Matt Van Thyne 5/31/2015

We made it! After a nice seven hour flight across the pond we arrived in Dublin at 7 AM ready to explore Ireland. The bus ride from the Dublin airport to the Heuston train station was a quick tour of the city. The architecture is amazing in Dublin with a mix of historic cobblestone and modern buildings. Before we left Dublin we were able to snap a few shots of the Guinness brewery, toothpick, and the train station.

Bus Ride from Dublin Airport to Heuston Train Station

We set off on another journey from Heuston train station to Cork exploring through the Irish countryside at 10 AM. Everything is green! We arrived at Cork around 1230 PM after our nice train ride. Some of us rested up for the night and a few of us explored Cork.

For the evening we took a short train ride to Cobh which was the last port call for the Titanic. We visited a cathedral with incredible architecture and detail. We were able to link up with the other study abroad group for dinner at Trade Winds which was great to have everyone in the same place! Finally we set back to Cork for a good night’s rest.

Headed to dinner in Cobh!

Sláinte!

-Matt Van Thyne

Next Stop, Dublin! 5/30/2015

Our 10-hour layover in Newark is coming to an end, and we will soon board the plane for Dublin!  Although we were all exhausted and sleep-deprived when we got off the plane, we took advantage of our time in the airport and went over the itinerary for our trip, expectations of the course, and had a great discussion about what it means to be a global leader. 

One of my major takeaways from our discussion is that it is vital to this trip and our development as international leaders that we understand our own cultural preferences and biases and keep an open mind when interacting with people from other cultures.  Otherwise, it is easy to misinterpret behavior and view a simple miscommunication as rudeness or disagreement. Dr. Herd and Dr. Rose have challenged each of us to talk with the people we meet in Ireland about global leadership and to ask them what they have learned about different cultures in their travels.  I am so excited to meet new people and hear about their thoughts on international leadership!  

-Chelsea McKendree

Emily Griffin 5/30/15

Waking up at 4am was all but fun! However, the fun to come will sure be well worth it!  As I headed out this morning, I made sure everything was packed—especially the essentials: passport, i.d., and UofL student i.d.  Groggy eyed, I found myself at the airport.  I was the first one there and a little hesitant because I had only found out two short weeks ago that I was going on this trip! I had no idea who was coming, but luckily I knew two people!  As we waited to depart, we discussed where we are from and who we are.  It was apparent that we are all very different.  Some of us are older, younger, military, non-military, married, married with children, single, in a relationship, etc.  It was really neat to see a group of students connect so fast! It only makes me excited for the days to come!

We boarded our first plan to Newark a little late.  However, we still made it on time! The flight was very smooth and we reached our destination safely.  When we landed, we found seats in the food court and all went to find breakfast.  The airport is pretty large and pretty expensive.  We sat down and begin discussing the syllabus.  All of the events that are planned look very exciting and historical. 

We decided to have class time since we had such a long layover.  We discussed global leadership in depth.  We talked about how we see ourselves by taking somewhat of a self-reflection survey of who we are.  We looked at 17 different cultural dimensions and rated how we felt towards the phrases.  It was really neat to see how we are alike and different.  Professor Herd wanted us to dig deep into these dimensions and compare dimensions along the board.  I really enjoyed the discussion we had about how we would have to approach leadership globally. 

I am excited to see where the rest of this trip takes me and what cultural leadership dimensions I will learn along the way!

-Emily Griffin

Dagmar Hilsher 5/29/2015

May 29^th, 2015

The last day at home - tomorrow is departure day, the day we embark on our journey to Ireland. It is so exciting to travel in a group that is diverse in itself to learn about different cultures and to experience beautiful and fascinating Ireland. What better opportunity to learn about Leadership Development Across Cultures than a situation where we all are immersed in the exact situation being discussed.

However, all of that will start tomorrow; today the focus is on getting ready and making sure one is prepared. According to the 10-day forecast on my cell phone we are going to be very lucky with the weather. Only one day of rain in sight, the rest is just wind, sunshine and some clouds. Temperatures are going to be between 51 and 63 F. Still, the weather can change quickly and it is better to be prepared. The packing list should definitely include rain protection and leave some flexibility in clothing. Most importantly, the study materials need to be packed to where they are accessible during our long layover in Newark. After a lot of evaluating and deciding what should be packed, what needs to be in the carry-on bag, and what can be packed in the suitcase the luggage is now finally ready for departure. To avoid running late I decided to check in already so that I will have to only drop off my suitcase tomorrow morning. A last check ensures that all the important paperwork is readily available. The passport is packed, accessible, valid, and my own. The boarding passes are right there with it, together with all itineraries. Now I can relax, spend some last hours with my family and try to get some sleep, it will be a short night. The alarm clock is set for 3 A.M. and I can hardly wait…