The last week was a little different than the previous weeks. First, people were worried about posters and presentations and reports, and also with packing. Not only that but we had to clean the apartment so that we would get our deposit back. We did however find some time for some fun!!
On Tuesday we headed out with David for something called a table quiz (James and I first bought our souvenirs at where else but Carrolls. We pooled all of our finds together hoping to get the promised advertised CD, only to find out later that the advertised wasn't the right one... boooo) A table quiz is usually a fundraiser activity. This one was for David's friends on a roller derby team. You sit in a pub with 5 to a team and they have 10 rounds of questions. The team that gets the most right wins. This is with of course a few pints. Our team was me, David, James, and 2 of David's friends... Olivier was there but he pretended that he didn't speak English. Anyways, we were 2nd after the first round. However, after that we failed miserably and ended second to last. But all in all it was a great night.
On Wednesday was our practice presentations. I had practiced the night before and with Elaine that morning so all went fairly well. I was given some things to change that took very little time. I also had turned in my poster the day before. Things were slowly coming to an end in the lab, and all I really had left to do on Thursday was my paper. Symposium on Friday!!!
That Wednesday night we played some beer pong and hung out for the last normal day. People worked on papers and presentations, and just generally hung out. It was great normal last night... I knew that I would miss those nights.
On Thursday we cleaned up the house a bit. Didn't take too long, but we were still cleaning when Olivier came to cook dinner. It was quite funny with him cooking while we were all running around cleaning the house. That night I packed... I had to make sure my bags didn't weigh too much. I also practiced my presentation.
Friday... last day in Ireland and symposium!!!
Today was the day that the internship had been leading up to and I had been dreading. It was the day I would be giving my presentation on my research and also saying goodbye to all of the wonderful people I had met.
I had to be at the BDI by 9 so it was quite an early morning. We then proceeded to give our presentations. The room wasn't packed at all, but my mentor and my PI (principal investigator) were there to watch. I was slightly nervous, given that I had never said a word about science in front of my PI before this day. I was fourth on. The presentation went just as I had wanted it to. When I went back to my seat I'm pretty sure my mentor had tears in her eyes. To know that she was happy with what I had done was wonderful. I knew that I was happy with what I had done, but to get her approval as well, someone I had learned to respect over the past few months was all I could ask for. My PI also approved and thanked me for all of my hard work. I also had to give a cultural presentation of my time in Ireland. It was the students' perspective, so it was my job to encapsulate all of the students' time into my presentation. I almost felt more pressure for this presentation than the first one, just because the non academic part of the program meant so much to me. I appreciated that just as much as I did the research part. Everyone thought it was funny and said it was a job well done.
Then started the goodbyes. After a glass of wine with Emma and Aoife and a huge thanks and goodbye to them, I headed to say goodbye to Elaine's friends that had grown to be my friends and a final goodbye to Robert. Then to the pub with Elaine and the rest of the UREKAs to start the drinking for the night.
Stephen left first... I knew at that point it would not be an easy night.
After a few pints, I had to say goodbye to Elaine. I was SO thankful for everything she had done for me. My experience would not have been half as meaningful if she hadn't been my mentor. I will miss her, and hope that all goes smoothly for her in the future.
Then we headed home for some more drinks at our place. This was mostly kings cup, which most of the people had never played before and I think I managed to teach well!! They enjoyed it, especially the drive part.
We then headed out for a great night. First dinner at the market bar. We went from pub to pub to pub, trying to relive the wonderful time we had spent in Ireland. We started at the smallest pub in Dublin and then went to the bar with no name and ended up at the Quays. People slowly left as they had to catch buses... I tried not to be sad, but it was hard. I knew that I would miss these people and all of the fun times I had had.
Finally only David and the internationals were left. James and I had our last pin of Bulmers. It was close to 3 am and James and my flight left at 6:30 am. Time to head home, make last minute pack ups and say goodbye to my family that had formed.
I was exhausted. I tried not to cry, but it was really hard especially with Laetitia. I would miss her a ton. Our taxi came, we all walked out together, one last hug from everyone (I know it won't be forever... I will see these people some time in my life again. But it was definitely a goodbye for now) and then James and I were off. Time for our OAFA through Europe...
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