I honestly can’t believe my time in Ireland is already over. These past two months went by so fast, and this whole experience is something that I know I’ll never forget. When I first got to Dublin, I had no idea what to expect. I was excited, but definitely nervous too. I genuinely remember feeling a little sick due to nerves about being away from home. I mean, I was about to start an internship in a new country, live with people I had never met before, and somehow figure everything out. Looking back now, I can easily say this was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

When I think back to everything that’s happened over the past eight weeks, it’s honestly crazy how much I experienced in such a short amount of time. Every week brought something new, whether it was a new project at work, traveling somewhere new on the weekends, or making memories with people who quickly became close friends. Balancing a full workweek with travel wasn’t always easy, but I honestly wouldn’t change any of it.

The people I met are probably what I’ll miss the most. From everyone in my program from universities across the country to the people I met during my internship, these are people I’ll never forget. It’s crazy how quickly complete strangers became some of my closest friends. We traveled together, laughed together, figured out life abroad together, and made memories I’ll be talking about for a long time. I really do feel like I found some of my best friends through this experience.

I also feel so lucky to have experienced Irish culture the way I did. After two months, I had my daily commute down, knew my favorite coffee shops (honeybee), had restaurants I’d always go back to, and got used to taking the bus and the Luas everywhere. By the end of the program, I honestly felt like a Dubliner. Living here instead of just visiting gave me a much greater appreciation for Ireland and what everyday life is really like.

In addition, my internship taught me way more than I expected. One of the biggest things I’ll take home is my learning agility. I had to learn new processes and CRM systems, like Access, in a pretty short amount of time. The funny part was that the system was still fairly new to some of the employees too, so we were all learning together. It reminded me that you don’t have to know everything right away. You just have to be willing to learn and adapt. I also got really good at thinking on my feet. There were quite a few projects where I wasn’t exactly sure what I was supposed to do at first, but instead of getting overwhelmed, I learned to ask questions, think things through, and carry out my assignments with confidence. Those fast-learning skills are something I’ll definitely take with me into my future career. No matter where I end up, there will always be new systems, new responsibilities, and new challenges, and I feel much more confident jumping into them than I did before this internship.

As a psychology major planning to pursue Industrial-Organizational Psychology, this internship also confirmed that I’m on the right path. It was really cool to see how the concepts I’ve learned in class apply to a real workplace and to get a better understanding of recruitment, communication, and workplace culture. It made me even more excited for what’s next after Pitt.

I think I grew the most outside of work, though. Before coming here, I definitely would’ve talked myself out of doing some of the things I ended up loving the most. Over the past two months, I found myself saying yes to so many opportunities I probably would’ve skipped before. Whether it was cliff jumping, traveling every weekend, going to concerts, or just trying something new, there was no overthinking, and I just went for it. Those ended up being some of my favorite memories. Additionally, it was also surprising how quickly I opened up to people. I wasn’t expecting to become so close with everyone, but somehow we all clicked almost right away. Leaving Ireland is definitely bittersweet because I’m not just leaving a place that became home for two months; I’m leaving people who became such a big part of my everyday life.

As I head back to Pitt, I’m bringing back so much more than pictures and souvenirs. I’m bringing back confidence, adaptability, learning agility, and memories that I’ll have forever. More than anything, this experience showed me that some of the best things happen when you say yes, step outside your comfort zone, and trust yourself. Ireland gave me lifelong friendships, unforgettable memories, and experiences that helped me grow personally, academically, and professionally. I came here hoping to gain internship experience and explore a new country, but I’m leaving with so much more than that, and I know this is something I’ll never forget.