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Talk about

·        Yourself

·        How you prepared for abroad

·        Your Accommodation

·        Your workplace

·        The Country

·        Your Free Time

·        What is going well

·        Difficulties

·        Your recommendations

·        Your tips for future Students

·        Upload plenty of photos and videos

·        Make a Vlog if you prefer

Enjoy

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Excited to be here

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I'm looking forward to the trip

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Looking forward to seeing a new city!

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I am excited to have a new experience

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Excited to be going somewhere new!

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I'm very excited to visit Bologna, Italy.

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Excited for Bologna !

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Very excited to see a new place!

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Can’t wait to experience more with animals in a new scenery 

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looking forward to gaining both work and cultural experiences!

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Looking forward for the morettis

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I'm excited about about Bologna for multiple reasons:

I love food.

Work placement in something I'm interested in.

The multiple trips in the surrounding areas.

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So excited about the trip

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The first day was great. We had a tour of historical sites. Incredible architecture!

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Settled in to apartments.

Slept like a rock (the beds are good)

Went shopping in the morning.

At 2pm we had a guided tour. A lot of was about history so it went over my head but it was still nice to walk around and see some hotspots.

Picked up some much needed Italian:

Scusi - Excuse me / Sorry
Scusa - Sorry
Tosse - cough
Medicine - Medicinale
Ciao - Hi/Bye

Day 3: Just relaxing and catching up on work.

Photo dump will be here over the past 3 days.

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First day in Bologna: sights from our guided tour (statue of Neptune, cathedral, architecture), street performers, group dinner

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Friday night we flew in and were brought to our apartments. We went out for some dinner afterwards and went to bed soon after that.

Saturday morning I went to the supermarket with some of the others, and visited Parco della Montagnola. We all met up at the apartments to get details about our work placements before going on a walking tour. There was a lot of history about the city and the guide pointed out plenty of places to visit. When we were done some of us went out for dinner. We all had tiramisu after our mains and it was delicious.

Sunday morning Sophie and I went to get cannoli and cappuccinos and to wander around the city. I made my lunch at the apartment and spent the rest of the day exploring the city some more with a little shopping. Had some successful transactions in Italian!

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Settling in well, cooking dinner and working on some assignments at the moment.The city is really pretty and so fun to walk around. Was great to see Bologna during our walking tour yesterday. The pasta and pizza we’ve tried so far has been delicious. Looking forward to starting work placement this week!

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The food and beer is of a very high standard which I discovered  on my  first night here, people are friendly and it seems to be safe city. The price of food and drink is slightly less expensive than Ireland. Lively night  life  if you have the stamina for it. The home of Maserati Cars does not disappoint.

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Photo

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On our first night we went for some food and had an early night in 😇
We woke up the next morning and went for a food shop, after that we went for a walking tour around the city where we learned all about the history and architecture and finished the day with a meal and a visit to the local Irish pub 🍻
On our third day we went shopping and watched the amazing street performers.
We then went out for some pasta and cocktails 🍝

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Picture taken of the main square of the city during our guided tour

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Had a pleasant trip on the plane, settled into our apartments nicely on the first night. Taban and I set out for the night to have a lay of the land and to map out the general area. We then went into mcdonalds for our luxurious dinner and ventured back home while taking in the scenery and pleasant atmosphere of the city.

Day 2 started off with us creating a list of ingredients we need to purchase for our apartment, we went to aldi and bumped into some of the others who had the same idea. Afterwards had a lovely guided tour after receiving information on our internships. The guided tour consisted of the history and development of Bologna along with a taste of the famous chocolate here. Ended the day off with going out to explore the city and going to an Irish pub for some drinks.

Day 3 was a quiet day where we had another day of going to the shops for some more groceries. Went out for a walk to enjoy some of the scenery here in Bologna and stayed at the apartment for a homemade dinner and lunch

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So far I am really enjoying Bologna, Italy. The culture, food, people, and most importantly the architecture is very beautiful.

Day 1.

Upon arriving in Bolognia, we were brought to our apartments and got shown how everything in the apartments work. Later in the evening we went out to explore the city and try some Italian food.

Day 2.

On day 2, we went on a guided tour around the city of Bolognia to learn more about the city and its history. The tour was very enjoyable and informative and lasted 2 hours. On the tour we have visited the Piazza Maggiore, Palazzo d'Accursio, Basilica di San Petriono, and many more interesting locations.

Day 3.

On day 3, I have toured Bologna again and visited some more locations of the city. I visited the same locations as on the tour the day before and I have also visited the Piazza Santo Stefano and some alleyways that consisted of traditional Italian restaurants, cafes, and bars.

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We flew to Bologna!! We arrived safely to the apartments around 10 pm by bus and settled in. Me and Roberta went for some pizza in a lovely small restaurant called Pizzartist. Then had a great nights sleep ✨.

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Me and Roberta decided to explore and walked to a nearby park. There we found a nice market that we walked around for a bit. Then headed back to the apartment where we decided to go for a small food shop with Clara and Keeva. After there was a walking tour around Bologna where we visited and learned about many historic places. Some of us then decided to go for dinner at Osterio Quadrilatero and had some traditional Italian dishes such as tortellini and tiramisu!

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Me and Roberta decided to try find cannolis and coffee in the morning so we wandered around exploring till we found a nice cafe. After Me, Clara and Keeva decided to go look around some shops and enjoy the music playing in the streets. We then went for some more pasta in a local restaurant.

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We arrived on Friday night and were shown our apartments which are very nice and comfortable. We went out for some pizza and Aperol Spritz after we set our things into the apartment. The language barrier was quickly noted and so we made the decision to start working on our basic Italian more.

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On Saturday morning we went grocery shopping and walked around the area, which is beautiful. The architecture and colour of all the buildings is amazing.

The weather is a lot warmer than I expected and I’m questioning my packing choices a bit.

We had a history tour on Saturday which was really interesting. We visited the ‘Finger of Neptune Statue’ and the church nearby. The tour guide also showed us the family crests painted in the ceiling of the university. The tour was very informative and I really enjoyed it. She also let us sample some chocolate which was delicious.

A few of us went for dinner in a nearby restaurant afterwards. I had the vegetarian tortellini which was very nice and tiramisu for dessert. We also sampled some cannolis afterwards.

We headed to an Irish pub for a few drinks later on after trying to go to some art exhibitions that were unfortunately invite only.

On Sunday morning, I headed to the park nearby for a walk and once again scoped out the area. The park had some very nice statues and the weather was nice again. We decided to stay in for dinner but headed out for some gelato afterwards, which was lovely.

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Had a fab first day. Got our bearings around our local area. Went and did some food shopping to make sure we had snacks and tea bags for later🤭. Then we went for our tour around Bologna where we learned about the history of Bologna. We finished the tour with the tour guide buying us chocolate!!. We the went for some food and had a fab munch.

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Had a chill morning and caught up on some college work. We then went shopping around Bologna and watched some of the busking. The three of us then headed back to the apartment and got ready to go out for some dinner. We got some fab cocktails and tagliatelle pasta.

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On our second day in Bologna, we went on a wonderful excursion. We visited incredibly beautiful architectural places and heard the history of these places. We also tasted excellent Italian food. It was a good day.

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My first full day at work. I met a lot of wonderful people in this company . I’m glad that I will spend the next 3 weeks here.

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I just wrote this whole post and it vanished before I published it 😭

On Monday, Sophie and I walked down to our work experience locations as they are close together. I met Leonardo from IFOM outside and we met Gioele, my boss, in a boardroom. I found it very intimidating because I didn’t understand what was being said and the place was much more formal than I expected for an ecology placement. I thought I was to start work straight away and all I was told was that I would be outdoors, so I wasn’t wearing my best office-first-impressions clothes. I waited for Sophie while she had her introduction and then we got the bus back together. That evening we met the rest of the group at a restaurant organised by IFOM. I had a margherita with chips on and the staff were good craic.

Tuesday morning I had to get up early to catch a bus out to the station in Budrio. I was nervous about getting the right bus and being there on time. My boss picked me up in Budrio and drove me to CER’s educational and research site (Acqua Campus). He was very friendly today and we chatted a lot. I sat through a 2 hour presentation in Italian about irrigation systems. The event was training for farmers in the Emilia-Romagna region, which produces a huge amount of food. We then went to the demonstration site so that the farmers could see the irrigation systems in action. My boss brought me out for lunch in Minerbio, where we had a traditional meal. I worked on some assignments in the evening.

On Wednesday morning I was in the office at 9. I met a lot of friendly people at the company. My boss asked me to read the whole website (through Google translate) to learn about the company’s many roles in the region. He then gave me some documents to read as well. I found it hard to concentrate because it was a lot of information to take in and I hadn’t slept well the night before. I met some colleagues who are closer in age to me and they walked me to my bus after work. I cooked pasta with pesto and a tomato and mozzarella salad in the evening.

I miss my partner and my cats, and the language barrier is challenging, but I’m really glad I’m here for this opportunity and I’m enjoying it a lot. So far I have found Italian people to be very friendly and generous.

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Today was our third working day. We work in a very interesting company and are already working on one project. It is very interesting to set unusual tasks for yourself, use new materials and unusual programs. I also really like working in a friendly company team and my friends😊

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Time for a local haircut no appointment necessary

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First day of work was nice, my boss and work colleagues are very easygoing and friendly.

Sadly I had the flu the following day and had to stay home but I recovered enough for the following day (today)

The trip up and down from work is nice. We get to travel along the east side of Bologna and see what its like compared to central.

Going to Lab 16 to do Bologna By Night, I can eat alot. Thankfully its a buffet.

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Got to experience some apertivo last night. It was really good to have us all together again. After our dinner we went on a walk up a hill where we ended up in a park that is loved by bologna’s locals. It had a great view at the top that over looks the city. Looking forward to seeing Florence tomorrow!

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Day 4.
On Monday I have begun my work experience placement at Stepping Stone. Stepping Stone is a firm that specialises in materials and the interior designs of building. On my first day I was introduced to the staff members and managers who are very friendly and welcoming, had a tour around the studio to get myself familiar with where everything is, and talked about my hours of work and what I will be doing. After the first day of work I have went out and grabbed lunch with a few friends.

Day 5.
On my second day of work, I have started working on a mood board that would be used for the companys instagram page. The task was to describe feelings and emotions through materials in an architectural way that would be influenced by Irish and Italian architecture and their materials combined.

Day 6.
On my third day of work I have started to work on real plans for a three storey house. The plans had to include already specified materials that would be rendered and realistic looking for the client to get a good grasp of what the flooring in their house would look like. The materials include Stone tiles, clay tiles, and timber flooring.

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On Monday we went for our welcome dinner. I got the Margherita with ‘fried potatoes’ and was very surprised when it was chips, still yum. Molly eva and I went for some drinks and dessert afterwards in lab16. I got the pistachio Sunday which was very nice, definitely enjoying the abundance of pistachio flavored things here🙏.

We spent Tuesday shopping for a few bits and getting our college assignments done, along with Wednesday when we finally figured out to use the washing machine.

On Thursday we decided to get the bus and visit ‘Giardini Margherita’. It was a really nice park and we picked a good day for it as the weather was nice. We had some lunch in the cafe situated in the middle of the park and headed home. Molly and I went to a vintage shop and got some bits as everything was priced at €5. Then we had our ‘Bologna by night’ walk with Kuba and Karolina. We had a buffet and some drinks in Lab 16 followed by a walk which brought us to a lovely view of Bologna at the top of a hill.

I’m looking forward to the trip to Florence tomorrow and finally started work on Monday.

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It was damp but an extremely beautiful city with a variety of gothic, Renaissance-era and Baroque style architecture. Florence is a fine area for designer shopping if you have the funds.

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Days 7-9

On Thursday I helped my colleagues with an application that they’ve written in English. After work I shopped at a vintage clothes shop and a wool shop. That night we all met at Lab16 with the IFOM volunteers for apperitivo and buffet. We walked up to the San Michele church viewpoint over the city, and we visited the three arrows which are one of the secrets of Bologna.

On Friday morning I was tired after the night before but I learnt a lot of vocabulary in work, I met more of my colleagues and had a short day. I took the afternoon easy and spent the evening working on college assignments with some takeaway pasta.

Saturday we got up early and everyone met at the train station. It rained all day but we had a very informative tour of Florence followed by pizza for lunch. I visited the Piazzale Michelangelo viewpoint above the city. I walked around the city, got gelato, bought some presents for home, and stood with a protest against the occupation of Palestine. We travelled back by train and met Richard before going to our apartments.

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Today we had an incredible tour of Florence. This is an incredible city with many magnificent buildings that amaze with their beauty and history. It was an incredible experience for me as an architectural designer. Also, I gained a lot of inspiration from this trip.
After the walk, we had a delicious lunch and had a couple of free hours to stroll through the narrow streets and vintage shops.
Now I'm looking forward to my trip to Venice, I think it will be an even more impressive trip.

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On Friday a few of us returned to the Irish pub for a few drinks to celebrate our week milestone🥳. We enjoyed a bit of live music and the array of cocktails that are offered.

We woke up early for our trip to Florence on Saturday morning. Molly, Eva and I grabbed some croissants on the way to the train. The train system is very similar to germanys but different from ours, along with the trains being much bigger. We got to Florence with no difficulty and felt right at home as the Irish weather seemed to have come and visited. We all made it our first move to buy some umbrellas before we met our tour guide- Silvia.

The architecture in Florence was absolutely breathtaking, I could only describe it as surreal. Despite the terrible weather, there was still lots of tourists around. Silvia showed us the wine doors littered throughout Florence, along with the map of Florence and various famous buildings. We also crossed the old bridge.

We went for lunch in a pizzeria which was delicious, and we were very thankful that we were sheltered from the rain in there. We walked back to the train station after a while and were happy to see the rain had calmed down. Sitting on the train back to Bologna, I couldn’t wait to finally get into some dry clothes.

Molly and I treated ourselves to some authentic Italian McDonald’s before heading back to the apartment for an early night after our long day.

I got up this morning and decided to head out for a walk around. I’ve noticed it’s very difficult to find any restaurants with a free table at lunch time on a Sunday. However, I did have my first full interaction in Italian in one of the shops. So naturally, I celebrated with a coffee and a bagel.

I am really enjoying Bologna so far and I’m growing a bit more confident in my Italian as the days pass. I’m interested to see what work I will be doing in the furniture shop tomorrow. I’m really looking forward to visiting Venice on Saturday.

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We went for a welcome dinner with the group on Monday.  I got a white pizza with porcini, which was not what I was expecting but still lovely. It was interesting hearing about some people's first days at their work experience and a nice evening☺️ Molly, Millie and I decided to grab dessert and a couple drinks in Lab16 later on, where I got truffle soaked in espresso, divine💕

Tuesday was laid back, we still hadn't heard about our work experience so spent the day working on assignments and did some shopping.

On Wednesday we found out that our work placement had unfortunately been cancelled but Federico still managed to find us a shop to work in so we could stay here for the remainder of the three weeks, we really appreciate it🫶

On Thursday we took the bus to Giardini Magherita and the park was surprisingly huge. We went for a walk and raced leaves in the canal, then finished it off with lunch in their café. I started feeling unwell so left the girls to do their shopping and went back to the apartment for a while before the Aperitivo that night. We met with the others later on at Lab16 for a buffet and drinks which were lovely, then left for a walk of "Bologna at night". Unfortunately a bit into the walk I had to go back to the apartment but it was a lovely evening anyway☺️
Friday was spent doing assignments, laundry etc. for the most part, then we met with a few others in the Irish pub nearby. It was a nice night spent chatting and having a good time🍸
We got up early on Saturday morning to visit Florence for the day. The weather wasn't ideal and we got drenched, but the scener and architecture were stunning. We went on a guided tour for a few hours, our tour guide Sylvia was lovely and told us a lot about historical bits and pieces. We then went for lunch with Karolina at Pizzeria Ristorante I Tarocchi. The food was gorgeous, and we were glad to have somewhere dry and warm to stay before catching the train back to Bologna. We really enjoyed our time in Florence and I'm looking forward to Venice next weekend🤍

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We had our first day of working in the vets on Monday and met our staff members Daniela and stefania who are so kind and we also met their pets pepe the cat and jolly the dog. It was a great first day and made me excited for the week to come. The next few days flew by and we were taught so much, we did our first injections and observed many surgeries and consults.

Keeva, Sophie and I went for a nice dinner after work on Wednesday,we had a cocktail and carbonara and then stopped by a icecream shop on the way back. 🍦

On Thursday we went to a group buffet and had good food and a few drinks, after the meal we went for a night walk to see the view of Bologna at night 🏙️.

After a great day at work on Friday we went to the Irish pub with the group and had a great time. I would recommend a caprioska 😋

On Saturday we had a trip to Florence. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t in our favor and it was lashing rain but we still had a great time learning about the art and architecture in the city, including the Medici family and st. Johns baptistery.
We had lunch in a near by pizzeria and got the train home. 🚆

Sunday we had a lie in and went shopping around town, stopped by a cafe for a coffee and a toastie and finished the day with dinner and gelato!

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Day 7.
On my fourth day of work I had to continue on with designing the floor plans for the three storey house. On this day I have off doing the ground floor and had moved onto designing the first and second floor which would include flooring materials suck as timber and tiles.

Day 8.
On my fifth day of work I have continued with designing and finalising the plans for the three storey house. I have completed the first floor and have moved onto the second floor, the final floor of the building.

Day 9.
On my ninth day in Italy, I travelled to Florence, Italy. The city was absolutely breathtaking and incredible to visit. The architecture in Florence is beautiful and consists of a mix between gothic and renaissance architecture that really pairs well with each other throughout the city. Some of the famous landmarks that I visited was the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Flore.

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On Saturday we visited Florence. Despite the terrible weather, we saw many incredible architectural structures. This incredible combination of colors and materials will remain in my memory forever.

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At the start of the week we had our first day in the vets. We met the staff that we were going to be working with and they were so nice!
Throughout the week we got loads of new experience seeing different cases from cats dogs and a rabbit aswell. We learned how to give vaccinations and sedations and how to prep and care for the animals before and during surgery.On Wednesday we went for dinner. We had some carbonara and afterwards went for some ice cream.Friday we went to the Irish pub and had a few cocktails. Then the next morning we woke up early and went to the train station to head to Florence! We had a great day despite the rain. We learned a lot about the history of Florence and what the buildings mean. We then had a fab lunch in a pizzeria and warmed up from the rain. We then headed home after some free time and enjoyed the quick train home. On Sunday we had a chill morning and relaxed and then headed out for some lunch and coffee. To finish the day off we did some shopping and then headed back to the apartment for some dinner.

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We had bologna by night to start with. It was a lovely meal followed by a few drinks with everybody and a nice walk up a huge residential area. This lead up to a giant building with a gorgeous view of Bologna stretching for miles.

Work week 1 done. Finished up the last day by cleaning out a bunch of switch boards and testing if they work. Had alot more fun with this than I did with updating old laptops. Also set up a unique server with company software that we used to share files.

Florence: I loved the trip to Florence. From the train ride to the tour. However it was lashing rain so I was pretty cold. Post-tour we went for some more food at a restaurant which will never fail to make me happy.

I did zone out a bunch during the historic tour as I knew alot of it from art class in my previous school.

Readying up for work tomorrow, everyone seems to be coming down with something in the house.

Also I broke a wine glass 👍

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Today was my introduction to my work placement in a veterinary practice. Roberta and I walked to our placements as it was a sunny morning. I met Leanardo from IFOM and he introduced me to the Veterinarians Alessandra and Barbara, they were lovely. I then went back to the apartment to chill out, ready to propose art my placement the next day! We had a welcome dinner at a nice pizzeria to finish ish off the day.

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Today I had my first day in my work placement. I watched 3 cat spays and a dental appointment. I helped my preparing an IV catheter and preparing the surgery room. I was also shown how to inject antibiotics and anaesthetic, which I was then allowed to carry out. After I took the bus home, did a small food shop and went back to the apartment to make some dinner. It was a long tiring day so I decided to just watch Netflix and relax for the rest of the day. My day was very interesting and I loved learning all the new skills I can use in the future.

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My second day in work placement! I shadowed Veterinarian Alessandra and Vet Technician Sarah for most of the day, watch Cat spays and a cat neuter as well as being present during consultations. The languages barrier was hard to manage as I could only understand pieces of what the consultations were about and the customer assumed I spoke Italian so it was hard to explain I did not. It was my responsibility to prepare the cats for surgery and to give their injections for inflammation and antibiotics after. I a really enjoying how involved I am with the procedures as well as being able to observe.
When I went home I called my family as they wanted to hear all about my time here and I miss them.

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Work experience is going well I am learning how to take a blood sample and how they are tested. I observed many consultations about vaccines, one dog had cancer, a young puppy for a check up and more slays and neuters. That night we had a buffet and some drinks before going on a night walk to see Bologna from a viewpoint!

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The end of my first week in the vets. I got to watch a dog neuter for the first time and it was very interesting to see. For lunch the head Veterinarian ordered in pizza for everyone it was lovely. After an outside Vet was brought in to examine dogs using ECG which was very interesting to watch. After I went home and some of us decided to have a drink in an Irish pub quite near the apartment.

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Monday was the day we went to see our employers to work out our schedule and what we need for our placement here, working in mips under Davide. We then went to the welcome dinner night where we had pizza and I had the margarita pizza with chips on top. When we were leaving we went to a local ice cream store to get some of the Italian gelato. I also started really learning the language on duo lingo to get in touch with the locals here.

Tuesday we had our first actual day of work where we took the bus in for a 30 minute commute to the place. We introduced ourselves to the other staff and started on updating the computers we had to do and also been given a Dell laptop and bypassed the log in system with a command and activated the account. Installed multiple services onto the laptop and also got Microsoft office on it. Afterwards we went for a shop to get some ingredients for the dinner that night and went home

Wednesday taban was sick and I was in work myself I had to update a 15 year old Toshiba laptop for the day and install windows on it using a usb and update the software. I then went home and learnt duo lingo again to hone my skills

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Today the whole group took a train ride to Florence where we got to learn about the city through a guided tour! The weather was terrible as it was lashing rain so we all got soaked but it was still nice to experience the architecture and history. We then had lunch in a pizzeria, I ordered a tiramisu and cappuccino for after. Me and Keeva then left to explore and we also wanted to find a souvenir shop to buy so magnets for our family’s. We then all gathered at the train station to get a train back to Bologna. I spent the rest of the night in bed as the trip was exhausting.

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Today was a very chill day where half of it was spent in bed. I then met up with keeva and Clara and we decided to look around the shops then went to a local cafe for something to eat. I got a Nutella waffle and a tiramisu flavoured coffee which hit the spot. I spent the rest of the night watching some movies relaxing before the busy week ahead.

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Started the second week of our stay . I had work experience which I was way more involved in than last week as it had just been mostly observing. I got to prepare and place an IV catheter in a cat who was going into surgery to be sterilised, I was shown how to place a tube for anasthesia into its oesophagus which I then attempted but the vet ended up doing it as it was quite complicated and even took her a few tries to get right! I also learned how to prepare an antibiotic solution which I then had to inject into the cat. It was a quiet day in the vets so most of it was spent restocking and sorting out old stock of medication. I then walked home as it was sunny and did a food shop before spending the night relaxing.

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I went to the music museum in Bologna which has some of the earliest piano examples on display to the public some dating back as early as 1608. It  also has old  music books on display with example of
primitive music notation,  best part students students can enter for free.  The Park is close by if you have stamina. It has a private tennis courts and a restaurant there as well.

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We visited Florence on Saturday! We saw some beautiful architecture. Despite the very very rainy weather we got a guided walking tour of the city and ended to day in a pizzeria. Looking forward to seeing Venice this Saturday!

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The underground Roman city located at Salaborsa Library. I also attended a talk about the life of Frank Sinatra in the libri music ricerca

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Today we had an amazing day in our work. We had a playroom( how they called it ). It was dedicated to the presentation of special tiles where different architects and designers could create their designs. In the first half of the event, we had a presentation about the material from which it is made and its history. Then we had a break to have a snack, and only then did the creative process begin. We could take part in two stages. The first application of a special material on which you can already realize your fantasies. The second is the process of creating the process itself. I am very grateful to our organizers for giving me the opportunity to take part in the preparation and the event itself.

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On Sunday I took the morning easy and then worked on college assignments for the rest of the day.

On Monday everyone in the office attended an opening for the oldest section of the Emilia-Romagna canal, which has just had seven years of repair work. There was coffee and breakfast provided and speeches from many people within the company, local politicians and speakers from other consortia. There was a lunch afterwards and I had pumpkin tortelloni and mascarpone for dessert. I also got to try donkey meat.

Tuesday was in the office and my boss asked me to identify what I thought was missing from the website, from an ecologist’s POV. After work I did a little college work and then got ready to go out. We all met at Hamerica’s with Richard. I had a very nice burger and chips, but we all agreed that the food took way too long to come to the table. It was a fun meal otherwise.

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I met some of my colleagues early at the office on Wednesday. We stopped for coffee in a little bar in the countryside and drove on to the University of Bologna’s research farm. On the way my colleagues told me the story about “the eagle”, a man who shot the owner of the coffee bar where we had just been. At the university farm a professor spoke to us about their apple orchard shade and fertigation system. They have managed to reduce irrigation input need by 50% by using netting as shade for the hottest part of the day. We had lunch in Osteria della Pieve where I had my favourite Italian meal so far. After lunch we returned to the office and I stayed for their English lesson. Their teacher is Michael from Cavan.

On Thursday I was at the research site, Acqua Campus, again. I met a new colleague who picked me up from the train station in Budrio. I learnt how they measure the water table (falda) and that clay soil is called “argile”. The soil here really sticks to your boots. I watched them change a soil-moisture sensor in the wheat field. They explained the reed bed filtration system and the fertigation system that they have set up in an orchard. I enjoyed today because it was hands on, outdoors, and I learned a lot. That night a few of us went out for drinks to say goodbye to Eva. It was a really nice night and we were sad to see her go. I bumped into some of my colleagues on the way home.

On Friday I got a lift to Acqua Campus. I was given a document to read about sugar beet nutrient needs produced by Yara Ireland. We did some maintenance on a reed bed and a charcoal filter. I learnt about the weather metres and that “lumaca” means slug. I caught up on my Erasmus blogs after work and the group met Janice at Mareluna restaurant.

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Day 10.
Sunday was a rest day after the trip to Florence. On Sunday I have done a little bit of study for bife and I have done a little bit of work for my job experience placement.

Day 11.
On Monday in my work placement I have continued on doing the plans for the three storey house for a Brazilian lady. I have also received a new task of designing two different walls in two different bathrooms for the lady. The task was to use feather tiles and use colours inspired by the Brazilian flag and culture that would remind the lady of Brazil.

Day 12.
On Tuesday after completing the floor plans I have moved onto brainstorming ideas if designs and patterns for the feather tiles. In the end I was told to use different coloured tiles without a specific design but for more tiles to be green over gold and black. After completing the design I have translated it over onto the elevation of the bathroom.

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The Piazza San Marco a little bit misty but the star of the show was the tour guide a legend of a man so funny and nearly as tall as some of the building so there was little change of loosing him. He also showed us a few hidden gems which ill show  you later on in the post.I found lovely a little cafe off the beaten track. We had big 3 course meal thanks to Janice. We arrived back just in time for the train and it was close to the wire for some of us myself included. Google was misbehaving so it was easy to get lost.

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The hidden gem

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The cafe 2.00 expresso happy days 5.00 veggy kiche at Serra dei Giardini
Care

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Today in work experience I observed a dog have all its teeth removed due to infection, it was very interesting to watch. I practiced sterilising and applying and intravenous  IV as well as trachea tube for oxygen and anaesthesia. The vets gave me more responsibility to inject the cats and dogs an hour after surgery with Cefazolin antibiotic into the Iv and a subcutaneous injection of anti inflammatory. I also observed a cat having is blood taken to be tested for its glucose levels as it was obese. One of the vets brought in some treats as it was the last day of the celebration for carnival before lent! That night we all went for dinner in Hamericas the service was awful some were waiting for food for almost 2 hrs, although the food was nice definitely not worth the wait but it was overall a good night.

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Obese cat over double the weight of a normal cat 

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Today one of the vets came back from a holiday in Naples and brought me back some chocolate! It was another day of observing operations and Consultations. I got to see and use a blood pressure monitor as well as an ultrasound. A cat was brought in for observation as it has kidney failure and the only option for it to try get better is to put in a feed tube so it gets the nutrients it needs as the owner can’t afford any other treatments his name is Lion and it’s a very sad situation as he may be put to sleep if he does not get better. When I got home I just made dinner, called my family and slept as I was very tired.

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This cat is about to be neutered so I am injecting it with antibiotics through its IV

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Today I got to see my first X-ray as Lion a cat with kidney failure was getting a feeding tube inserted into his oesophagus so we needed to check it was inserted properly. I got to assist by cutting a hole in lions neck with a scalpel for the vet to put the tube through. I also successfully inserted a tube for oxygen into his trachea. We then had to leave the room during the X- ray and I was shown what to look for in the picture results after. After work a few of us went out for some cocktails!

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A lovely sunny day walking home from work 

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Today in the vets I assisted in an X- ray where I had to hold a dog as it was scanned. I had to wear an X-ray protective apron and a thyroid shield. We found in the X-ray that the dogs heart was too big and crushing it’s trachea which caused it to have a bad cough and breathing difficulties. I also observed an operation where a dog had a deformed eye which had to be removed and closed. I was also taught how to feed Lion through his feeding tube as he had to be fed every 2 hours with specific dietary cat food. That night we all went for dinner with Janice to a lovely traditional pasta restaurant. I had tortellini with butter and sage it was very good! After some of us went for a drink in the Irish pub. I left early as I was tired and wanted to have a good sleep before Venice tomorrow. I got a Nutella crepe on the way home

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Today we visited Venice! We caught an early train and arrived around 10 and started off with a walking tour around the city. We had an amazing tour guide he was very funny and kept the tour entertaining. For lunch we had bolognese, steak and some ice cream. After some of us went on a Gondola. It was an amazing experience I would definitely recommend even though it was slightly expensive. We got very lost trying to make it back to the train station as Google wasn’t being very reliable but we made it with 10 minutes to spare thankfully. We got back to Bologna and I decided to visit the supermarket as I needed a few necessities. I ended up having a massive headache as I currently have a cold so this caused me to spend the rest of the night in bed watching movies.

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Day 13.
On Wednesday I have continued with working on bathroom elevations for the 3 storey house for the Brazilian lady. I have completed the first bathroom and I have moved onto the second bathroom. It was the same concept using the same tiles and same colours. After work I have continued working on the bathroom elevations and school projects.

Day 14.
On Thursday, Stepping Stone has hosted an event or a workshop that I was really lucky to attend as its something the company organises every one or two months. There have been architects, interior architects, designers, and students that have attended and the event was about tiles that have been made out of volcanic Ash in a very sustainable, efficient, and environmentally friendly way. On the event there was a presentation, making the tiles, and creating a design out of one of the finished tiles. There was also lunch at the event and gifts at the end of the event. The event was an excellent experience and a great further look into the world of architecture.

Day 15.
On Friday I have completed the bathroom elevations fully and was ready to move on to my final task which is to design a mood board using materials that are influenced by the materials used in irish and Italian architecture. This task is my final task and I will be working on it through out my last week in Bologna, Italy.

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Found a really nice shop for figures and manga 5 mins from the apartment.

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Work week 2 done: Ended up doing alot more fun things in work involving networks and servers. However that's not exactly fun to read so I'll leave it at that.

Had a couple of nights out so far, instead of resorting to the Irish pub we found a really nice cocktail place outside called Aroma. Not only were the cocktails cheap and delicious, there was a crepe/waffle shop a building up from it. This was definitely good for lining my stomach.

Another hidden gem I found was a shop for manga and merch for shows I watch. This was an accidental find when I intended to go to ASUS Bologna to window shop some computer parts. I ended up walking out with a nice mug.

The rest of the week I spent lazing around and relaxing. Have 1 more shop to do before we head home.

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The trip to Venice was really fun for me. I've been here already so I knew most of the surrounding area. I didn't think I would enjoy the tour as much as I did but the tour guide was very funny so it kept my attention.

Post-tour we got some food which was a well needed meal for myself as I hadn't eaten in the morning and it was 1pm by then.

Then I grabbed a souvenir for my missus and took a trip to and old street I've been on before. Prior to my trip here, I've been to Venice once before in the summer. It was alot quieter then surprisingly. But I forgot how nice the street we stayed on was, there was a local supermarket, a really nice smoothie and cocktail stand called Frulala, multiple restaurants and alot more. However the one downside to Venice is that everything is priced ridiculously high, I saw a nice hoodie I intended to buy until I realised it was €800.

Update to my Italian for work:

Riavvia - Reboot

Sistema - System (go figure)

Impostazioni - Settings

In corso - In progress

Trova - Search / Find

Riprova - Try Again

Annulla - Cancel

Aggiornamenti - Updates

Chiudi - Close

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Day 16.

On Saturday I have went to Venice, Italy. The trip to Venice was great and an overall enjoyable experience to visit a new city in Italy. During the day, I have seen some famous landmarks such as the Piazza San Marco, Rialto Bridge, and St. Marks Basilica. After touring the city I have went to a restaurant for some lunch and continued touring the city before heading back home to Bologna.

Day 17.

On Sunday, I have visited the Pavillon De l'Esprit Nouveau by Le Corbusier who is a famous Swiss - French architect. The pavilion was designed in 1925 and was divided into two parts. The first part of the pavilion was a straight 4 wall house and the second part was a circular space designed for art exhibitions. The original pavilion was unfortunately demolished shortly after its build but was later replicated by Italian architects in Bologna to honor Le Corbusier in 1977. The replica of the pavilion is like the original consisting of the same size, space, layout, use of colour, light, shadow, and furniture.

Day 18.

On Monday I have started working on my mood board for the architecture company. I have started off by brainstorming and researching ideas and materials used in Irish and Italian architecture. The goal is to find common materials used in both countries and create a mood board complimenting the materials.

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On Saturday morning we all met at the train station and travelled to Venice. There was fog on the city for the whole day but we had an entertaining tour and lunch before free time. Six of us got on a gondola tour which was really nice. I bought a Murano glass cuttlefish and a tiny ladybird to bring home.

I spent Sunday working on an assignment for my ecological field methods module. Sophie and I went out for dinner to Trattoria Trebbi which was recommended by my boss. I finally tried tortellini in brodo and cotoletta alla bolognese.

On Monday I was at Acqua Campus again for the day. We prepared soil samples for drying ahead of testing for soil respiration and nitrogen levels. We also looked at the instructions for the tests, which are in English. After lunch we replaced some soil-moisture sensors in the orchard and I picked up some plastic litter. I’m enjoying the more hands-on work and spending time outside. I felt unwell in the evening so I had a quiet night in.

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Venice was such a stunning city! Absolutely loved walking around the streets and seeing the canals. My favourite part was definitely going on a gondola. It’s the tourist trap that I think is most worth it. It’s a great way to see the city. Felt so lucky to have the opportunity to go there.

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Eva Molly and I began work on Monday. We were opening boxes of stock and stocking the shelves whilst comparing them to a template. We stayed in for the rest of Monday as we were tired after work.

We spent Tuesday polishing mirrors in work. A mirror unfortunately did fall and break. However, the rest were left sparkling. We then went home and celebrated Pancake Tuesday and worked on some assignments.

We had dinner with Richie in Hamerica’s which was nice and went for some gelato afterwards.

On Wednesday, we celebrated Valentine’s Day with a nice breakfast before work. Molly and I spent the work day organizing candles and stocking the shelves once again. We then went home and worked on a few assignments.

On Thursday, the Erasmus plague finally caught me and so I was unable to go into work. We got word that Eva decided to leave early and went for a drink later that night to say farewell. We finished the night with some crepes.

On Friday, I discovered little Venice and some markets nearby. We had our dinner with Janice in ‘Mareluna’. The pasta dish I got was very tasty. We all went to the Irish pub afterwards for a drink.

On Saturday we visited Venice. Venice was beautiful but very foggy at the start. Our tour guide, Marco, was very funny and friendly so we enjoyed our tour around Venice. We had our lunch together before heading out for some free time. I got some souvenirs for my friends and family and a few of us went for a Gondola ride. It was surprisingly relaxing and the fog had lifted a bit which was nice. We had an abrupt end to the day as we realised we were very far from the train station and navigating our way through Venice was not easy. After some panic and running, we thankfully made it to the train on time. A few of us went out for some drinks in Qubò afterwards.

We didn’t do much on Sunday, just cleaned our apartment and worked on some assignments again.

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On Monday we started work at 9:30 and had a great day. Saw many vaccines, ear cleanings and ultrasounds. Finished work  at 7 with a long lunch break.
After we went to the Irish pub for a few cocktails. 🍹

Tuesday we had a great day in work and finished the day with a group dinner in hamericas, I got the truffle fries which were amazing and nachos. 🍟

On Wednesday at work we saw a spay on a cat named lulu. I helped the vet during the surgery and gave her a few injections.
That night keeva, Sophie and I had a delicious dinner in ca’ pellitti. 🍝

On Thursday and Friday we also had quite busy days with many patients seeing lots of surgeries and consults. On Friday we finished the work week with a group dinner with Janice in a restaurant called mareluna.

The next day we spent a great day in Venice. We had a city tour with an entertaining tour guide called marco. After the tour we had a  three course lunch and went for a bit of shopping. We also went on the Gondolas which was very nice and relaxing where the man taking us told us some facts about Venice. 🛶

We finished the week on Sunday with a very relaxed day which included a bit of shopping, lunch and a walk around the city. 🏞️

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Venice - a museum city on water, impressing with its beauty and unique atmosphere. A group of fellow students and I wandered through narrow streets lined with canals, marveling at the grandeur of palaces and the opulence of local churches and museums. Venice captivates with its uniqueness and romantic ambiance, especially felt at the intersections of canals, where time seems to stand still.