Work Experience/
Community Service and Extra-Curricular Activities
Scuba Diving
On the last Monday of November, I took part in my first extra-curricular activity in the form of scuba diving. I had never gone scuba diving before the course, so it was definitely a brand new experience for me. I absolutely love swimming, but I wasn't sure about scuba diving because, as I found out on the day, it is very different.
At first, when we received our gear, I found getting to grips with it a bit complicated and once we finally got into the water, I was slightly overwhelmed. In the beginning I found it difficult to stay underwater for longer periods of time. I was totally disorientated by the whole phenomenon of breathing underwater with a tank full of air strapped to my back.
After many breaks and attempts to stay underwater for longer, I finally got used to it a little and became fairly comfortable with the whole activity.
Overall, I'm not sure if I'll ever return to scuba diving. I feel that the past-time doesn't sit perfectly with me, but it was definitely good to try something new.
At first, when we received our gear, I found getting to grips with it a bit complicated and once we finally got into the water, I was slightly overwhelmed. In the beginning I found it difficult to stay underwater for longer periods of time. I was totally disorientated by the whole phenomenon of breathing underwater with a tank full of air strapped to my back.
After many breaks and attempts to stay underwater for longer, I finally got used to it a little and became fairly comfortable with the whole activity.
Overall, I'm not sure if I'll ever return to scuba diving. I feel that the past-time doesn't sit perfectly with me, but it was definitely good to try something new.
Community Service
Festina Lente
Community Service Blog Piece
Community service in Festina Lente was a great experience in which I could help an organisation, that does truly great things, which is also very near my school.
Signing up for community service in Festina Lente I was expecting to do a lot of gardening work and maintaining of crops. Honestly, I definitely got more than what I asked for.
The first day, we were greeted with the scent of decaying horse manure, which doesn't actually smell that bad. We were tasked to shovel horse manure, from a heap of horse manure, into plastic bags and to deposit them in a storage unit. It was an interesting experience that was quite physically challenging. Little did I know, I would be returning to this activity quite regularly.
Later that day we were tasked to clear the weeds in between different gardening plots in the walled gardens. This was classic gardening stuff that I didn't mind. It was quite tedious, but we got the job done.
The next day we were introduced to "bark mulching" which was basically just loading a trailer full of tree bark using a shovel, and later emptying it in places where bark was needed for aesthetic reasons. Once again, it was quite tiring physical work, but I found it quite enjoyable.
And after lunch that day, we were once again designated to the manure pit, where we shovelled and shovelled for quite a while.
On Wednesday we were sent to the manure heap for the third time, but this time our experience was a bit different. We deployed a conveyor belt and hopper that was accompanied by a tractor. This speeded up the process of loading bags full of manure considerably. One person would always stand on the end of the conveyor belt, controlling its operation, while simultaneously filling the bags. I spent a lot of time fulfilling this role.
Overall, my community service placement was filled with a lot of hard physical activities and it was great to give a helping hand in my community.
Community service in Festina Lente was a great experience in which I could help an organisation, that does truly great things, which is also very near my school.
Signing up for community service in Festina Lente I was expecting to do a lot of gardening work and maintaining of crops. Honestly, I definitely got more than what I asked for.
The first day, we were greeted with the scent of decaying horse manure, which doesn't actually smell that bad. We were tasked to shovel horse manure, from a heap of horse manure, into plastic bags and to deposit them in a storage unit. It was an interesting experience that was quite physically challenging. Little did I know, I would be returning to this activity quite regularly.
Later that day we were tasked to clear the weeds in between different gardening plots in the walled gardens. This was classic gardening stuff that I didn't mind. It was quite tedious, but we got the job done.
The next day we were introduced to "bark mulching" which was basically just loading a trailer full of tree bark using a shovel, and later emptying it in places where bark was needed for aesthetic reasons. Once again, it was quite tiring physical work, but I found it quite enjoyable.
And after lunch that day, we were once again designated to the manure pit, where we shovelled and shovelled for quite a while.
On Wednesday we were sent to the manure heap for the third time, but this time our experience was a bit different. We deployed a conveyor belt and hopper that was accompanied by a tractor. This speeded up the process of loading bags full of manure considerably. One person would always stand on the end of the conveyor belt, controlling its operation, while simultaneously filling the bags. I spent a lot of time fulfilling this role.
Overall, my community service placement was filled with a lot of hard physical activities and it was great to give a helping hand in my community.
Photography Course
The Photography Course took place on the 11th and 12th of December. Students who signed up for the extra curricular activity experienced a small introduction to Portrait Photography. Each student taking part in the workshop was taught the basics on how to use a camera. Also, every student partook in the role of the photographer, the model and the light organiser.
The course produced some brilliant photographs that the students can really be proud of.
The course produced some brilliant photographs that the students can really be proud of.
Work Experience
McCabe's Coffee
For my second Work Experience week I was lucky enough to take part in various factory tasks in the McCabe's Coffee Roastery.
On the first day, I was introduced to the journey of a coffee bean, starting at the coffee plant and ending in a cup of coffee. This included the way coffee beans are dried and prepared before they are roasted.
After that, I was introduced to the workings of the roastery, the packing system and the overall idea of receiving orders. I'm proud to say that I was tasked with supplying the Avoca Warehouse. I had to pack various different blends of coffee into smaller packets, which would be used for retail. After a while I got pretty efficient at it.
I also had the opportunity to partake in some customer service by delivering people's orders along with another member of staff. The delivery system is very customer friendly because a worker of the company will make sure that everything coffee related is working smoothly in the client’s business. This a very good business model that I learned a lot from.
I additionally was allowed to take part in a barista training course during my work experience. This course has in many ways allowed me to potentially get a job as a barista in the near future.
Lastly, I was introduced to some of the background workings of the company when I participated in writing up invoices for the many clients of the business. I don't plan on being an accountant in the future, but I didn't mind calculating the costs of orders.
In the end, work experience in McCabe's Coffee was a truly brilliant occasion to learn some practical skills that will more than likely be useful in the future.
On the first day, I was introduced to the journey of a coffee bean, starting at the coffee plant and ending in a cup of coffee. This included the way coffee beans are dried and prepared before they are roasted.
After that, I was introduced to the workings of the roastery, the packing system and the overall idea of receiving orders. I'm proud to say that I was tasked with supplying the Avoca Warehouse. I had to pack various different blends of coffee into smaller packets, which would be used for retail. After a while I got pretty efficient at it.
I also had the opportunity to partake in some customer service by delivering people's orders along with another member of staff. The delivery system is very customer friendly because a worker of the company will make sure that everything coffee related is working smoothly in the client’s business. This a very good business model that I learned a lot from.
I additionally was allowed to take part in a barista training course during my work experience. This course has in many ways allowed me to potentially get a job as a barista in the near future.
Lastly, I was introduced to some of the background workings of the company when I participated in writing up invoices for the many clients of the business. I don't plan on being an accountant in the future, but I didn't mind calculating the costs of orders.
In the end, work experience in McCabe's Coffee was a truly brilliant occasion to learn some practical skills that will more than likely be useful in the future.
Work Experience
Wildfire Films
Just after the Easter break, I attended Work Experience at Wildfire Films in Dublin. This was a truly fantastic opportunity for me to get a closer look on how a production company is run.
Wildfire Films is not a huge production company, but despite their small numbers they have created fantastic documentaries over the years, such as OCD and Me, A Portrait of a Gallery and Anthony Foley: Munsterman.
When I was at the firm I participated in a number of activities. I attended the filming of a documentary in the Gaiety Theater, observing the camerawork and the recording of the audio. I also read through a script for a movie and reviewed it, highlighting its strong and weak points. In addition to all of this, I did some transcribing work for a future documentary.
Wildfire Films is not a huge production company, but despite their small numbers they have created fantastic documentaries over the years, such as OCD and Me, A Portrait of a Gallery and Anthony Foley: Munsterman.
When I was at the firm I participated in a number of activities. I attended the filming of a documentary in the Gaiety Theater, observing the camerawork and the recording of the audio. I also read through a script for a movie and reviewed it, highlighting its strong and weak points. In addition to all of this, I did some transcribing work for a future documentary.
Work Experience
Octatube
For my last Work Experience placement I had the opportunity to go abroad and work in a company named Octatube. Octatube specialises in creating glass and steel façades for buildings. The firm has recently entered the Irish market and was in charge of creating and installing the glass roof in the courtyard of the National Gallery of Ireland.
During the week, I worked in an office and interacted regularly with other members of staff, which is a valuable experience to have had for many jobs I will potentially have in the future.
I was also included in the designing of a façade for a future project. I created a rough design of a façade (that's all I can say. Confidential stuff!) that was used for estimations on how many glass panes would be used in the project, what shapes the glass would have, e.t.c.
During my week in the Netherlands definitely expanded my knowledge of programs such as Sketchup or Excel. These programs will most likely be very useful to me in any future jobs.
During the week, I worked in an office and interacted regularly with other members of staff, which is a valuable experience to have had for many jobs I will potentially have in the future.
I was also included in the designing of a façade for a future project. I created a rough design of a façade (that's all I can say. Confidential stuff!) that was used for estimations on how many glass panes would be used in the project, what shapes the glass would have, e.t.c.
During my week in the Netherlands definitely expanded my knowledge of programs such as Sketchup or Excel. These programs will most likely be very useful to me in any future jobs.