Thursday
This Thursday was a warmer day, which was really nice! However, I definitely felt one culture shock I had been expecting for the first time: the lack of AC! My office building has 6 levels, and on thursday I was working on the second highest level. This meant it was super warm. I was actually missing the usual chill in Dublin. After work, we had a dinner and storytelling event as a program. Immediately after work, I went to the stag’s head pub for the fairies and folklore event. This was a fun event, and it was interesting to learn about the sorts of stories that the Irish people would have told. They also talked about the moral lessons that these stories would have imparted. This stood out to me because this past semester I took an integrated perspective class titled “Understanding Children.” This class was a collaboration between an English literature professor and an educational psychologist professor. This class focused on understanding the psychological effects of fairy tales on children and their development. A lot of the ideas and topics we discussed in that class were brought up in the performance.
Saturday
On Saturday, we had a day filled with castles. We started off with the Rock of Cashel, which was very cool. However, I find castles that have been decorated to look as the would have when once occupied better than those that are bare. After the rock of Cashel, we went to Blarney. I was really excited to kiss the Blarney Stone, as I have heard so much about it. The line was 90 minutes long, and I was a little worried about waiting that long, but I didn’t want to come to Blarney and not take the opportunity. After the long wait, I finally got my turn to kiss the stone. While I am glad that I did it, I definitely was a little let down. Leaving the castle I thought, welp, I guess I just fell for my first tourist trap. However, the castle the stone is in also has many gorgeous gardens, and I really enjoyed walking around them. Later that day, we went to our third and final castle in Cahir. This castle was clearly the least touristy, however it still had a very cool story. In Cahir I finally got my Claddagh ring, which I have been wanting since the start of the trip.
Sunday
On Sunday I got to sleep in for the first time since I got here. I didn’t wake up until 11:30, which was definitely needed. Once I had woken up, I went to a farmers market. It was a really nice day, so the market was super busy. At the market I got a grilled cheese, which was really good. There were also some fresh fruit vendors, but since I didn’t get there until around 2, they were out of a lot of options like raspberries and strawberries. There were still cherries and apples being sold, so I got some of each. The cherries were a bit expensive, but so good.
Monday
on monday we went to Kilmainham Gaol. I really enjoyed this trip because we learned a lot more about Ireland’s process of leaving the UK and gaining independence. I knew that until the 1920s Ireland remained a part of the British Empire, and I had heard of the Easter Uprising, but I didn’t know any of the specifics of the history. It was really nice to get to learn a little bit more about how this occurred.
Wednesday
On Wednesday, I had my internship like usual. Today, I was working on drafting briefs to an expert on the case. Basically, I was assembling all the records that an expert would need to look at in order to determine if the client received deficits in their care. This is probably my favorite task I have had to do yet, as I am starting to use the legal jargon to write these briefs. After work, I went to the St. Steven’s Cathedral. It was absolutely stunning. After, I wet up with Aliyah and Margaret for dinner. We went to Ivy’s favorite place to get pizza in the city Cirillo’s. It was absolutely delicious, and I would definitely want to go again.
