We realised that we were allowed to do our four-week internship in Dublin when we were already on the plane. We had weeks of planning, shifting and uncertainty behind us, so that the anticipation didn’t really come up until we had landed.
Due to the worldwide Corona pandemic, we, Jule, Julia, Henrike and I, were not allowed to start the internship in summer, where it usually takes place.Therefore we were extremely happy when we got the opportunity to reschedule the internship during the holidays in autumn. The weeks before the start of the internship passed like normal school days, so the mood didn’t really come up. WE had to write some exams beforehand, so we couldn’t realise on a Friday in school that we would be several hundred kilometers away from home in a few hours.
At the airport we realised quickly that we are now on our own. One last time to turn back to the waving parents, and then it was time to hit it alone. I have to admit, I was glad that the other three girls were by my side. Because I appreciated swiftly that everyone had their strengths, which are useful in coping with the challenges ahead.
But our group trip did not last that long. After being picked up from the airport by an employee of the organisation, we went to our host families.
While Henrike and Julia stayed in the South West, Jule and I lived in the North East of Dublin, in Clonsilla. Admittedly, I wasn’t thrilled about staying with host families, plus the fact the houses in Dublin are very small and old, and existed at least in duplicate versions. But my attitude changed quickly when I met Marian and Tommy, our parents for the next four weeks.
The description we had received from the organisation in advance did not nearly describe the love and care of Marian and Tommy. Both are a little older, but they were even more energetic for the things they loved.
They were also the ones who advised us to switch places when we, Jule and I, reported to them after the first week that we were dissatisfied with our workplace.
After we got in touch with our contact person, the organisation arranged a new internship for Jule and me, which we were allowed to start in the second week.
It was a salat bar, a kind of fast food chain for healthy food, where we were supposed to work. We had a job by the same chain, only in different parts of the city, Jule worked on the south side, on Grafton Street, the luxury shopping street near Trinity College,. I, on the other hand, was allowed to work in the main store on the northwest, in the district Fairview.
Originally, it was planned that we would have lived as close as possible to our actual internship place, but now we had to travel a longer distance to our new workplace.
As before, we took the bus line, which not only had a stop every 500 meters and ran every 5 minutes at any time of the day, it was also our faithful connection throughout our stay.
As usual, I got off at Bachlor’s Walk, in the middle of the city centre, while Jule had to stay on the bus a few more minutes. But my journey did not end there, because I had to take a second bus that took me to the industrial port. As short walk and an equally short bus ride later, I had arrived at my place work, although often with delay, which the Irish people generally do not mind.
Admittedly, the actual work during the internship did not correspond to my expectations at all. I was quite disappointed and frustrated for the first few days. This changed in the third week when another intern from the Czech Republic supported me in during work, which consisted mainly of cutting vegetables and doing the dishes. But everything that made the work unbearable was compensated by the employees. I was warmly welcomed by everyone and quickly they spoke to me as if I were a longtime friend of theirs. Besides, I rapidly realised that almost no one was Irish.
Except for two Irish students, there was one student with African and one with Indian roots. The head of the shop is originally from Russia, and other staff members came from Poland, Brazil, Italy and Spain.
There was always a good atmosphere among each other: during the work I sang, listen to music, danced, I learned words in different languages as well as about the problems that the people in Dublin have, and also teach German words and educated them about the German culture.
After work, Jule, Henrike, Julia and I met often in the city centre. We went to different cafes, explored the different streets of Dublin, strolled through the shops or listened to the typical street musicians. Of course, we also visited typical tourists attractions on the weekends, such as Phoenix Park, Dublin Castle, Trinity College with the large library and the “book of kells”, visited Galway, and also had a beer in a traditional Irish pub.
I personally liked the excursions on the coast the best. The place Howth was my absolute highlight, where we walked along the peer in bright sunshine, which by the way is very rare for Dublin, strolled at the local market and enjoyed the beautiful day with a coffee overlooking the blue, wide sea.
Besides Howth we also visited other coastal towns like Bray and Greystones. Thanks to our Travelcard, which was included in our program, we were able to travel with all public transport options, be it the bus, tram or DART, which reliably brought us to any destination.
Dublin quickly felt like a second home. Not only beach use of the family atmosphere at work and the benevolent and warm hospitality of Marian and Tommy, but also because of Henrike, Julia, Jule and I built a close relationship with each other. Although I was also happy when we were on our way back to Germany, all the feelings came over me during the flight when I realised that the tome is now over. Before the trip, the four of us girls were just classmates, but the stay in Dublin brought us together, despite completely different personalities. We learned to appreciate and l love each other’s quirks and preferences but also the qualities of each other, so that, I think. We have built a deeper relationship than a friendship can describe. In that short time, the three have become my “Irland family”, and I could not have wished for a better company than Henrike, Julia and Jule.
While working in the internship, I might not have been able to gain any experience that would be relevant for my future work, but I learned a lot of important things.
Through the stimulating conversations between the staff and me, I not only overcame mz inhibition to approach strangers, but also found it easier to express myself in English every day and to conduct more profound conversations. Besides, I had cultural exchanges though the stories of individuals during work, which included both critical issues such as politics or about the government, as well as traditions and the elimination of stereotypical thinking.
To sum up, I can say for myself that the time in Dublin has made me a completely new person.
You often hear from people who have been abroad for a long time that such an experience brings with it a change of personality, which I can only underline. This refers not only to social skills such as language skills, cultural understanding, the ability to develop human relationships and mental skills such as problem solving and self-discipline, but rather to personal characteristics.
With myself, I notice that my self-confidence has increased a lot. Simply approaching other people and them speaking to them in a foreign language requires a fundamental self-confidence which grown steadily during the time.
I have also learned to tale responsibility very quickly, which is the case if you live alone without parents abroad and want to achieve your goals, which in turn is linked to a high ambition.
Because other cultures also have different rules, customs and manners, I had to learn to be flexible. Then there was the fact that no day was like the other, and I became nit only more flexible but also more spontaneous in my actions.
My conclusion about my four-week internship in Ireland is that this time has made me a more mature and adult person and I can only recommended this experience to anyone who, like me, is curious and open to other people and cultures, and at leat has a bit of sense for adventures.
I really do miss the time in Dublin.
Lara Bukelo (12D)
