“Álainn – Pronounced awl-inn, is a versatile word for beauty in its purest form. It can describe the beauty of landscapes, people, or even abstract concepts, evoking awe and admiration in the Gaelic Irish language. The internet can be a confusing concept that is full of the unknown. One thing I can guarantee is that it allows us to connect through language and experiences. I am so grateful for my study abroad experience. I met the most amazing people, grew as an individual, and learned so much from working in a professional environment. Through the past two months I have been able to track my adventures and experiences through blogging and social media. Looking back I am so fortunate to now have all my thoughts written out where I can look back on them months and years to come.
Working at The Buff Day Spa in Center City Dublin, allowed me to improve on skills and learn new skills in relation to media. I produced, filmed, and edited content videos for the social media and website of the spa. This challenged me in so many ways. One aspect I struggled most with at the beginning of the internship was going back and making edits to my first drafts of content. I had a hard time applying the feedback I was given from the social media director. Eventually I learned, with trial and error, that the feedback was not harmful. It was to improve my work to fit the aesthetic of the company. As time went on I noticed that with each content I submitted for approval, the less and less feedback I received. At the end of the internship the Social Media Director even said how much she saw me improve over the weeks. This was really important for me to hear because to me it showed the improvement I made over the eight weeks I was working. After this experience, I value improvement very highly in my list of characteristics.
Aside from growing in a professional sense, I am so proud of the person I have become socially. I have to thank all of my amazing friends that I met that guided me into discovering who I am and who I want to be. One of my favorite memories has to be the random Tuesday night where a large group of us from Pitt, UVA, and Chapman University, came home late from a night of exploring Dublin and stayed up until 5:00 AM talking and playing cards. I really got to know those people that night and got to call them my friends. I think the people I met ultimately might be the most valuable part of this entire experience.
The thing I find the most crazy is that I have been looking forward to studying abroad in college since my freshman year in high school. Funny enough, I always said I would be studying abroad in Ireland too. Years later after waiting through the anticipation for applying and then counting down the days until the flight, it is over. I lived and worked abroad for two whole months. When I say it out loud it really puts the whole accomplishment and experience into perspective.
I am so grateful for this opportunity to explore the world and immerse myself into a new culture. Ireland was nothing but welcoming, exciting, and just genuine fun. I could not say one bad thing about this adventure of a lifetime. At the beginning of the program, they told me I would make friends I would keep in touch with forever and make memories I will want to relive over and over. I have never been so happy to see that to be true. The memories I made alone, and with the people I met, I will cherish forever.
With that all being said, I thank Ireland. I have come out of this program not only as someone who has gained professional experience, but also as someone who is stronger in more ways than one. Grá means “love” in Gaelic and I have nothing but love for the emerald isle. I can’t help but also feel a little Irish luck since I have been home.
