After having a fun filled weekend in Galway the week before, I decided that I wanted to take a step back and enjoy some time relaxing. This week I did some smaller hikes in the area but mainly spent time doing the activities I really enjoy to relax. Those being going on runs on the nearby UCD athletics track as well as going to the gym. I find that these activities, and physical activity in general, keeps me grounded. This meaning that they bring me a sense of calmness and peace. I know that does not really make sense but doing the same routine while going to do a track workout or doing the same exercises in the gym week by week provides structure and guidance. On days where I can do a workout I feel satisfied and accomplished the rest of the day. And these types of activities are hopefully activities that I will continue doing for the rest of my life because of how they make me feel.

I really appreciate that UCD provides these facilities to visiting students, like us, because I can do the same activities I love doing back home, making the lifestyle transition here way more comftorable. At this point of the trip I am starting to really feel settled in but I really wish that the time I spend here slows down. I feel like I am doing a good job of filling every week and weekend with activities that take advantage of this wonderful travel opportunity, but at the same time it feels like because of that the time is passing by a lot faster than it would if I would take time to reflect on my experience. This is exactly what I am trying to achieve this week by taking a weekend to relax and just chilling back. I realized that sometimes you can get so caught up in looking for new things to see that you forget to look around in the place you are and appreciate the beauty of the moment.

A hobby that I have tried to pick up more recently is reading. I packed this book before my trip in anticipation of reading it throughout the entire trip, but that has not happened as much so far… However, I rediscovered this book (The Hobbit) and have started to really take a liking to it. I never was a big reader, but I found that once I got even a little invested in the story of a book, it got really hard to put it down. The hardest part, in my opinion, of reading is just the act of starting to read. Once you start reading and get invested in the story, it gets a lot easier to continue reading. And then even later in the day, you start thinking about reading your book. Suddenly, all the other types of media distractions in life like watching TV shows become a lot less interesting than reading a book. Of course it is hard to get to this point because you have to find a book that has a story worth reading. Hopefully, I can continue reading before bed, even if its only a couple of pages a night. Overall, this shed a new light onto reading, and I hope I can carry this hobby through the rest of my life.

Before the start of this internship, I would have described myself as a more team oriented leader. In group projects I like stepping up and taking initiative. However, I never really enjoy managing others, and I much prefer a more hands off method when it comes to leadership. Meaning that people in the group can independently complete their parts that we combine in the end to have a final project. And interestingly, this internship experience has shaped my view and approach to leadership into a different direction. I understand now more that leadership sometimes includes harsh management and leading by example. This is especially shown whenever a service user is misbehaving and needs to understand that what they are doing is not okay. We can teach them a lesson by being firm and explaining what they are doing wrong, and then showing them the right way to go about the situation. Then by leading by example, we can show them the correct way to behave. This experience is teaching me how to become a better leader by introducing me to a different perspective on leadership. I can further carry these leadership skills with me into the future where I can apply them and become an even better leader.