With a windy start at the Docklands, we learned about our tour guide, Darren’s, experience as a teenager in Ireland. It was much less comfortable than the life we grew up around, and he has seen Ireland’s social and economic transformation firsthand. The Docklands were still barren in the 2000s, with very few housing options that had cost unspeakable prices. There is a single wall still standing, that has been preserved and used as an entrance to a new building.

In the business aspect, technology has caused a storm of change and made a clear division between the whole and the new. As the world changes, the way we communicate and travel has transformed due to technology. Even the way that we view our world has a stark difference from 20 years ago. For Darren, it was being the only one in his family to graduate high school and move to higher education, which instilled a sense of gratitude in him.

After our brief history lesson from Darren, we headed to Google, which has overtaken a large portion of the Docklands. For most of the tour, I was left speechless, looking at everything in awe. Their office is beautiful, they get free food every day and have various amenities such as a gym, dentist, and massage therapists. The employees or “Googlers” radiate with positivity and curiosity. We saw and heard a diverse team of the most intelligent people in the world. I heard my peer Ely say “I would work here for free”, and I have to agree. Working at Google Ireland seems like a dream, and the impact they are making is huge. Our guides spoke of a sort of ambiguity or freedom of working there, and that is something I can only imagine in a future career.

Each passing day in Dublin brings new knowledge and inspiration, and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds.

P.S. Visiting the Trinity College library is officially crossed off my bucket list ✓