As my time in Ireland comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on all I have learned these past twelve weeks. When I first arrived, I was afraid of not making any connections to the people around me or not having the knowledge I needed to excel at my internship placement. As soon as I arrived, I realized it would be easy to connect with my host family. They were so kind and helpful my entire stay and I don’t know what I would have done without them. The food was amazing and they included me in family nights and journeys out to the movies and more. I know I will stay in touch with them even after I leave Ireland.
As for my internship, once I started working and trying to apply my knowledge to the field, I was able to recall the information I needed to be successful in completing different tasks. I actually surprised myself with how much I knew about the field. Participating in this internship helped me appreciate my education and feel confident in the fact that I know what I need to about the field. I will take my previous knowledge as well as what I have learned about working in groups in and outside of the office home with me and apply it to my everyday life. I have gained respect for the archaeology field, grown as a student and employee, and I have gained confidence in myself. I am more comfortable working and speaking to people I do not know and I am confident in what I want to do after completing college. I now know that I want to go in to Forensic Anthropology and I have the connections to be successful in this endeavor. As I have spent some time working with the osteologist for the archaeology company I worked for, she knows how I work and how excited I am about the field. She said that she would be willing to write me a letter of reference for graduate school and anything else I may need it for. The connections I made at home and at work have helped me grow as a person and will aid me in being successful in future endeavors.
I have also spent a lot of time traveling and learning about the Irish culture and Europe in general. Going to Cork was a very special moment for me as that is where my fathers family originates from. I got to see where my family resided and learned about the culture there. My travels have also solidified my increased level of confidence for I have pushed myself to do things that scare me. I have embraced many different societies and learned from mistakes made traveling. With each trip, I became less scared to participate in the next. I made more friends each time and learned how to be comfortable exploring new regions by myself. Before I arrived in Ireland, I would have never went to visit a new place alone, now I have been to another country alone and have made many memories. I am excited to see what this internship experience will help me achieve in the future.
