Beacon Hospital
Perhaps the most important reason I decided to apply to the Bucknell in Dublin study abroad program was the internship experience I would gain as a result. I obtained an internship at Beacon Hospital in the Sandyford Business District where I will be working on a project regarding the effective transfer of patients and patient information. My first day on the job was Tuesday and during my time there, I got to explore the beautiful building and surrounding area, meet my supervisor and boss, and get started with some orientation and training modules. I got a great first impression and have noticed Irish work culture is a bit more independent and easy-going. Overall, I am very excited to get started!
EPIC
While studying abroad in Dublin, I will be partaking in two Bucknell courses, Guiness to Globalization and Management in a Global, Societal, and Cultural Context. We have classes on Monday from nine to twelve but what I am most excited about is the accompanying fieldtrips on Monday and over the weekend. Our first was a trip to EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin. I found the museum to be quite informative; it touched on crucial historical events in Irish culture like the Potato Famine, controversies with England, and discrimination against the Irish. I even learned what the colors of the Irish flag represent. Green represents the Catholic religion, while orange represents the Protestant religion. White signifies the unity and peace between the two. The museum was a great first start to our exploration of the country.
Giddy Dolphin
When I arrived in Dublin on Saturday, I was just as concerned with exploring Dublin city as I was with settling in. I only managed to unpack a few things before taking the 39A bus to the city center with a group of fellow students from our program. We wanted to see what the buzz was all about, so we headed toward the Temple Bar area. We ended up stopping at a place called The Giddy Dolphin Pub. This pub, like many others, was a great spot to drink an overpriced drink and listen to live music. A typical customer would order a pint of Guinness then proceed to watch soccer on one of the TVs. The city center even at night felt like a safe, welcoming place to be.
Grafton Street
As I got more comfortable navigating the bus routes and using my leap card, I started exploring the areas around UCD more, especially Dublin. After our tour at the EPIC museum, a group of students and I took to the city. We stopped at the New York City Portal, St. Stephen’s Green Park, a few local shops, Grafton Street, and eventually went to eat at Milano. The busiest of these attractions was Grafton Street. I spent my time there appreciating the countless shops and getting a feel for shopping in Dublin. I went straight to North Face to buy a raincoat considering I left mine in the car at the airport (genius, I know). On our way out, we even witnessed an attempted smuggling of a Dior purse. This area was very busy yet nice to see.
