Ireland – wide green fields, rough nature, St. Patrick’s day: only a few aspects that make Ireland so attractive for students from around the world who want to expand their English skills. We talked to Stephanie, 29, psychology Master’s student about her language experiences during her stay in Dublin.
Nadja: What was the reason for your stay in Ireland?
Stephanie: The main reason was that I wanted to improve my English skills. In school I had had bad luck with my teachers. And because nowadays English is very important for most jobs I wanted to improve my language skills. So I decided to go to Ireland as an Au-Pair. There I worked for a family with 3 children: a 5 year old girl, a 2 year old boy and a
newborn. The family was so kind and paid for my English lessons so I
could get prepared for my Cambridge exam. So I went to language school
for one to two evenings a week and I also practiced at home. After less
than half a year I finished my exams
Nadja: What did you like most about Ireland and your life there?
Stephanie: I think it was the country itself! I simply fell in love with the
landscape! For other countries it might be hard to image but Irish
people still believe in fairies. So when I did tours through the
countryside I heard a lot of times that there are supposed to be fairies
and thats why we are suppose to behave in a particular way – like
walking in a circle. And thats suppose to bring luck.
And I met great poeple! I enjoyed the time with the kids I had to mind,
the dog of my Au-Pair family and also the other Au-Pairs I met! We went
out nearly every weekend. We met each other to watch movies or to
experience the country by visting different cities.
And the second best thing was to realize how my English skills got
improved. There is one situation I can remember really well. I visited
my neighbours who had children in my age. And while I was talking about
a topic I stopped because I just used a word I didn’t know I knew it. And
because of that it I stopped and asked for the meaning of this word. And
for my surprise I used it correctly.
Another really good experience were my dreams in English. I would never
had expected that! And it was a really crazy experience when I dreamed
in another language. But it also gave me a good feeling about my self
confidence. Because when my English wasn’t so good I was afraid of using
it. But the more time passed the better my English became and the less
my fear stopped me to use it.
Nadja: What experiences with the English language had you had before you went to Ireland?
Stephanie: I learned it in school. And sometimes I used it on my holidays but that was really less. And because of this small amount of experience my biggest problem was that I didn’t feel familiar with the language.
Nadja: Did you get in contact with Gaelic?
Stephanie: Unfortunately not.
Nadja: Is there anything concerning the English language that you particularly remember?
Stephanie: In general not. English is very easy language especially compared to other languages. If someone wants to learn English I can highly recommend Ireland because Irish people – especially in Dublin- have a very understandable accent for German people.
Where you should not go to is the north of Ireland! I always say this is
the Bavarian part of Ireland! They have such a strong accent that even
Irish people hardly understand them. When I went there for weekend I had
been in Ireland already 6 months. And even then I was not able to
understand them at all.
Nadja: What is your overall feedback concerning your stay in Ireland?
Stephanie: My overall feedback is that I would always do it again! It was a great experience and I am very thankful for everything I learned! Now I feel very familiar with the language which is the most important point
regarding my skills and I also got to know another country, I met great
people and I grow up by being apart from my family which is the most
important point regarding my personal growth.
Nadja: Thank you for the Interview!
Stephanie: You’re welcome!
