Today’s excursions had one reoccurring theme: past and future.

On today’s agenda, we attended a walking tour of the Docklands Financial District with our tour guide being Dr. Darren Kelly. Out of all the tours we’ve experienced thus far, this one has been by far my favorite. Dr. Kelly was a great guide as he made connections to both the United States and Ireland which made for an interesting take on history and business as a whole. Furthermore, he included elements of psychology as well as made it an interactive experience for the group. Through this tour I gained a better understanding of Dublin’s economic history, specifically the financial situation.

I learned with many of the Irish unable to pay their mortgages or rent back to the bank back then has caused real-estate to sell for very low prices. With the prices of real-estate being at an all time low, many larger tech and other businesses have migrated into Dublin. The newer Ireland has become a central hub for many businesses and technology companies. Notably, the older parts of Dublin such as the place we are staying for the duration of the trip has a more historical and rugged characteristic look to it. Unlike the older parts of Ireland, it is notable that the newer parts of Ireland has greater architectural features such as fancy buildings and bridges as well as well kept streets and fancier shops. As a consequence of many estate properties being converted into businesses, it forced many of the Irish who can’t afford rent or a mortgage for a house to be homeless. It saddens me to know that while it is easy to hike up the prices of rent or the principle on loans this is the cost of doing business today. Unfortunately, the cost of living has become too expensive for many which has greatly attributed to the homeless population of Ireland. In terms of the culture and people of Ireland, it was noted that the Great Famine greatly affected the population number. To this day, the country still has not recovered. Culturally, it is interesting to observe how the past and future of education has changed. In the past, it was common for the Irish to not continue after primary school and get a college education. Instead, they may open a beauty salon or some other business. For me, I always knew college was expected in my future. Today, it is more common for the Irish to go to college and get a degree.

After our tour, we had the chance to visit a company called ThinkHouse. As a modern marketing agency, ThinkHouse works to provide their services to many companies that are looking to maintain a certain youthfulness through their Youth Lab and creative services. I thought it was interesting that many of the employees actually look to their younger employees for new ideas and different ways of thinking. With a heavy focus on the younger generation, I believe this drives the newer Ireland as it provides a fresh take on the old Ireland. The only way to generate change as we learned today is to think outside the box. With this shift, it undoubtedly presents both challenges and benefits. On the challenging side, it can be hard to make changes. As human creatures, we often rely on routines and being in our comfort zone. We tend to dislike change as it creates anxiety of the unknowns. However, change is often necessary. In this regard, while change may be a bumpy journey, the risk associated produces reward and growth. For Ireland, this means the transition from old to new means not completely shedding their old roots, but making room for a new, progressive future for the people, culture, businesses, and most importantly the country. Overall, both the tour and company visits allowed me to gain a better perspective of the shifts in business and how it has come to be today.

Wrapping up, I want to conclude with a discovery that I made via conversations that I hadn’t thought of before. During the tour, Dr. Kelly explained that in the United States we as students rely on our professors to receive a good grade in a course. For us, we are taught if we follow step-by step, the outcome is often to be expected a good grade. However in Ireland, professors want to see students earn their good grades by proving they are willing to put in the hard work and are competent in the material. For them, they take on a more laissez faire or “hands off” approach. This may mean that there are multiple “correct” ways of doing things. Similarly, their business approach is seen in this way. The takeaway from today is that I would like to get better at incorporating this approach into my daily life.

Signing off today! See you tomorrow.