Wrapping Up Month One

It is hard to believe I am already well into October.  Time is really flying by and the realization of how hard it will be to fit everything in that I hope to do here is hitting me.  I have definitely made the most of my time so far though! A few noteworthy activities in the closing days of September included learning how to windsurf, a night at the Merry Ploughboy Pub, my first stop at the Boston College Dublin office, and an awesome visit to the Google Dublin office.

I joined the windsurfing club here at UCD - because why not! I've never windsurfed before in my life and it looked like a ton of fun so I figured I would give it a go.  So far so good, I've only had a few rounds of practice, but I'll take being able to stay up on the board by my second time around.

The Merry Ploughboy is a traditional pub owned and managed by Irish musicians and it is known as one of the best venues in Dublin to experience Irish music and dancing. The live show is very entertaining and the performers are All Ireland champion musicians and dancers. As well as the music and dancing there were humorous explanations of the instruments along with stories about Ireland. The live show is widely regarded as the best traditional music show in Dublin.

Amazing uilleann pipes playing, very difficult

After a few classes at the BC Dublin office thus far, I suppose I am used to it by now.  Nonetheless it is in an amazing location on St. Stephen's Green in Dublin and is a very cool old building.  The hardwood floors and Waterford Crystal chandeliers make it one of my favorite buildings I have been in since arriving here.  It is BC's only office outside of Boston, so we are pretty lucky to have access to it.

Finally, by the end of the month, I was able to accomplish a goal I had set out in coming here - to visit the Google Dublin office - that's number 6!  As expected, the office was fun and Googley, and I really enjoyed speaking with a few Googlers while there.