Today, we went to the Docklands, as it’s name entails, a part of Ireland that used to be used as a docking area for ships. There, we met Dr. Kelly, one of our resident historians, in front of the previously used customs house for the dock. While Dr. Kelly took us around the Docklands, explaining the transition of Ireland from an agricultural economy into one of technology and innovation, I felt a similar connection to Japan. Japan used to be an agricultural economy as well, but with the rise of the industrial era, it underwent similar transformations as Ireland did, although not as rapidly. I especially connected to Dr. Kelly’s personal background, when he talked about the sudden gap of education, salary, and opportunity between his parents and his siblings and himself. My grandparents are farmers, but their children, my parents and my uncles, are now doctors, researchers, and team leaders, nothing like the generation before. As Dr. Kelly talked about the history of the Docklands, as well as the extremely quick economic and educational development that Ireland underwent, more of Irish culture and Dublin as a whole became clear to me. Looking at the Irish diet, whether that is soda bread, potatoes, meats, or pies, these are foods that farmers ate in the day. That is the main diet of Ireland, but what I have seen is a minority of international restaurants throughout Dublin. From a country that, less than a century ago was almost entirely Irish natives, to having American, Indian, and Japanese restaurants sparsely around the city shows a gradual change of the Irish landscape into one that is international. The sudden change of old and new Ireland can be seen especially in the architecture as well. There are brick buildings next to ones made out of steel and glass, a clash of modern architecture and the utility of the old. There are also some old brick buildings and warehouses repurposed into modern buildings, and some modern buildings that use brick to bring out an older touch. There is more I can talk about, but learning about the history of Ireland created a new perspective for me and made me more keen into looking more carefully into the various aspects of Dublin to find more examples of the clash, fuse, and transformation of the old and the new.

After our tour around Docklands, we went on a site visit to Google. While it was a company that I knew from just common knowledge, it was impressive to see how Google’s culture shaped itself into the Irish. Since Google is such an international company, there is not much to change about Google, wherever it goes, there is not much to fix or change. Most people that worked there were international too, so apart from regulations, there isn’t much that Google has to worry about. This was especially apparent in the employees that we talked about, from Mexico and England, showing the impressive international background and talent that an massive international company has. If I had the choice to work at Google though, I would not. Since I am majoring in supply chain and operations, my interests would be better suited for Amazon or DHL, but I cannot disagree with the unique and creative experience that I would get out of Google. From the talks and walking around the buildings, everyone taught each other and tried unique and creative ways to approach their problems, which I see as a crucial skill in my success as a developing business professional.