I actually got sunburnt in Ireland. Crazy right? Who would have thought I would need sunscreen in Ireland...go figure. Anyways, I've been very busy lately so I will try to bring you up to date on what I have been up two over these last two weeks. Crazy to think that after next week I will be halfway done (please don't make me leave). Alright I'll start by updating you on what I have been up to.
INTERNSHIP: REED RANDALL
Still loving my job. Not much to report, except I'm learning a lot still and really feeling useful. Last week I conducted phone interview for a person seeking a position and then discussed his potential with my boss. It was really great because she really took what I said to heart, and I felt like I was actually doing important work. Oh, and my boss just happens to be BFF with the Lead Recruiter at GOOGLE in London so she set me up to meet her when I go there on July 11th...SO EXCITED. I will be able to meet & talk with the HR staff at Google. Hopefully I get a job there. Will keep you posted.
Still loving my job. Not much to report, except I'm learning a lot still and really feeling useful. Last week I conducted phone interview for a person seeking a position and then discussed his potential with my boss. It was really great because she really took what I said to heart, and I felt like I was actually doing important work. Oh, and my boss just happens to be BFF with the Lead Recruiter at GOOGLE in London so she set me up to meet her when I go there on July 11th...SO EXCITED. I will be able to meet & talk with the HR staff at Google. Hopefully I get a job there. Will keep you posted.
ADVENTURES: GLENDALOUGH, KILKENNY, & GALWAY
Last weekend we took a trip to Glendalough and Kilkenny. As you can see by the first picture, it was amazing. The photos I took look like those pictures that are meant to be screensavers. The whole town was so cute and quaint. We also went to St. Kevin's monastery and cemetery -- which had a lot of Irish history and an amazing site. There were lots of people playing music around the shops so it was really an enriching experience. After about two hours in Glendalough, we made our way to Kilkenny. This is one of the smallest cities in Ireland (and cutest). It features Kilkenny castle. The grounds around the castle are breathtaking, featuring flower gardens and fountains. It was a lot of fun to just hang out in the court yard in front of the castle and enjoy the beautiful weather. We even got to carve our names on a bench at the castle (although, someone else carved mine because I wasn't good at it). All in all, the day was amazing -- and I couldn't believe I was able to spend such a short amount of time in two cities and fall in love with both of them.
So I know I said I have been in love with every city I've visited so far..(which is so true because I am)...but Galway really takes the prize -- I promise. I can't even begin to describe the atmosphere. Everything is so lively--and close together. It has the same friendly/attractive vibe as Dublin, only a lot more compact -- which made me instantly love it. The shops are beautiful--lots of old architecture and gorgeous designs and tons of street performers --all of which are amazing. But I guess I'll get into the details of our day. We stayed in a hostel pretty close to the center of the city, which was really convenient. The first night we got there we basically just unpacked, got some dinner, and went out. The night life is amazing. Similar to Dublin, pubs are around every corner. The night was so much fun...and I did learn that it is frowned upon to go behind bars even if you just want to take a picture. Anyways, so the night ended with McDonalds and a dance club, so obviously it was a success.
The next morning, we all managed to get out of bed and start our journey. While we were waiting in the lobby of the hostel for everyone (our group was of 12 people, so it takes awhile), two Australian men around our age started talking to us and said they didn't have anything to do so they decided to come exploring with us. We didn't have a plan for the day, so we just kind of wandered around. It was a gorgeous day so we explored the city, went into shops, but eventually headed toward the beaches. The walk was absolutely breathtaking (as you can see), and we ended up hanging out on the beach for several hours (thus where my sunburn comes to play). The two men from Australia taught us some fun sports games they play, and we all had a great time trying to mimic their accents (and they had fun trying to mimic ours as well). Finally, we decided to further explore so we kept walking down the coast and came across Salt Hill, it's a cliff-like pier that locals jump off of into the ocean (Pictured above). It's extremely intimidating looking, but awesome. We decided to make a spontaneous jump into the ocean. With some convincing, I joined my friends. The water was freezing, but the view from the top of it made the jump worth while...plus it was an awesome experience! The picture is of all of us (including our two Australian friends) after the jump in the water. After that, our day was complete with dinner & going out again to the local pubs. On Sunday when we woke up, we explored the city all day until our bus came around 3. I went and saw the place where the first original Claddagh Ring was sold/made-- and even bought one! It will be a great reminder of the city that I love the most so far.
The next morning, we all managed to get out of bed and start our journey. While we were waiting in the lobby of the hostel for everyone (our group was of 12 people, so it takes awhile), two Australian men around our age started talking to us and said they didn't have anything to do so they decided to come exploring with us. We didn't have a plan for the day, so we just kind of wandered around. It was a gorgeous day so we explored the city, went into shops, but eventually headed toward the beaches. The walk was absolutely breathtaking (as you can see), and we ended up hanging out on the beach for several hours (thus where my sunburn comes to play). The two men from Australia taught us some fun sports games they play, and we all had a great time trying to mimic their accents (and they had fun trying to mimic ours as well). Finally, we decided to further explore so we kept walking down the coast and came across Salt Hill, it's a cliff-like pier that locals jump off of into the ocean (Pictured above). It's extremely intimidating looking, but awesome. We decided to make a spontaneous jump into the ocean. With some convincing, I joined my friends. The water was freezing, but the view from the top of it made the jump worth while...plus it was an awesome experience! The picture is of all of us (including our two Australian friends) after the jump in the water. After that, our day was complete with dinner & going out again to the local pubs. On Sunday when we woke up, we explored the city all day until our bus came around 3. I went and saw the place where the first original Claddagh Ring was sold/made-- and even bought one! It will be a great reminder of the city that I love the most so far.
Short-term To Do List:
- Find out why the TJ Maxx here is called TK Maxx (wikipedia article, thanks Owen)
- Find my internship building (SUCCESS--I can get there in 15 minutes easy)
- Try Guinness (DONE. Even went to the factory.)
- Taste the potato chips here AKA crisps (Overrated)
- Read in the park & feed the swans (Swans are kind of mean)
-- See a comedy show/karaoke night
- Go inside St. Patrick cathedral
- Try some Banger's & Mash
- Find out why the TJ Maxx here is called TK Maxx (wikipedia article, thanks Owen)
- Find my internship building (SUCCESS--I can get there in 15 minutes easy)
- Try Guinness (DONE. Even went to the factory.)
- Taste the potato chips here AKA crisps (Overrated)
- Read in the park & feed the swans (Swans are kind of mean)
-- See a comedy show/karaoke night
- Go inside St. Patrick cathedral
- Try some Banger's & Mash
Well that's all I have for right now-- sorry if this is so long, I just had a lot to update. Again, I can't complain much here -- everything is amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to have met and shared this experience with so far. Can't wait to continue this awesome adventure and drink more beer! This coming week I will be going to Italy for the 4th and then the following week I will be in London! Can't wait to continue my travels.
Until next time!
Until next time!