Finishing week two in Ireland, I am very excited for the rest of the summer, more so than I was upon arrival. Now that I have had time to settle into my living situation and grocery shopping, I am very much enjoying the atmosphere and environment of Dublin and am so grateful for this abroad experience.
I have learned so much about Irish history, their culture, and have loved meeting and getting to know the people I am working with at my internship. I am very grateful for the opportunity to learn about the history of Ireland and how the culture has grown and changed over the centuries through the interactive experiences and tours part of the Management290 course I am in. This week we got a tour of the beautiful Kilkenny Castle where it was so fascinating to see how the rich and powerful used to live in such comprehensive architecture and vibrant interior designs that both have so much detail and thought put into them. But not only were the sights, tight hallways and interesting rooms fascinating, but the story and long history that went along with the castle and how influential its many occupants and the estate have been on the local and Irish history was very captivating. Notably, I was very intrigued at how philanthropic the owners of the castle have been depicted and how the castle wasn’t where the residents hideaway and hoarded, but rather provided food for the poor and helped the community.
The second place we visited over the weekend was the monk monastery and lakes in Glendalough. The first thing that I noticed on the long drive was the beautiful green that coated every inch of the landscape as far as the eye can see until the Wicklow mountains met the blue skies. I very much enjoyed the highly informative tour on the history of the monastery and the many purposes it had over the many centuries. Learning about the vikings and how people travelled to the monastery for healing purposes or to escape the law and much more captivated my attention thoroughly as there was so much rich history and culture behind the location.
Besides the adventurous weekend we had, I have also had a lot of fun at my internship this past week as the company culture of my workplace is very strong. I have met some of the friendliest people I know who are all very smart hard workers and know how to foster a supportive environment where everyone is friends and helps each other where they can. I am very excited for what the rest of the summer holds and to continue growing and learning from every experience each day I am here.
