My Summer Adventures in Dublin

Dublin: June 13- August 14.

09 June, 2010

-5 days

Yeah. That's a five. Holy kudzu!

Speaking of kudzu, it's everywhere. I thought it was a search engine but I came to found out that in Georgia it's a bit more sinister. Kudzu is a vine that originated in Asia but has taken over the Southeastern USA and evidence of its invasion is on nearly every corner of Gainesville. My mom lives on the shores of where Lake Lanier meets the Chattahoochee River and about .5 miles away from the '96 Olympic rowing venue. The water is beautiful, the house is beautiful, the weather is beautiful and the dog is hilarious.

My mom and Larry have an English Springer Spaniel named Maggie and she's around six months old. This dog has some sass and spunk. She's really a blast to have around, always running around or doing something ridiculous. I just posted a video of Maggie on Facebook and I'll try to link one in here too.

Well about 5 days till Ireland and no internship email! Health insurance is squared away and so is my seat on the plane. Whether I have an internship or not, I'll be in Ireland with a place to live, health insurance and a plane ticket back to the US in August. Not such a bad deal.

The way this whole deal with the internship works is kind of complicated. I am earning 6-12 hours of class credit for my time in Ireland, counting toward my English degree and graduation (hurray!) and listed as English 484 at ASU. I have specific requirements to earn this credit, like making a portfolio and keeping a log of tasks and a reflexion essay at the end.

When I applied for the EUSA Dublin Internship program (you can read more about the EUSA Dublin here.. I've found it to be a well organized and excellent company and I highly recommend it!), I filled out a detailed Curriculum Vitae, the European version of a resume. I sent it to EUSA, who called me and conducted a phone interview with me about my job site preferences and personal interests. I told them I would like to work in Non Party Politics (pretty much the non-profit sector), Journalism or Business. They have made it very clear that though I may prefer these fields, I could get an internship in almost any field and can be notified any time between the middle of April to my arrival in Dublin about my placement.

When we arrive next week we'll have an interview with the company we are placed with to ensure we're both good fits for each other and to secure the placement. Then, for the following 7 weeks, we'll intern without pay for the company.

I think my anxiety got the best of me a few days ago, and I sent the Dublin office an email about my placement. Nothing yet, but it even felt better to get the concern off my chest.

Tomorrow we're going to spend the day on the lake and then Friday we're going to the Atlanta Aquarium! I'm so excited! They have whale sharks!

Here are some pictures from Georgia, mostly of Maggie: