Final Week and Closing Thoughts

Monday, July 22 

Monday morning started the last week of my internship. I had a different schedule every day this week, but Monday was spent in the basement of the Gaiety hosting for one of the camps. I was alone down there, and the WiFi doesn’t connect so I couldn’t work on my laptop. I spent most of the workday reading my book.  

That evening I went out for a drink with one of my coworkers. He’s easy to talk to, and we have great, deep conversations. I’ve really enjoyed his friendship these last two months. We went home early, as we both had lots to get done. I did laundry and some cleaning before getting some work done on my laptop and calling it a night. 

Tuesday, July 23 

On Tuesday I worked at one of external venues for the morning because one of our tutors was out sick. I spent the morning talking with a coworker before grabbing lunch and heading back to the Gaiety. I didn’t have anything to do for about an hour so I spent time floating around talking to all of my friends. My coworkers are some of my absolute favorite people I’ve met here, so I'm soaking up as much time as possible with them before I leave. 

Tuesday evening, I left work about 10 minutes earlier than normal (meaning I didn’t stick around and talk for awhile) to head over to where one of my friends is working. His internship is at the Glasnevin Cemetery. He gave me the tour and we stopped for food and a drink at Gravedigger’s. I’d heard so much about it; I had high hopes. I guess it’s widely renowned as the best Guinness around, which my friend agreed with, but I don’t like beer so I couldn't tell you. I still had a good time though. Later that evening, I ended up going out with a group of friends. I wasn’t planning on it, but we have a busy week in our last nights here. We hit a couple different pubs before heading back to the apartment and going to bed. We all still had work tomorrow after all. 

Wednesday, July 24  

I had a late start at work on Wednesday so I was able to sleep in a bit. I was so thankful, I really needed the rest. Once I got in, I was popping in and out of the different camps taking photos of the campers for social media and parents. I covered some of my coworkers lunches and spent the afternoon taking more photos and editing them.  

I went for dinner with my roommates on Wednesday evening. We went to One Society which is right near our apartment, but somehow none of us had been to yet. We all got pizza, which was so good, but I couldn’t finish it all. After dinner, we went out to another pub near the Temple Bar area. Most of the time that I’m in Temple Bar it's at 9 A.M. during the week on my way to work. I forget how busy it can get at nighttime, it’s no joke! We weren’t out for very long. I was so tired, I felt like I could’ve slept for 24 hours. 

Thursday, July 25 

I’d been dreading Thursday all week. The last day of my internship. I was meant to be hosting alone again like Monday, but I managed to move some stuff around so I could sit with one of my coworkers all day instead. At lunch, they all surprised me with a small cake and farewell card. I was so surprised and already so sad about leaving, I cried. I’m really going to miss it here. But, all good things must come to an end, and so did my work day. I said goodbye to my coworkers and couldn't stick around because I had to head back to the apartment to get ready for the farewell dinner with IES Abroad. I went with a few of my roommates, and we really enjoyed the meal. The food was incredible, I was so full afterwards! We went out again on Thursday night, this time to a silent disco at Whelan's. I’d never been to one before, but I wish I had gone sooner! I had such a good night. 

Friday, July 26 

I woke up feeling pretty sick on Friday. I guess the late nights finally caught up to me. I slept in a bit before showering and starting to clean and pack. It’s really so sad to pack up after two months in the apartment. I went for lunch and ran into two of my friends on the way there. We were all going to the same place and ate up on the rooftop of our apartment building before heading back to packing. I was feeling a little better with some food in my system, so the second half of the day was a lot more productive. I had to be done packing a little earlier than I was anticipating because I had tickets to go see a play that one of the recent graduates from the Gaiety was in. It was a new work in a theatre I’d never been to and probably wouldn’t have heard of if not for that graduate being in it. The show was incredible, and pretty short. I had had plans to go out for drinks with my coworkers after the show, but I was anxious about flying out the next day, so I went home instead.  

Saturday, July 27 

I woke up on Saturday, did the last of my packing and cleaning, and said a tearful goodbye to all my roommates before heading off to the airport. I was hoping I’d have the same flight as one of my friends in the program, but I’m flying into Minneapolis so I was out of luck. But, I did run into one of my friends in the airport who had a similar flight time to me. We went through security together before having to part ways for our different gates. I was thankful to have U.S. pre-clearance at the Dublin airport so I won’t have to deal with that once I land in Minneapolis. The line was pretty long but moved quickly. If you are every flying to the U.S. out of Dublin, give yourself extra time for that line! I heard someone say that it was the longest they had ever seen it, but I was still glad that I had given myself extra time. I only waited about 30 minutes at the gate before boarding my flight out of Dublin. I’m so sad to go. I wish I had more time here, but I’m excited to see all my friends and family back home again. My flight to Minneapolis was uneventful. I had a seven hour layover before my hour flight to Omaha, which was also uneventful. I got home pretty late, so I just went straight to bed. 

Thank you for coming along with me on all my adventures in Ireland this summer. Having been home for a bit now, the only way to describe it is bittersweet. It’s great to be back home with family and friends who I missed so much. Nothing compares to being reunited with my parents and being able to tell them everything about my summer in person. But I still miss Ireland so much. I miss my roommates, friends, coworkers, and my work. It was such a great experience that I wouldn’t change for the world. Every experience, personal and professional, I’m going to take with me into my next year at college and into my life moving forward. The best way to describe studying abroad is formative. My worldview has changed. I met so many people who came from such different backgrounds than mine, been through challenging and difficult situations, and have had to fend for myself in a foreign country more than once. I’m going to take all these experiences with me into my daily life forever.