Week Five - Northern Ireland Field Trip!

Monday, June 24 

I woke up on Monday thinking I needed to be at work at 9 a.m. but got a message early that I didn’t need to be in until 1 p.m. I had a lot of other work to get done, so I sat myself in a cafe, only to find out they didn’t have any Wi-Fi. I spent about an hour there reading before I went to the library because I had to have Wi-Fi to get everything done. I was able to get lots of work done and even grabbed some lunch before heading into work. At this point in the tech process, we are focusing on running the show and doing final tweaks and pins. I don’t have a lot of direct responsibilities but it’s important that I’m there to solve any problems. I serve as the communication point between the cast and crew. We got out a little late, but I’ve had later nights at tech before. 

Tuesday, June 25 

Tuesday was my 19^th birthday! I didn’t have to be into work until 2 p.m., so I planned a fun day out for myself beforehand. I went to Russell Street Bakery. I’d been wanting to go for a while, but it was out of my way most of the time. I decided to go today, partially because my grandpa was named Russell. It was a good way to remember him a bit today. I got my second good chai here (but I had the barista put vanilla in it so maybe that was it’s saving grace), and a cinnamon bun to eat later.  

Next, I walked to Marsh’s Library. I’d also been wanting to go here for a while, but just hadn't gotten around to it yet. It was enjoyable, but not as grand as it’s made out to be. If you don’t know or appreciate the history of it (which I know a very limited amount of), it’s rather underwhelming. I’m still glad I went, I just felt like I breezed through it very quickly.  

Last, I went to St. Stephens (my dad is named Stephen!) to eat my cinnamon bun and spend some time reading. The man sitting next to me was feeding the seagulls, pigeons, and squirrels near us, and a swan even came over next to us. 

Finally, I headed over to work. I was waiting for the show to start, having set all the props, when a group of the cast and crew pulled me aside with cake and candles to sing for me. It was such a sweet moment; I wasn’t expecting it at all. I really appreciated them going out of their way to do that for me – on the night of their first performance of their last show, for an intern who’s only been here for a month.  The show went well, I went home ready to rest. 

Wednesday, June 26 

I had a super late start at work again (5:30 p.m.!) so I took the opportunity to sleep in. Once I woke up, I did laundry and a little bit of shopping. At work, the show went well again. I have less responsibilities during the run, so I don't have much to share. 

Thursday, June 27 

I was excited this morning because one of my former professors at Missouri State University was meant to be in Dublin for the day. He’s working on a cruise right now, and they were going to port in Dublin for just one day. We had plans to meet for coffee, but the conditions in the harbor were poor enough that they couldn’t disembark here. I’m so sad to have missed him.  

Instead, I took the day and got some much-needed grocery shopping done. I hadn’t been able to go all week, and my shelf on the fridge and in the cabinet was showing it. I also worked on packing for the field trip to Northern Ireland tomorrow, before heading off to work. Work was much the same, the run of the show is repetitive with not much craziness happening (this is a good thing!). After work I decided to head to bed early because tomorrow, we leave at 7:30 a.m. sharp! 

Friday, June 28 

I woke up a little extra early Friday morning because I still needed to do some packing, and I wanted to grab coffee. We were meant to leave at 7:30 a.m. but we ended up leaving a little after 8 a.m. The bus ride went so quickly, it seemed like we were there in no time. I spent the time talking to a friend. Our first real stop was in Derry. We did an hour-long walking tour, then had lots of free time to explore the city. I grabbed lunch with my friends, and we walked around the town. We also stopped by a festival/market that was going on for some snacks before heading back to the bus. We got a little lost on our way there, so we were a little late. I felt bad making everyone wait, but I was glad we didn’t get left behind. 

After another bus ride, we were in our home for the weekend, Portrush. Portrush is a cute coastal town near Giant’s Causeway and Belfast. We had the evening to ourselves, so we got dinner, explored the town, and tried to watch the sunset, but it was so windy, cold, and cloudy that we gave up before the sun fully set. I was exhausted from all the traveling and walking, so I went to bed ready for tomorrow. I’ve been looking forward to this trip since the registration came out months ago! 

Saturday, June 29 

I woke up early on Saturday to make sure to get breakfast at the hotel. We had a big day ahead. First, we went to Giant’s Causeway. When I came to Ireland before with my family, we visited Giant’s Causeway, and it was one of the highlights of the whole trip. We had about an hour and a half there this time around, but I could’ve spent all day there. I spent some of the time talking with a Scottish woman who was a part of a volunteer group that was in Northern Ireland for the weekend as well!  

After Giant’s Causeway we visited Dunluce Castle. I really didn’t know what to expect (I hadn’t done any research before coming), but it was stunning!! The scenery was beautiful, the castle was gorgeous, and it had such an interesting history. We only had 45 minutes at this location, I wish we had had longer.  

But we had to head over to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. The scenery near the bridge was breathtaking. The water was so clear and blue, we joked that it looked like a Baja Blast. The bridge was very safe and secure (of course) but once you were about halfway across, it started bouncing just enough to make you suddenly very aware of how far up you were. Once you were across, the view was stellar, but we could even see Scotland! I had no idea it was so close. 

After the rope bridge, we went back to Portrush for the evening. I had a big evening planned with my friends. We were going to do some shopping, get hot dogs and ice cream, go on the Ferris wheel, go on a walk, spend some time on the beach, and watch the sunset again. But we got split up from about half our group. I did the Ferris wheel and walked with a few others, but the rest of our group did some shopping without us. Once we found the rest of our group again, we went to grab dinner. We ended up eating in one of our hotel rooms because it was so cold outside. Then, we tried to go out to see the sunset again, but it was so cold and cloudy we gave up again. I was exhausted again and headed straight to bed. 

Sunday, June 30 

We got to leave a little later Sunday (and sleep in a bit!), and we headed to Belfast to see the Titanic Museum. I wasn’t expecting to be too enraptured by the museum, but there were lots of interesting artifacts and information, and I ended up really enjoying my time there. After the Museum, we split off and had some free time in the city. I went with a group to a market before heading to the botanical gardens. For lunch, my friend and I got crepes at the market. I’ve never had a savory crepe before, but it was incredible! The botanical gardens were beautiful. I loved looking at all the flowers (and sending pictures to my mom!). They also had a heated rainforest section indoors that was much appreciated on the cold day. We loaded back into the bus and headed back to Dublin. When we got back, I unpacked and spent the evening resting before the next week of work starts! I’m starting the second half of my internship, so my schedule is going to look different (but hopefully more consistent), moving forward.