Student Stories

Host Country and Cultural Immersion

• What are your favorite things about your host location thus far?

My favorite thing about the program is just how immersive it is with the language learning. Besides my conversations with the other students, nearly all of my day is conducted in Irish. I live with an Irish speaking family with five other girls. The Bean an Ti (woman of the house) and the Fear an Ti (man of the house) insist we speak Irish to them. They help us with our homework and with any questions we have. I am learning a lot, and improving my Irish skills immensely.
This part of Ireland is also very beautiful. We are by the sea and there are a lot of beaches and scenic views. We have field trips every week and have so far gone to Patrick Pearse’s Cottage and Kylemore Abbey.

• Tell us about the university, the academic experience, the classes, the student life, and clubs or activities you are involved with. How are the locals? Are there any similarities or differences that have surprised you based on your expectations?

I am studying in a little village in the Connemara Gaeltacht called Carraroe. The National University of Ireland, Galway, has a satellite location here known as The Acadamh. The town is very small, with only a grocery store, a post office, and three restaurants. About 600 people live here. I am living with five other girls with an Irish speaking family close to the Acadamh. We have Irish Language Class from 9am to 4pm with a break for tea and lunch. I am in the Level 2 class. In the afternoon, we have lectures we can attend in Irish singing, dancing, or theatre. The weekly singing class is my favorite because although I’m not a great singer, it helps with the Irish pronunciation. The dancing classes are very difficult. We have two different weekly classes: Sean Nos and Céilidh dancing, both taught by local people. It has been neat to experience the local culture by attending them.

This program is a lot different from what I expected. For one thing, I thought I would be in Galway City instead of a satellite campus. However, I believe it is better to be here because the Irish language is used more here in the city than in the country. Another thing that is different from what I expected was the food. I have not heard that Irish food was good, but tonight we had lamb stew and it was amazing! We are always full and every meal has appetizers as well as dessert. It seems like everywhere I go, people are offering me more food!

• Did you experience culture shock when you arrived in your country? How did your expectations compare to the reality of your day to day life? Is there anything you wished you would have done or researched more to better prepare for your experience?

I think I may have over prepared for this experience. Ireland does have its own unique culture, but the way people conduct business and interact with each other is very similar to what I’m used to. People here are usually friendly and helpful, so I never feel very out of my comfort zone. One thing I do have trouble with is understanding people’s accents. Some of the English idioms don’t always transfer culture to culture. For example, in class last week, my teacher who speaks Irish as a native language said, “that’s right up my street!” instead of “that’s right up my alley!” My whole class and our teacher all had a good laugh about that. As I learn more and more Irish and get used to the Hiberno-English accent, I will feel more confident conversing with the local people.