ago we agreed to make it happen and bought the ticket! I genuinely couldn’t contain my excitement for her arrival! I am so happy we ended up making this trip happen because it really made every experience that much more fun and special. There was no way of knowing how it would go but now I realize that there should be no question about going through with an opportunity, such as this one, where you can share an experience with someone you care about so much.
So I found myself waking up extra early on Wednesday to make it the airport before her flight landed. I had this vision in my head where I would greet her right as she went through baggage claim with flowers and a sign. And for this to happen, I had to make sure to get there before her flight landed to make sure I would be there on time. Unfortunately, on the morning of, I missed the first bus and the second bus was super delayed and I was worried that I would not be able to get there before her flight landed. However, it turned out that it was not easy to get straight to baggage claim because of immigration control checkpoints and the long lines that come with it. She also got lost a good number of times which gave me lots of extra time to get there. Eventually I got to the terminal and greeted her very excitedly as she walked through the terminal doors.
On the first day she arrived to Dublin, we decided to take it easier, especially after such a long flight. We planned a pleaseant stroll through St. Stephen’s Green Park and then a calm dinner. The park ended up being beautiful (thankfully the weather was good) and we got a good number of pictures to start off our trip. Afterwards, we ended up getting dinner at this pizza place called Millanos. Their pizza honestly wasn’t the best but we came to realize was that their gluten free dough balls were one of the best things to happen on our trip. So much so that we ended up going back to get them 3 other times throughout our trip. We also ended up touring Trinity college, exploring city center Dublin, checking out pubs, trying new restaurants, walking through Dún Laoghaire, and doing lots of hiking! My girlfriend found this amazing hike spot called Killiney hill (which was our personal favorite) where we got coffee and hiked around for hours. We also of course went to Howth where we got to see breathtaking views and take amazing pictures. At the end we both wished that she could extend her stay and we could continue exploring together. But by the end of my stay here in Dublin, I know I will look back at this week as the highlight of my trip, only wishing that it could’ve went on for longer.
The most difficult aspect of adapting to the Dublin workplace is the lack of feedback. I do not really get that much feedback for how I am doing. Which I enjoy to a certain extent, but I do wish I got a little more feedback and guidance in terms of how I am with the service users. I think in order for me to get more adapted to this I have to talk to my supervisor directly to address what she thinks.