It is amazing how much you can do and learn in seven days. Between writing papers, internships, traveling to the opposite coast, and spending time in the city with newfound friends, there is always something new to experience.
My friends and I at the Cliffs of Moher
Walking towards the Black Fort on Aran Island
For both of our classes, we have writing assignments and readings to analyze. While deadlines are often overwhelming I have learned to appreciate reviewing my weeks and taking a moment to reflect. Since June 12th I have had three friends visit me in Dublin. It was beautiful to see both of my worlds at Bucknell come together and hit it off. There is always something in common with Bucknellians and I am thrilled that my friends enjoyed each other’s company. Having visitors also made me a sort of tour guide through the city. We visited Temple Bar Street, and Trinity College, all by using my home base of St. Stephens Green. I have always enjoyed piecing different parts of cities together to immerse myself wherever I am. I am no native to Dublin, but familiarizing myself with the streets and famous pubs makes the city feel more like home each day.
Walking behind Cole on our walk back down to the shore of Aran Island
This past weekend we traveled to the Cliffs of Moher, Doolin, Galway, the Aran Islands, Kylemore Abbey, and a sheep farm on a hill overlooking a river. We were once again blessed with glorious weather conditions and rarely had to use our rain jackets and boots. The sky opened up as we were on the water looking at the Cliffs of Moher, the coast of Doolin, and the Aran Islands. I have never seen such a beautiful landscape that makes you try to take in as much as you can. I had a great time wandering around these places and exploring with my classmates. Two of my most memorable experiences were ditching my bike on Aran Island to meet up with my classmates Cole and Evan to see the Black Fort. While the rest of our classmates did not want to climb the hill to the top of the countryside, we went for a breathtaking walk out to the fort on the side of the West Coast. The other experience was hiking through brush on a narrow trail to get to the abandoned “castle” at the top of the Island. A bunch of my classmates (turned best friends) and I made our own trail filled with spider bites and branch scrapes to see around the whole island. Once we got to the top we could see the mountains outside of Galway, over to Doolin and the Black Fort on the island. It was a hike I will never forget because I became closer to my best friends and witnessed a spectacular landscape after a long trek up.
Ariana and I at the top of Aran Island!
In Dublin, we visited the Jeanie Johnson boat on the Liffey River. Although it was a quick tour, I learned about individuals who were crammed on the boat to Canada and New York to escape the famine and start a new life. Our tour guide told us about the horrible living conditions on the boat and how one particular captain prioritized the health of his crew. He also told the story about a crew that sacrificed their food for a mother breastfeeding a newborn. This sacrifice shows the selflessness of the Irish and how they look after their people. The mother later named her son after each crew member because they ensured his health. He now owns two bars in the United States and his family comes back to the Jeanie to tell the story of that crew and his mother.
My internship at Dataships has also been going well and I am excited to work with the sales and events management team this week! So far so good!