These past three weeks in Dublin have flown by!
Within that time, a great deal has happened. I’ve toured Dublin, visited the other side of the country, and, most importantly, begun my internship. My favorite excursion so far was the one I took to Galway with a few other students on my program. While there, we got the opportunity to see the Cliffs of Moher. After seeing this site multiple times in film and television, it was so surreal to see it in person.
Though my time in Dublin has been great thus far, it has not come without its challenges. For example, this past week in my internship, I researched affordable housing programs in Ireland. As a college student, I’ve researched, summarized, and communicated information countless times. However, what I have realized is that in the classroom, the questions you research are often clearly defined, whereas in the “real world”, this is not always the case. For example, the question my supervisor posed to me was how a constituent’s proposal for an affordable housing program was different from the one already in place. However, as we read this constituent’s proposal, it was unclear whether that was the goal of what he was doing; or at least, it was unclear whether or not the constituent had answered this question in his proposal. After a few minutes, we came to a conclusion we believed was correct, but there was no one ready to confirm or deny it for us like in a classroom. I feel naïve to have had such expectations about clarity, but I suppose because I’ve only ever experienced academic questions that are, on the whole, meant to have answers, such naivety makes sense. I am still learning how, and if, I can combat such ambiguity. What I’ve learned so far is I must depend on the knowledge of my supervisor and fill in the blanks in what she can provide through thorough research of my own.
Though I’m in a new place, I still try to stick to some semblance of a routine. While some find routines stifling, I believe they can provide stability, which is even more necessary under high pressure situations, like an internship abroad. In my case, my routine staples are simple; things like making breakfast every morning and a practicing mindfulness for a few minutes. These are the kinds of activities I do no matter where I find myself living, whether it’s my home state of New Jersey, Pittsburgh, or now, Dublin.
Naturally, however, some things in my daily routine have changed. The most blatant is the existence of a commute. At Pitt, I have always lived on campus, meaning my “commute” every morning was essentially nonexistent (granted, the trip from Sutherland Hall to the Cathedral to Learning does come close!). Navigating this addition to my life has been a bit tricky: I never know exactly how long it is going to take me to get to my internship, because the buses do not always run at the same times every day. This requires me to factor in potential delays into my daily commute. This has been altogether a new experience for me; I’ve never had to rely on public transport so extensively. Though it may be a small learning experience, I still believe said experience is a benefit. After all, part of the purpose of this internship is career preparation. In order to have a career, you have to get there first!
I’m looking forward to taking a more active role in my internship in the weeks to come.
