First Week/First Impressions
Though my family had told me, this was the first time I was realizing that people drove on the left! I stood there at the corner, hesitant to cross the street because cars were zooming by really fast- in the middle of the city! My housing at University College Dublin started the following day, so I spent my first night at a trendy hostel, the Generator.
Realizing it wasn't another 5 hours until check-in, I put my bags away and went to the breakfast area. Sitting and eating, it was weird watching other people sit with their friends and families like this was their everyday thing when I felt as if everything was different, from the roads to the buildings, who I saw and how people greeted each other. Looking back a week later, it's almost like this moment was a month ago, not a mere 6 days. Talking a bit with some locals got me more familiar with the area, later deciding to practice my walk to work for the next morning. I wouldn't want to be late because I got lost!
Dance Event I saw on my first day:
The day passed by and I met people from all around Europe at the hostel. Luckily, I got a goodnight's sleep (until night two when Mr. Chainsaw Snorer stayed a night) and was pumped for my new job.
Now, Qualtrics- that's an awesome place! I got to the company and had a great vibe from the moment I walked in and met Joseph, my new boss. After a quick tour of the office, I was excited about where my desk was, the drawer and kitchen full of food and Kinder Chocolate (my favorite) and the massage chair for a nice break.
Joseph told me a bit of what my specific role would be, which was to help Qualtrics expand their client base in the academic market for Germany, Austria and Switzerland through research and talking with people with goal of eventually getting these people together for an event with their American partner universities. I was excited by this task and after some thinking, thought of an approach and feel that I can execute it well.
Shortly, I began meeting my amazing colleagues. Every time I spoke with someone, I felt and instant connection and appreciated that there is no small talk outside of the states- people jump to what they're thinking and I did too. To me, this helps build relationships faster and there is a felt vitality between the two people. Every conversation I've had so far felt personal, lively, and made me happy. Today, I feel as if I have known my colleges for more than 5 days.
An hour after I sat down to start my project, it was lunch, so myself, my boss Joseph and three other people decided to go out to a place close to work. The beef and Guinness stew was great and talking with everyone was even better!
I like how everyday, people sit down at tables in office (Wed and Fri when we have food catered) or go out to really make it feel like a break from work, not just a break from not eating. However, because of the office kitchen, I guess you could say I eat all day- or every 2 hours- anyway.
After my first day at work, I moved into my apartment at UCD campus but with difficulty, A long wait for the bus to get to the big college campus and then a tiring walk to find the registration building was not what I was expecting. More so, I had to take another bus to the Business Campus, where my housing was. After another 30 minute wait for the bus and a quick ride, I was standing by the Blackrock shopping centre with no idea of where my dorm was.
And no smartphone!
I quickly found a person at the Blackrock shopping centre who was very helpful, though my address was unanimous no even he could find it on his smartphone. Even the cab driver didn't know where it was!
But I am typing this blog post so that means I eventually found it.
Although I enjoy the place now, looking back, my first impressions were that it felt strange and that I had some good humor when I saw my bathroom, where the shower is the bathroom, meaning it's not closed off. I looked at the kitchen the next morning and remembered seeing episodes of House Hunters International where Americans laughed at how small the refrigerators were and felt myself fall into the same situation. Seeing the washing machine in the kitchen was familiar because that's how it is at my grandma's house in Slovakia too. The view is amazing though!
Despite my weird first impressions of the apartment, I went to work my second day and had a great time. I met more people and am learning that I really like chatting up with people everywhere I go, whether I'm in the kitchen or the main work place or int the break spaces. The people feel uninhibited in talking with me and I've noticed that instead of people just saying hello, asking how you are and walking away, people stop and talk and you end up talking for 5 or so minutes.
Every Thursday are company wide conference calls, TGIT, where everyone from the Dublin, Provo and Seattle office sit down and update each other on progress and the future direction of the company. Being at this video call made me feel informed and I was glad I took some business classes and the classes I am taking at Michigan because I understood the jargon and felt very knowledgeable about what was being discussed.
Friday came, not too productive of a day for anyone, and my colleague and I took a lot of breaks, which I found out was custom in Ireland and in Europe. I remember asking Joseph on my first day if I need to clock in/out when I arrive and go to lunch and his saying no. I like this system better because I can enjoy my lunch breaks with out needing to check the time and find people to not be on their cell phones at lunch. I also like how people go out after work on Friday. After work, my colleagues and I went to the company bar (such as surprise to have a company bar!) and were later joined by our boss, who helped pour us drinks as he began sharing stories about beer. Just a couple hours ago, I was nervous about meeting my boss but ended up enjoying his company, and now here we are drinking Irish beers together!
A picture of me, Therese and Rachael at our bar.
Bonus: fun in the wind!
