Dublin Diaries: Week 2

Week two has already felt fuller than the first, and I am starting to understand what people mean when they say studying abroad goes by fast.

One thing that has made this week feel especially lively is the World Cup. Games have been on constantly, and the energy around Dublin has been electric. On Sunday night, I ended up staying up until five in the morning watching Mexico play, hoping they could pull through. Unfortunately, they lost, but stepping outside into a Dublin that was just barely starting to wake up, with the sky slowly shifting from dark to a pale early morning light, was one of those moments I will not forget. I have a photo from around four in the morning that captures the city in a way I had never seen before.

On the internship side, things have really started to pick up. I am working on the AURA project, which focuses on autonomous robots designed for sustainable agriculture. My specific task has been centered around the camera system, working on improving it so the robot can detect different types of plants and map them across the farm. It is exactly the kind of hands-on technical work I was hoping to get out of this internship.

Beyond work, one of the things I have enjoyed most this week is how much Dublin has started to feel like home. I have settled into a real daily routine: commuting to Maynooth each morning, cooking most of my own meals, doing grocery runs, and occasionally heading out to a pub in the evening. When you start to know which grocery store you prefer, which commute routes to take, and which neighborhoods you enjoy spending time in, it stops feeling like a trip and starts feeling like your life. I did not expect to feel that sense of belonging so early, but I am really glad I do.

This past weekend I flew to Edinburgh for my first trip outside of Ireland. I visited Edinburgh Castle, which sits dramatically above the entire city, walked through different neighborhoods, stopped at the Scott Monument, went out to a few pubs, and had a full Scottish breakfast one morning. Edinburgh had a lot of personality, and I left wanting to go back.

One of the things I have come to appreciate about studying abroad in Europe is how accessible travel can be. With budget airlines like Ryanair and affordable hostels, you can realistically visit multiple countries without spending a lot of money. In the coming weeks, I have trips planned to Belfast, London, and Paris, and I am already looking forward to each one.

I am really enjoying where things are at right now. Between the internship gaining momentum, the routine I have built in Dublin, and the travel lined up ahead, this summer is shaping up to be exactly what I hoped it would be.