Succulent syllables. Jam. Jamb. Iamb. sssssalt aand PEP!er Pep!er and sssssalt. mmmmmmarmalade made of rasp, rasp berry and lavishing laaaaVendor Ender enderby. Who is he? I prefer not, Bartleby. Sit next to jars and basil pots (not walls) Leafy leaves leaving the edge the lip of sticky marmalade jars. Herbs and spices, boxed up categorizing […]
via A Steep of Consciousness — A Little Bit of Happiness, for Life
A car ride surrounded by bundles of magazines and Galaxy bars gives me time to reflect on how lucky I am. I chose the right internship at the right time. Here I am, traveling on the job to see more of Ireland (aka Dundalk) and to promote Hot Press magazine. Foggy green hills mound ahead of me like a pile of mossy laundry and music mellows the airwaves.
Week 2 of the internship is nearing an end, as I sit here and have three hours left of my Friday. The full week went by faster than the 3 days in week 1. My media skills have grown widely in the past 5 days, as I can now upload news stories and content to the Hot Press website. Aside from publishing news stories, I have encountered the Irish band Bell X1, and chose my first gig to review! Next week I will be attending the Cork-born singer LYRA’s concert at Whelan’s. While she emits a Florence and the Machine vibe, she also gives off her own ethereal vocal light.
I must also admit, at week 2, the 30 minute walk every day and night has become a relaxing ritual. Instead of driving and thinking about the day, I can let off steam and release energy – no matter how tired I am by 6pm.
All in all, happy Friday! Off to Northern Ireland tomorrow. Eat, Sleep, Work, Explore. Eat.
Day 1
Skinny Prosecco, bubbly flutes, and a spur of the moment interview capped off my first day – and night – of work!
But before I got to the wine, I arrived at the Hot Press office in Dublin for 11 am. Straight away my boss sent me to DCU with two other team members. Car loaded with magazines, chocolate, and Listerine, we drove over the Liffey and to the college where we distributed free magazines and sweets. Some students went “Oooh! I love Hot Press.” Others regretfully shook their heads and eyeballed the chocolate longingly. Some backtracked and inquired as to how to acquire the chocolate. Food sells!
I did not mind showing my first day enthusiasm for Hot Press! One student asked me how I got such a cool job. She hopes to one day intern for the company as well. Not long after talking with her about the job did the afternoon let down its Irish hair – rain. I helped load the ‘boot’ of the car with leftover issues and boxes, moving as quickly as possibly.
From there, I quickly prepared for the interview I was called to do (during the college visit) and found my way along the rainy, cobbled streets to the Westbury Hotel.
I felt as if I entered a golden shiny movie! Fancy brass railings, marble stairs, and flashing cameras filled the lobby outside Balfes Bar and Restaurant. I straightened up, folded my wet umbrella, and marched into the bar. Only one problem…who was I suppose to interview? What does she look like? I called the contact from the email and saw the person in front of me on her phone too. Found the woman! She introduced me to several people, including the CEO of Skinny Prosecco, Amanda Thomson. After Amanda’s speech, we found a quiet spot upstairs and chatted. I asked about the public’s reception of the wine and her future plans for the company.
Day 2
Less hectic than my first day, I stayed in the office and learned how to enter names and emails into excel for the subscription database. And then, I flipped through huge, heavy books containing Hot Press volumes from 1978 -1980! It was so tempting to stop and read everything. Rory Gallagher to pregnant help lines filled the pages. I kept on task to find all mentions of U2 for an upcoming special!
Day 3
Hello, Hot Press. Day 3 spun me in a new direction once again. I learned how to let people into the building when they buzzed the door, and I was tasked with directing all calls at reception. Having worked at a Welcome Desk throughout college, I caught on quickly! The only difference with the phones here is that Irish accents can be difficult to understand. Did you say Evan or Ian? Rosie or Roisin?
After a morning at reception, I went upstairs to learn the tricks behind the website. An article by Caitlyn soon? Perhaps!
I am two days into my Global Experiences trip, and begin my Hot Press internship tomorrow morning! After hunting down the office this afternoon with my two housemates, I am pleased to announce I work near a Butler’s Chocolate shop! Yes, food -especially chocolate – is vital to my happiness at work. The hundreds of tea shops along the way brighten up the prospect of a 20 minute walk to work. Hot Press is in a great central location and I feel fortunate to save on bus money! Right around the corner from the building will be my housemate, Donna, working for a company called Exchange. It appears I will have a lunch break buddy!
On the flip side, my roommate, Bailey, continues her trek to work by crossing over the Liffey River and catching a bus to her office. In total, her commute could take up to 45 minutes. Perhaps she can meet us downtown for dinner on her way back through the city. Food always is the answer! The city life can add some stress if you are use to hopping in a car and driving on straight roads for fifteen minutes to work. But at least the commute to work requires exercise! I will definitely earn those cups of tea and hot chocolate. 😉
Today started off grand. I learned that an old poem of mine will appear in the arts and culture chapbook for the Limerick based organization, Stanzas. I am already grounding myself in Irish culture! Unfortunately, I will not make it to the showcase evening where all the participants read poetry and present their art. Stanzas holds monthly events, so there is always the October one! That was a great start to the morning.
The day continued to be a success. I stopped one last time at the Mystic Seaport and watched the last wooden whaling ship get a tune-up by the skilled crew. I then headed over to the one and only Clyde’s Cider Mill – and boy did it feel like a blue-sky, pumpkin-picking kind of day! The gravel parking area was a big apple orchard scented candle, luring you into a sugary, kettle corn, and apple scented room.
For only 70 cents, you can satiate your tasters with an apple cider donut. They are the ideal combo of cinnamon, sugar, and apple. Plus, each are delicately fluffy. If only I remember a mug of warm cider for dunking!
Moving on from there, my mom and I reposed at our old stomping grounds. Niantic, CT.The sand felt like a warm blanket from the dryer despite the moderately cool air. We watched as the unusually sparkly, royal blue water carried big ships and small sailboats along the horizon. And from the corner of our eye, the silohuettes of two fishermen on rocks filled the scene with maritime longing.
Am I forgetting anything to do or get before I depart? Ah yes, fudge! I will not be allowed into the country of Ireland without the fudge. I traditionally bring my boyfriend and his family a box of fudge from Mystic. Let’s just say it doesn’t last long in that house!
It feels as if only yesterday I had 130 days until my flight to Ireland. Now that I have just 4 days to go, I feel like that is ‘feck all’ time, as well as a lifetime away. Today, I took a stroll through Harkness Park and marveled at the billowing kites floating out in mid-air, like a colored-in cloud. No strings attached. I could not see the master of kites, but I assume they were among the thick of trees.
If you were the kite, high above the Harkness mansion rooftop, you would see a blue and white wedding taking place at noon near a sandy shore. A bagpiper may even fill your ears with a ceremonial song. And if you craned your kite neck to the opposite side, you would see ferries and schooners leaving frothy white writing in the choppy Sound. Three lighthouses, two islands, and a university mansion can also be seen, if you were so keen to observe.
My morning at the park made me realize how close autumn is. The usual summer picnic-ers are gone and the admission to state parks is free. Time for vacant beaches, fields, and fall holidays. I won’t have a fall New England this year, but before I fly to Dublin, I hope to enjoy a few apple cider donuts and pumpkin pie! As there are only 4 days left in the States, I am to soak in the tail of summer heat and the head of a cozy, cool season. This means: one last sundae from the homemade ice cream shop in Salem, CT, one last cycle around the neighborhood, and one more stroll through Mystic Seaport.
I am ready to have a very Irish autumn! Now, I best start packing :O
A Maritime Studies graduate takes on journalism! Only 30 days to go now until I land in Dublin and pursue a new field (or ocean, if you will). Instead of writing about Somalian pirates or the troubles in the South Sea, I may encounter a different type of piracy within the topics covered at Hot Press magazine. The magazine is close to or equivalent to the Rolling Stone publication. Topics span from music to politics to opinion pieces. This variety excites me as it provides more opportunity to explore the ins and outs of journalism. A recent Hot Press article announced that Irish musician, Glen Hansard, will return to Vicar Street for an Autumn show. Beneath that article, a news piece gave an update about the Eighth Amendment. Whatever I end up doing during my 12 week internship will give me a full sense of the journalism field. I hope I can prove that no matter what your degree in, you can succeed at a job that entails what you are passionate about.
At the moment, two things are on my mind:
Oh, and …3) Where’s the closest ice cream shop to the office building?
As I write this down, I am in the shade on my lunch break during one of the hottest days of the summer. I currently work for the Mystic Seaport Museum, incorporating my maritime knowledge and improving my people skills. I interpret history and make concepts, such as forces used at sea, relevant to everyone. Yesterday, for instance, I explained the Coriolis Effect on hurricanes in the Northern hemisphere and how this force affects humans. In the same day, I knocked down pins with a spinning top to demonstrate the old tavern game Skittles. As I will soon do with journalism, my words will communicate and decipher knowledge for many people.
Stay tuned for the details of my internship project and duties!
I have surpassed the busiest weekend of the summer at the Mystic Seaport without injury, save for one large blister from unsuccessfully twisting a tacky-glue cap. Working with children, hot wax, and hot glue leaves one exhausted and constantly peeling away webs of adhesive. This in-between summer job has made me question the what-ifs. What-if I stayed at Champlain College and pursued a professional writing career? What-if I gained impressive experience and inspiration from the professors there in Vermont? Would I be here scraping glue from counters and kindly asking visitors to leave their beverage outside for the thousandth time?
77 days and 5 hours. By that exact day, I will know my placement in Dublin. I want to try something completely new – but something I know I was meant to try long ago.
I am more nervous about over the phone interviews than I am about meeting in person. Lucky me – the phone interview for a position at the National Maritime Museum of Ireland actually turned out to be a video call! I anxiously awaited my 9:30am appointment by sending the man a “I’m ready when you are” message. We started ten minutes early. *Phew* All tension melted away when he smiled and welcomed me back to Dublin.
While a position at the Maritime Museum seems most fitting to my current career path and experience, I am hoping for another interview opportunity with a journalism company. My current battle is between sticking to familiarity or pursuing a curiosity. Whatever position I land, doors will open while I’m there and I will seek a permanent position in the field (sea) I love.
I am 100 days away from landing in Dublin for my Global Experiences internship. To me, that seems a life-time away! In the coming weeks, I will have an interview or two with potential employers. Usually I do not like the unknown, but I am embracing the possibilities because I know whatever I obtain will be positive. Can I start packing now? Of course I can. I already slipped a few sweaters into my blue duffel bag when I packed away my winter attire. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
The excitement between my graduation from the University of Connecticut and this internship will be filled by a summer of fun at my second favorite place to be – The Mystic Seaport. In a week, I begin the summer season at America’s Museum of the Sea for the third year in a row. My first summer there involved learning all about the 38th voyage of the old wooden whale ship Charles W. Morgan and traveling to Boston to assist with a dockside exhibit for her port of call. All the ship-fitters, interpreters, and staff were buzzing around to help out with the Morgan’s voyage, so my first summer naturally fell into the hectic flow as well. Last summer was also busy, as I took on the seaport internship and worked for the Exhibits Department – while also traveling once a week to a New England museum. I think this summer will fair differently! My assignments include interpreting all the areas that attract children – Art Spot (care to make a candle?), Toy Boats, Children’s Museum, and the Discovery Barn (come in, I’ll teach you about the mechanical advantages found on the fishing schooner L.A Dunton). I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my summer.
From the Mystic River to the Irish Sea, I am right where I want to be. 
Across the Atlantic, I Docked in Dublin 