This week was filled with new experiences and new places. After arriving in Dublin Saturday morning, I was able to check into my apartment, which has a great view of campus buildings, greenery, and a local basketball court. Moving to another country comes with different challenges and new experiences, such as not having a meal plan or dining hall. This led to my roommates and I experimenting with food and cooking our own meals throughout the week, my favorite being a pasta dish made with meatballs and prosciutto. I Never thought of myself as being very good at cooking, however I think this experience will allow me to find out what I like to cook, and help me become a better chef.
After class on monday, the group took a trip to EPIC, the Irish emigration museum, which was filled with tons of virtual and experiential exhibits and information. I thought that this museum was very unique and I enjoyed how it touched on almost every aspect of Irish culture that you could think of. I was able to hear stories of Irish citizens who left the country and how/why they left, as well as what they were able to achieve, all inside of a historic, fire-proof building.
The public transportation was a big change from what I am used to, as back home in Boston, the subway is the standard public transportation, but Dublin uses large, double decker buses to get around the city. Unlike a lot of buses in the United States, these buses will drive right past you if you don’t wave your arm, which is something that I still need to get used to.
On Tuesday, I started my internship as a research assistant in the school of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. I got to tour the engineering buildings and was able to take a look around the various lab spaces that they have on their campus. Working under two professors/researchers, I hope to gain as much knowledge as I can, and hopefully be able to contribute something to the school. On day one, I was given the opportunity to read through a thesis paper for one of the graduate students that had been working with my supervisor, which was both unexpected and challenging. However I think this will only help me learn and grow as an engineer, and throughout the course of the summer, I will get a chance to contribute data and theory to a published research paper.
