Why did you decide to intern with Global Experiences in Ireland?
Katelin: My family's ancestry is mostly Irish, so I always wanted to go back to where I came from. I knew I wanted to see Ireland and really experience it for more than just a week-long guided tour. I wanted to really LIVE with the Irish. An internship was the best way to do this in my opinion. My major in college was fine art photography so I knew Ireland would be a wonderful place to intern in such a field.
Describe your day to day activities as an intern.
Katelin: My daily activities at home involved cooking different unique foods I could find at the local grocery store, Skyping back home to my parents and friends, working on my photography website, and hanging out with the other interns watching tv or just chilling. At work my activities varied from printing photos, cutting and framing, filling orders, editing photos, creating layouts for wedding albums, and answering phones. I'd often walk to the gas station a couple blocks away to get lunch for my boss, myself, and the other office worker. My boss was a very kind and generous man and often lunch was on him. He'd also buy lunch or snacks for us when we had a wedding to go shoot. At the weddings I'd act as assistant and keep his equipment ready for use. I watched him pretty carefully and asked a lot of questions. I learned quite a lot about a small business in the field of photography.
For fun during the week and on the weekends I'd explore Ireland. I tried a couple different churches. I popped in some random music and book stores. I ended up finding some AMAZING music in Ireland. I'd go out to dinner now and then with the friends I made with the other interns. We checked out various festivals and pubs and heard a lot of awesome live music. A few weekends out of our stay we all as a group took weekend tours to County Wicklow, Blarney Castle, and many more amazing places that you should definitely set aside time to see and experience. I even took a weekend to hop a flight with a few friends over to Scotland and England. When I was in England I even got to meet up with my foreign exchange sister who lived with my family many years ago. It was so great to see her again, and on a different continent too!
How has this experience impacted your future?
Katelin: This internship impacted my life forever. It helped me to learn more about my field and really more than anything gave me ambition to push past the expectations I had for myself. It was the kickstart I needed for my last two years of college. Personally it opened my eyes to new personalities and to be perfectly honest and frank with you it helped me to break away a wall of judgement and discrimination I had. When I lived with people that I never would have otherwise and interacted daily with new faces my heart just opened up and I became a much more positive person. I have kept in close contact with three of the female interns that I became friends with. We get together once a year now for a vacation together. This is truly amazing considering we are from California, Indiana, Texas, and Tennessee. The experiences and love I found in Ireland have forever changed who I am as a person.
Highlights: Acting as assistant to the photographer as my job was definitely a fun experience. I got to see hugely lavish weddings held at elegant, old castles. I'd never get to see or photograph something like that here in the states. Awesome places to see that I'd say you HAVE to go to are the Guinness factory, Wicklow National Park, Blarney Castle (kiss the blarney stone!), and take any weekend trips you can (Edinburgh, Scotland is a BEAUTIFUL city).
Yet, I'd have to say the absolute highlight of my trip were the friendships I made there. I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with every single intern. I met tons of new people and have even kept in touch with a fair amount of them. In particular there are three girls that I became good friends with over the course of our stay in Ireland. We still keep in touch regularly and have decided to try to get together once a year for another trip. We all live very spread out over the US, but last year our trip was a girls' weekend in Vegas. Our hope for out next trip is a cabin in the woods, and soon after that a trip to Greece. Having our group of friends made all of the sightseeing, nights out, and weekend trips to Scotland and England just that much more wonderful and enjoyable. This trip has given me such a myriad of memories that are so beautiful. I'm truly grateful for the places I've seen and the people I've experienced it with. I would go back in a heartbeat.
Morning: My typical mornings in Ireland were very calm. My roommates that were other interns had jobs further away and therefore had to leave earlier than I did. I'd wake up, put on some music, do my normal morning routine, relax, have some breakfast, and get ready for the day. I'd leave my apartment, walk down the stairs and head out the main entrance door. Mornings were cool and always had a nice breeze. I'd catch my bus and decide whether I wanted to get on the second bus to go straight to work or walk the last half. Most mornings (unless I was running late) I'd walk, because I'd get to walk along Griffith avenue- one of the prettiest streets in Dublin. Adorable houses lined the sidewalks, I passed a large school, and the whole sidewalk was shaded by huge, twisting, beautiful trees. I always used my mornings to reflect on my experience and constantly remind myself, "I'M IN IRELAND! THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE IN THE WORLD!" Once you get into a day-to-day routine it may become comfortable and you may unknowingly forget how awesome it is that you're in Ireland. Constantly remind yourself of that fact. It helps to make every moment and every sight that much more memorable.
Afternoon: My afternoons were a short break in the middle of my days. My boss would often give me some money to go buy our lunches. If I was the one that'd walk to go get them then they'd be his treat. He was always very generous and helped make my experience that much better. I will seriously NEVER forget these amazing chicken sandwich wraps that we'd get at the gas station a couple blocks away. I'd always get the grilled chicken wrap with that delicious orange colored sauce (Ireland's best secret), a milk, and a chocolate bar that has yet to be matched by anything I've tried here in the states. After lunch I'd get back to work with helping around the studio/office. I'd often frame photos, fill orders, occasionally answer the phone, and at times edit photos.
Evening: Evenings were sometimes just a winding down time where I'd watch some TV and cook a nice meal in the kitchen at the apartment. Other times we'd all go out together as a large group of interns to downtown Dublin. Those nights were unforgettable. The bars and pubs are so warm and friendly. Once we opened our mouths and it was obvious that we were Americans inevitably we'd have at least one or two Irish people offer to buy us a drink to welcome us to Ireland. There is a general spirit in Ireland of just pure enjoyment of one another. "Have a lot of good craic" is a common motto meaning to just have a really good time. Dance clubs were similar to those back home and were also a lot of fun.