Hello all, welcome back to the blog. Living on my own, and cooking my own food has been pretty exhausting. However, today I want to talk about my experience working in Dublin, Ireland. It has been quite a long journey, integrating into the Irish work culture. I am officially two weeks into my job and I think I finally have a good grasp of my role. And so, here are my thoughts and raw emotions on my internship for Summer 2019!
Waking up at 6:30 a.m., preparing a lunchbox for work, and running after the bus I am always late for is only the beginning of my hectic day. I am working for Spirasi, only a short 30 min bus ride away from my apartment. Spirasi is a non-governmental organization that works with asylum seekers, refugees, and other disadvantaged migrant groups, with special concern for survivors of torture. To be completely honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. My worst fear was that I would be put to work at a desk and left with no meaningful responsibilities. However, my experience here at Spirasi has been one of the best I have ever had while working.
I have had the honor of working under the Rehabilitation Coordinator for Spirasi. Although my boss is constantly floored with emails and administrative responsibilities, she always makes time for me. I will be completely honest; my work is very chaotic. On any given day, I can either be running across the office finding important files or I could be meeting clients for Initial Assessment meetings. Overall, my experience has been very multidisciplinary.
I have worked in the psychosocial department, consulted doctors for client Medical Legal Reports, helped with social media and even have worked on the new website for Spirasi. Interestingly, the new website was just launched today and you can see my work under the Client Testimonial tab! My coworkers actually treat me like one of them and not just an “intern”. Although I am new in the office space, I have been given important responsibilities and am allowed to meet with clients as well. I have made several mistakes as well, but I learn from them.
I was recently given the task of making sure 10 clients arrive to a venue for a special UN day event. I had to call the clients constantly over the course of a week and plan itineraries for people coming from all across Ireland. These clients had very important speeches to give for the event, and it was my sole responsibility to help them (some who even struggled with English!) arrive safely. On the day of the event, I was rushing around the office, delegating other coworkers to meet clients and constantly on call with people. Although I was definitely stressed, I was glad that my boss entrusted me to get this done. And thankfully, it went very smoothly.
I could go on and on about the many interesting tasks that I have accomplished while working for Spirasi. It has been very exciting work and I look forward to coming into the office every day. There have been early mornings and late days, but I am beyond thankful for the knowledge and experience I have acquired.
^^^ This is a video of Spirasi students graduating from their English classes. I will be teaching a self-made curriculum to new students this summer!