A Student Diary: Olga Ordines Lloret

Halloween in Ireland

Halloween originated in Ireland. It comes from the ancient Celtic festival Samhain which is pronounced sow- in. This is old Irish and means end of summer. The 1stof November became known as- All Saints or All hallows day which was a day to honour for all the saints and martyrs.

Clara Navajo- Student diary

My name is Clara I am fifteen years old and I am staying in Ireland, I am living in Tullamore, in County Offaly. It is near Athlone. I arrived in Ireland on 30th August. At the beginning I was a little confused and homesick. My host family really helped me

My experience in Ireland has been enjoyable so far. I have been very lucky with my family and I already love them. The first day I found everything a little bit strange. We were all very tired from the journey and I just wanted to go to bed.

After one week settling in I started school. I can’t say it was a good experience the first day, because it wasn’t. I was completely lost and there were times when I felt lonely, I didn’t know anybody, and I found it a little difficult to explain what I wanted to say. Although it was good because my first day at school was on a Friday so that meant I had the weekend to rest and prepare for the week ahead.

The first week of school as you can imagine, again I was a little lost. I had to ask everyone where my classes were because I found it confusing but I did make two Spanish friends who helped me out a lot.

Over here in Ireland I am attending an all-girls school. This is new to me because back home I attend a mixed school. I must wear a uniform whereas in Spain I don’t. The level of subjects I would say is much easier. I am in 5^th year and I am doing what I was doing in 3^rd of ESO in Spain. After the first week I began to settle in and feel more comfortable.

At first, I didn’t mind the weather but when November came there was a drop in the temperature and I found it very cold. Then there are days it rains a lot and that makes me miss the sun. I do miss the Spanish weather. I really enjoy the views of the countryside, there is so much greenery and farms everywhere it is very beautiful.

I would recommend that anybody going abroad to study, not to be shy, to say what you think and not to keep your problems to yourself. People are so willing to help. It is also important to speak as much English as possible, even if you don’t think you can, you must try to improve your English. Finally, I think reading a lot of English is beneficial and being in class will help you improve your writing and listening skills. I feel I have become more independent and this experience has helped me to become more confident.