Haha, this is the title because we had two tours today: a walking tour around Dublin and a bus tour around the outskirts of the city. Coming on this trip, I made a conscious effort not to make any assumptions about Dublin in order to stay open minded and be rid of any pre-existing expectations. Upon seeing the city firsthand on our walking tour, I knew it was nothing like I could have imagined. The first aspect I noticed, was the people are welcoming and friendly, whether it was someone approaching us in the lobby of our accommodation to ask where we were from, or the countless smiles and ‘hellos’ on the street. On the tour we were able to hear about the rich history of Dublin: like how the country was when the British were here as well as how the Vikings lived.
Speaking of Vikings, it was when a ‘party bus’ of people with Viking helmets passed that made me realize that I have never seen a Viking nor have seen any trace of them; that’s because they mainly built using wood which couldn’t withstand the years in between when they inhabited Ireland and when I went on this trip.
After the walking tour, we were able to eat lunch at Trinity College, the oldest college in Europe (Queen Elizabeth I actually gave permission to have it built in 1592). The food was good: sandwich, soup, ‘chips’ and our waitress was from Ohio which was crazy because same.
The bus tour was interesting because we got to see more green space and the more rural side of Ireland. The parks were so pretty and I just know my dog would loved it. My favorite stop was seeing the Irish Parliament. Even though the green space was beautiful, I found that the cobblestone streets of Temple Bar and the hustle and bustle of O’Connell Street more charming.
After learning the history and spending a full day observing the culture in Ireland, I am able to better understand why knowing this information is important when conducting international business. Knowing how a country has reacted to economic situations (ex: the current housing crisis, Brexit), who they have worked with (ex: they are part of the EU), and a basic overview of their history in general will not only show you care about Ireland, but will make doing business more efficient and you better prepared. The difference between if a business deal goes through or doesn’t comes down to knowledge of the culture. Irish people are known to do business with friends, so it is important to take Irish colleagues out to a lunch with no business talk to form a friendship. Then, at the end of lunch ask to set up a more formal meeting.
Overall, day 1 has been so much fun, the tours allowed me to be more appreciative of Dublin because now as I walk around and notice landmarks, I now know the origin. Plus, getting to learn about how business is conducted and note how Irish professionals act, I already feel like I could win over an Irish person to make a business deal! Just kidding, but I am thankful to have this knowledge as I continue on this trip and interact with professionals at future site visits.
Thank you for reading and see you tomorrow!
