Hello from Dublin! Here is a recap of my most memorable experiences from my first few days here.
Within my first weekend of staying in Dublin I have managed to navigate the public transportation, City Centre, the massive University College Dublin and the Dublin Industrial Estate.
I have officially started my internship at Her Sport, and I have made a couple of friends along the way.
DAY ONE:
I spent a decent chunk of my first day in Ireland waiting in the UCD lobby for my room to be ready. Jenna, another intern I rode in from the airport with, waited with me. It turns out we will be roommates for the month and a half!
By the time our rooms were ready, we only had about two hours until our scheduled drinks, courtesy of The Intern Group (the program that sent us here). Severely jet lagged, we got dressed and ready to meet our fellow interns…only to discover the drinks had been rescheduled for the following day.
Rather than sit in our rooms, we took advantage of our first night of freedom and set out to explore the city. We learned a lot within those first few hours on our own.
For starters, the bus driver is not waiting for you to sit down, so you better grab onto the rails! The public transportation in Dublin has been convenient, but part of that convenience is moving quickly. So yes, Jenna did get to witness me falling down the bus stairs.
The first time we tried to board a bus it drove right past us. We stared blankly at the driver as he passed and were utterly confused, until we learned from watching others that you actually have to wave down the bus you want to get on.
After being awake for nearly 24 hours straight, we attempted to return to campus. But first, we got off at the wrong bus stop and found ourselves at the far corner of the UCD campus. It consists of some fields, a forest and no direct way back to the residence halls. We had an easier time navigating the City Centre than this campus.
We were eventually picked up by a stranger (don’t worry she said she wouldn’t kidnap us) who was also lost. Catherine is a mom and was looking for the UCD entrance as well, since she was there for the women’s hockey tournament. We very much appreciated the ride from Catherine.
DAY TWO
Jenna and I have become great buddies at this point. It is very nice to have a pal when you are in a different country, especially one you’ve spent the last 24 hours bonding with.
We set out on our second day in Dublin with much more confidence and headed to meet our tour guide for an official walking tour of the city.
We covered a lot of ground in just three hours. Some of the places we saw included Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Castle, Temple Bar, O’Connell Street, the Spire, and our guide very helpfully pointed out the streets specifically lined with tourist traps.
He also told us that everything in Dublin has a nickname. The example he gave was the Spire is “the erection in the intersection.”
After our tour, Jenna and I headed into a mall. It was here that we learned you have to pay 27 cents (25c) to use public bathrooms.
That evening we had drinks with the other interns at Authur Maynes. I am not a beer person, so I have yet to try a Guinness. And I know you are thinking “she is in the wrong country!” I know the significance of Guinness here, and I will try it…I’m just waiting until I can try it for free with The Intern Group.
Aurthur Maynes is a bar in a building that used to be a pharmacy. The dimly lit room smelt strongly of whiskey and was shockingly quiet.
The architecture in Dublin is truly breathtaking. As my driver from the airport pointed out, some of the streets and buildings here are older than the United States. The dreary weather in combination with beautiful brick buildings makes it incredibly easy to romanticize day-to-day activities.
DAY THREE
Monday was a free day for the interns, apart from our orientation which was very useful since they told us all about how to flag down buses… and made us introduce ourselves to everyone we met the night before at drinks…
The objective on Monday was to find my route to work. I have a 90 minute commute from UCD. I take a bus for 45 minutes into the city, then board the trolley for 35 minutes, and then I have a 10 minute walk. My journalism internship is in the Dublin Industrial Estate, and it looks exactly like it sounds.
The sun does not set until about 10 p.m. as well, so it feels like there is a lot of time to be productive. That also means it is difficult to fall asleep at a reasonable hour, which definitely hurts when you have to be up at or before 7 a.m.
On a separate note, Jenna and I are starting to wonder if we look like locals. Between my red hair and her freckles we think it might be possible because we have been stopped at least 10 times by people asking for directions.
DAY FOUR
After a long day at work, I went out to take photos of the city, which are featured throughout this article.
I have decided I will write about my internship in detail after my six weeks with the company have past.
Stay tuned for updates on my trip, and look out for my upcoming feature stories! Thanks for reading!
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