It feels like just yesterday that we arrived, settled into our living spaces, and sat down in Professor Wilck’s class for the first time. As happy as I am to be distracted by the excitement of this experience, I wish time would slow down just a bit. I don’t think I’ll be able to leave these people or this place when these eight weeks finally come to a close. Sure, the first week was rocky, but wow this week made up for it.
Bella, Catherine, Lauren, Nicole, and I began our week in London watching the Phillies vs. Mets game. I know. You’re probably thinking the same thing as my parents: “Why on earth would you spend your first weekend in a new country watching an American sport and celebrating American teams?” Truthfully, I don’t have a clue. As a lifelong Red Sox fan and Phillies supporter by association, though, I enjoyed watching the scoreboard as the Mets struggled to stay in the game.
Waving goodbye to the field as we left to explore the city.
After the game, the girls and I decided to wander around London and explore. We quickly realized how far we were from the city itself. Unfortunately, our blisters kept us from trekking on foot; we began looking for taxis, buses, bikes, really any mode of transport that wouldn’t require us to walk. In doing so, we inadvertently met one of the most amazing people known to man. Terry Carrot is an angel on earth. He patiently toured us around London in his authentic black taxi, sang along to our crazy American music with us, and returned to pick us up when the night took a turn for the worse. Poor Lauren somehow dropped her wallet while getting in and out of the taxi. We realized this as we turned our backs to Big Ben and the London Eye and entered a Tesco for water and snacks. No fear, Terry came to the rescue within 10 minutes of us calling him for help.
Returning to Dublin after our adventurous 16-hour trip to London was exhausting, to say the least. While the rest of the girls rested and reset on Sunday, I forced myself to complete the errands I’d been putting off all week. John joined me and we worked quite efficiently. Monday morning rolled around and I found myself back in Professor Wilck’s classroom. After class, we began our tour of the National Museum. Before the tour, I touched base with Ivy about the status of my new internship placement. After that was sorted, I asked her what to expect from the upcoming museum tour. She mentioned the “Bog Bodies” and I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about until we reached the end of our tour. One of Professor Wilck’s daughter, Hannah, led me to the first body (pictured below). These things were insane!!
After being charmed by the bog bodies Monday afternoon, I began my new internship the following morning. Regardless of the fact that my experience here did not begin as planned – to no fault of Dean Kepner or Lea Levy, might I add – I’m extremely grateful for the lessons I learned during my first week. I’m incredibly proud to have joined the Allgo team; the attitudes, humility, and drive each of my colleagues possess continue to impress me every day. I’ve been invited to join them at dinner tomorrow evening and I cannot wait!! More updates to come soon 🙂
