Having gone through a few days of my Dublin trip, I am very grateful for the opportunity that has been provided to me. So far this week I have had the experience of exploring some parts of Dublin and other areas like the mall in Dundrum. Within Dublin I got to experience a little bit of the culture and try some of the traditional food. I also got the opportunity to explore a large part of the UCD campus which we have been staying at. I was able to do this through the tours that were held by the university, as well as going on a few runs on my own where I was able to explore the area around UCD. This week as a class we went to the EPIC museum within the center of Dublin. Within the museum we learned a lot about the emigration of Irish people throughout the years. People from Ireland have left the country for an abundance of reasons, one of the most prominent was for opportunities within other countries such as higher education. This museum stands out from others especially because it focuses on Ireland’s impact on other countries due to emigration. My personal favorite part of the museum was how interactive it was. The museum gave you the chance to test your skills in Irish step dancing, practice your ability to juggle with hurling, and had many different interactive electronic devices that displayed information about the history to the user. I felt that this was a great way to capture the attention of the audience and made the experience more enjoyable. One part of the trip that was especially interesting to me was when my tour guide talked about the coffin ships and how every boat that set sail during that time period, lost a large part of their crew due to casualties. However, there was one coffin ship that had no casualties, this boat was known as the Jeanie Johnston and was believed to have no casualties due to the irregular precautions that the captain took. James Attridge, the captain, would do things such as making sure each passenger got 15 minutes of sunlight each day, making sure that everyone was checked for illness before entering the ship, bringing a doctor onto the boat to treat those with illness, and also providing everyone with a sufficient amount of food. Lastly, my internship was a great experience as well. Right from the start, I felt welcomed by the other interns and colleagues that I’d be working with. They did an especially great job at making me feel as though I was one of their own and gave me projects to do that I found interesting. So far, this trip has been an amazing experience and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
The view from my UCD apartment.
Brad and I at the EPIC museum.
The Custom House Quay Arch within Dublin.
Image within the EPIC museum of a large majority of the boats that the Irish have taken to immigrate from the country.
Food that I cooked for the first week of my adventure in Dublin.