An Interview, Soccer & the GAA

Three of us got up early this morning to head into the city centre for our internship interview. Jack, Lauren and I all were placed to intern with the Marketing Network, a marketing agency based in Dublin. We were pretty early (almost an hour) so we spent some time hanging out in a local coffee & bagel place before heading across the street to meet some of the people we'll be working with starting in March. The interview was informal, more of a let's get to know you type of conversation. It was great to hear more about the agency and made me excited for the next phase of my study abroad experience. The commute will take close to an hour, and we'll be interning with them starting in March, four days a week.

We missed class today for the interview, but our professor was understanding (everyone in our program has an interview, so I think he's used to hearing the excuse now). We had the afternoon off, as we had a guest lecturer tonight instead of the regular history lecture. So after lunch, a few of us headed outside to play soccer in Albert College Park next to campus. Our apartment overlooks the park, and we've seen people playing on the fields but hadn't gotten a chance to play yet. The fields were pretty muddy (I'm guess this is normal for Ireland since it rains pretty much everyday?). We had a really good time, even though the air was chilly, the sun was out for the entire afternoon, something we've come to love because it rarely happens. I fell twice and my clothes and sneakers got pretty dirty, but I had fun. It was great to get outside for a little bit and kick the ball around. It was another reminder that my high school soccer days were a while ago.

Tonight we had Donal Mac An Ailin, a member of the Ulster GAA, speak to us about the GAA and how it has shaped Irish history. I found his talk really interesting and helpful, as I'm writing my history essay about the same topic. It was neat to here about its foundation and development over the years.

Tomorrow we have another class field trip to Glendalough County Wicklow, just south of Dublin. From there, most of our group will be headed to the southwest of Ireland for the weekend with Caroline for another one of her trips. This time we'll be visiting the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry and have the opportunity to kiss the Blarney Stone. I'll be sure to write up a full report on the weekend's activities on Sunday!