This trip started off rough the second I stepped foot into the airport. My uncle insisted I get there 4 hours before boarding started because he was convinced the TSA lines were going to be long. Naturally, the opposite happened. I checked my luggage in 5 minutes and I flew through TSA taking 20 minutes total. Normally, it wouldn’t bother me but my flight got delayed for quite some time. Luckily I randomly met a girl that lives in Lewisburg while waiting. She just graduated from Notre Dame and was going to Dublin to meetup with friends before starting med school. She was very curious about my perspective on Lewisburg since she grew up there her whole life. I think I disappointed her a bit because I grew up in a similar area to Lewisburg so there wasn’t anything I was unfamiliar with. We did end up chatting about growing up in the countryside though. On the plane though, I got absolutely no sleep because the woman next to me kept putting her head onto my shoulder. Everytime her head hit my shoulder she would spontaneously jolt up, only to drift back to my shoulder again. She repeated this the entire 6 hour flight. While I was waiting for my luggage I was looking around and caught a glimpse of a random woman walking away with my luggage. At first I really thought I was hallucinating because I was sleep deprived, but I could see the 4 bright red ribbons I tied on my luggage. I had to run after this woman to retrieve my bag. She was very apologetic about the mishap and explained that her bag looked the same, with the exemption of the red ribbons. I really don’t know how she missed the bright neon red ribbons all over the bag. All that matters though is that I arrived in Dublin safely and with all my bags.
I have never been out of the country before so Dublin was a big shock to me. Especially when I accidentally walked to the drivers side inside of the passenger’s seat side of the taxi. I was nervous about using public transportation for the first time since I have rarely used it in the United States. But it was a simple ride to my work place which I am very grateful for. I did start to panic for a bit when Brad and I couldn’t find our company’s office. Found out the address wasn’t correct and the company didn’t have their name outside the door either. When we finally made it to the correct building, all the staff were very welcoming and kind, which helped with my nerves. I really like how the company is on the smaller side and I know everyone who works here, which makes it feel more like a community than just a workplace. One of my bosses took Brad, Payton, and me into the meeting room and pulled up a map of Dublin. He walked us through the main bus routes, shared recommendations for food, and an overall gist of the city. He even took us for lunch and invited us out for dinner with the staff on Friday.
Image 1: On the Bus
Image 2: Work at Quantmatix
Image 3: Dumplings
Image 4: First time trying raw Tuna
Image 5: Gyoza
