Farewell Ireland

Amber Lacilla

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.

The first picture I took after arriving to my host family's house. I am going to add my name to the collection of names to continue the tradition.
I took this picture in Cork. It was right in front of the sea and really captured the beauty of Cobh.
Another photo of my favorite location in France. My trip there was challenging but I learned a lot about their culture and what to do when I go there again.

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.

I took this photo during one of my host family's movie nights. We watched a Christmas movie and my host mom made hot chocolate.
This past weekend, I took my final trip in Ireland. One place I visited was Kilkenny castle with my fellow Learn International interns. It was a great experience.
Another place I visited with my fellow Learn International interns was the Wicklow mountains. This was a waterfall we encountered during our hike through the mountains. It was beautiful.

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