By Sarah Hörmann, 4HLKa
Our language trip to Dublin, Ireland, was an unforgettable experience. We spent a whole week there to improve our English and experience Irish culture. We stayed with host families, which was really cool because we could practise our English every day and experience how Irish people live.
During the week, we attended the Babel Language School for lessons. The rest of the time, we explored Dublin. We visited St Patrick’s Cathedral, explored EPIC (the Irish Emigration Museum), went to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and went on the amazing Howth Cliff Walk by the sea.
One day, we went to Kilkenny to explore the city and also visited Kilkenny Castle – it was a wonderful day out. At the Ha’penny Bridge Inn, we enjoyed a pub singalong, which was great fun. We also had plenty of free time to walk around the city, go shopping and hang out in local cafés. It was a perfect mix of learning and exploring.
One of the highlights was definitely the Howth Cliff Walk. We got to see the amazing coast and the sea, which was a beautiful change from the busy city centre.
Exploring the city was also great fun because we had hours to walk around, check out the different shops and try traditional Irish food. The lessons at Babel Language School were interesting too, because they focused on everyday conversations and helped us feel more confident speaking English. The teachers at the school were friendly and supportive and their way of teaching was very helpful for us.
Of course, navigating the city centre on our own was a real adventure. We figured out how to use public transport – which is definitely different from what we are used to in Graz – found our way to different landmarks and even picked up some local slang along the way.
Plus, the weather was pretty much what you expect in Ireland: we experienced sunshine, wind and rain all in one day. It was literally impossible to dress appropriately for the ever-changing weather!
Evenings with our host families were really relaxed. We often sat down for a big dinner and talk about what we had done, which was honestly the best way to practise everything we had learnt.
All in all, this trip was an amazing experience and an awesome way to learn English!
