EIL Intercultural Learning blogs

My second blog

Trisha Healy — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:39:10 +0000

I have been in Quito for a couple of weeks but I feel like I have been here a lot longer! There is no doubt about it but I have learned so much!

I arrived in Quito airport late on Friday night, April 27th. With very few words of Spanish I managed to meet my host family. While i brought my Dpanigh phrasebook with me, I felt very lost in translation for the weekend, waiting for language classes to start on Monday. My host-parents, Raquel and Jose Baez, couldn't be any nicer and have been so patient with me and my pigeon Spanish! The intensive language classes are certainly making me learn fast. I can say most of the things I want to say, albeit not in the most fluid way! It's a while since I conjugated any verbs and there are moments when I draw very embarrassing blanks, but all in all, being thrown in at the deep end is really the best way to go!

For some reason living in a world of Spanish language makes me feel like I could still be in Europe. The city is amazing, a maze of urban streets that stretch from North to South for about 25 miles and from East to West for about 3 miles. From my house here, the airport runway sits about five streets away, running right down the centre of the city. Every day I watch planes land and take off between the buildings, which to begin with was very eery! Behind the house and the edge of the city sits the volcano Pinchincha, which looks down on the city with a dominating presence. One of my aims (there are many!) before I leave Quito is to take the cable car Teleferico to the top - bringing me an extra 1000 metres into the sky for some awesome views.

From a social aspect, I've been told that crime has risen dramatically in the last few years as a result of the economic downturn and the rise in unemployment here. I have become acutely aware of keeping my bag safe on the bus at all times and I don't walk out on my own after dark. But other than that, the crime is no worse than many other cities around the world.

Ecuadorians greet and say goodbye in a more formal way than at home in Ireland. It is customary for women to kiss each other once on the right cheek every time they meet a person during the day. The same applies for men when they greet a woman and handshakes are customary between men. Ecuadorians have been known to get insulted by those who do not greet in this manner, so I have to be very careful to remember this each time I meet with people. Also, in Spanish there are two ways to speak to a person directly. You can call a person "you" informally by saying "tú" or formally by saying "usted" and there are many occasions where being informal is totally not acceptable, for example, with your elders, with people who you have a professional relationship with and with those that you meet for the first time. It's a minefield for me to say the least!

One other thing I have found difficult to get comfortable with is the fact that most middle- and upper-class families have a household maid who either lives with them or comes to their house 5-6 days a week. Legally and ethically domestic help is set up very well in Ecuador. There is a minimum wage set by the government and it is law that each employer provides a uniform and also a contribution towards their transportation costs. Iin the last few years dome middle-class families have begun to leave their maids go in the cusp of the economic crisis to save money. This has created an unemployment crisis in the working class sector of society. While Ecuadorians see it as important for middle-class families to provide household employment for these people, the Westerner in me can't help but wonder if investment in education could eliminate their need for such jobs, giving them a better chance to defeat the vicious circle of poverty that exists.

All in all I cannot begin to tell you how generous my welcome has been into Ecuadorian family life. I am blown away by how warm and open everyone has been to me. Ecuadorians in general are very family-orientated. I joined them to celebrate my host-nephew's 5th birthday party last Saturday and next weekend there are more birthdays and also Mother's Day, so i expect to be busy! I have also sat with the family to watch soccer - the nation's favourite sport! I have been included in everything, down to trips to the supermarket and of course the ever-important mealtime! I feel like part of the family!

As I learn more about Ecuadorians and their way of life every day I can't help but realise that we are not all that different. We all have similar needs and wants. We all value our families in a similar way. We all take pride in where we come from. I'd like to think that by knowing and understanding each other a little better, it might be possible that our countries can help each other to develop positively. Fair trade is hugely important to building a better society for Ecuador. This is a country that still exports all it's good coffee and much of it's good cocoa for chocolate, as well as huge quantities of quinoa, rice and fruits. But it seems that while Europeans are searching for the cheapest options we think little of the producers who might continue to be exploited and how that effects their day to day lives. I am really looking forward to exploring this further when I travel to Salinas de Bolivar in a few weeks.

I will be in touch soon!

Hasta pronto!

Trisha

Beginnings

Trisha Healy — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 22:43:21 +0000

Hi all! My name is Trisha Healy and I am about to embark on a very exciting trip to Ecuador as a volunteer. I fly to Quito on April 27th to spend 16 weeks participating in a micro-financing project. I have been given a very lucky opportunity by my employer, SouthWestern, to travel as their very first corporate volunteer. Tying in with SouthWestern's Corporate Social Responsibility ethos, this trip sees me take a career break from my job as a credit control supervisor to lend my time at a community bank/credit-union, which offers savings and micro-loans to individuals, helping them become self-sufficient and entrepreneurial. During this trip I aim to spend time lending the skills that I have gained through my career to date, while also gaining experience of Ecuadorian culture and developmental issues.

Since I made the decision to apply for this programme, it has been a whirlwind couple of months. I feel already I have learned so much, and I haven't even left yet! There's been vaccinations, booking flights, training in my replacement at work, learning all about Ecuador! One of the interesting things that I have learned is that not a lot of the people I know were familiar with the great work that EIL do before I introduced them. Since I began to raise awareness for my project, the majority of my colleagues now know of EIL and are just as excited as I am about my trip! To raise both awareness and funds for my trip I have organised three events before my departure. The first event was a cake sale at my workplace on March 16th. It was a roaring success. Aside from confirming my suspicions that I work among many very talented bakers, it also confirmed that Irish people, in spite of any economic issues that they are dealing with, are as generous and kind as ever. In one afternoon, amid coffees, sponges, pavalovas, and cheesecakes, we managed to raise a fantastic €803! My next event is coming up on Friday 13th of April and is a fancy dress party with a twist! To add a bit of creativity, it will be a "T" party.... Come dressed as anything or anyone as long as it begins with the letter T! Tina Turner and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hope to make guest appearances! My paparazzi will be ready so watch this space for some photos of the night! Last but not least, my nieces and their classmates at Ballinacarriga National School will be doing a pyjama party on April 20th, raising funds for the cause. I hope to visit the school when I get back to do a talk about my trip and educate the next generation about life on the other side of our world! The support I have received from both EIL and SouthWestern has been amazing and I am really excited at the prospect of strengthening our ties when I return through development education. To keep up to date with me, visit my Facebook page www.facebook.com/volunteeringecuador or follow me on Twitter @healytrisha Hasta pronto!Trisha

Back in Ireland!!

birchallemma1 — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:34:05 +0000

Hello from Ireland!!! So its hard to believe its been almost TWO WHOLE WEEKS since I have been in Germany!! It really feels like only yesterday that I was having the time of my life on my exchange to a secondary school in Germnay. I can honestly say that I had the best experience on my exchange and if I could go back in the morning for another eight weeks I would! :D I made so many friends in the 10th Grade and had such an amazing time with my host family they really made me feel at home (and of course not to forget the great friends I made in the seminar in Wiesbaden on the first few days)

The last week in Germany was occupied by packing my bags hoping and praying that they would not be to heavy!!!! and also by saying goodbye to everyone. This was really hard for me. I knew that I was going to miss everyone and Germany so so much!! :(

On my last day in my school Gymnassium Ulrichannum my class 10a decided to have a little party for me to say goodbye. So that meant that the last day was filled with eating sweets, saying goodbye to teachers and more importantly saying goodbye to all my friends. In the last lesson my class gave me a present :D It was a book with all their pictures and contact details, they said it was an easy way for me not to loose contact with any of them they also gave me a scarf with the german flag on it, so i wouldnt forget where I went!! :P

It was so sad saying goodbye to my class that day everyone was crying, including me!! All week I told my friends that I wouldnt cry but they told me that I would and I guess they were right!!!

As I was flying from Hamburg on Sunday we stayed in Bremen with my host familys grandparents on the Saturday as we would not have to get up as early and Maite (my youngest host sister) wouldnt have to get up and could stay with her grandparents. It was nice to stay with them on the last night as I had met them before and it was good to be able to say goodbye to them aswell.

Then came Sunday, the day that I would be going home to Ireland!! We got up early and got the train to Hamburg (as it was quicker then the car) Saying goodbye to my host family at the airport was hard and of course we all cried, ONCE AGAIN!!! (I think thats the most Ive ever cried in one week)

It was really good though because at the airport I met up with Ciara (the other girl from Wiesbaden) and we got to sit beside each other on the journey home, giving us loads of time to have a catch up and share German stories!!!

Then it came we landed in Dublin and ran up to get our bags as quickly as possible, then we saw our families for the first time in TWO MONTHS!!!!!! My little sister had a big poster saying "Welcome Home Emma" it was so lovely. it was great to be able to see my family again.

I am still in regular contact with my host family and friends from school in Germany so my German is constantly improving!! Its really good! :D Im still sometimes talking to my friends and family back in Ireland in GERMAN!! Ist really funny.

For the last time THANK YOU SO MUCH EIL!!!! I have absolutly loved German and I would go back in the morning!! Seriously anybody even thinking about going on an exchange should just do it! It is something that I will talk about for a long time, it will never leave my mind!!!

My trip to Germany is something I will never forget!!! :D

For the last time

Emma <3

St.Patricks Day In Deutschland!!! :D

birchallemma1 — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:47:50 +0000

Hallo :)

Ich bin hier in Deutschland für St. Patricks Day!! :D Naturlich ist es ein bisschen komisch aber trage ich grün und meine Gast Familie auch!! Sure I have to celebrate it someway :D We even watched a small bit of the Dublin Parade on the internet. :D Später gehe ich in die Stadt mit meine Gast Schwester Lara und meine neue Freunden to celebrate St.Patricks Day, I even told them all "Du musst grün tragen!!" :P

As i said in my last blog I was going to the Kino and do you want to know how I got on.....Es war echt Klasse!! Unglaublich!! Denn hatte ich verstanden. obviously I didnt understand every single word but I understood enough to be able to follow the entire Film. Ich finde das wirklich gut!! :D Meine Gast Familie couldnt believe it when I told them that I had understood the entire Film they found it amazing!! :D I was so proud of myself dass habe ich alles verstanden!! :D

Well since the last time I wrote a blog I have a bit of news!! Jeden Dienstag, gehe ich mit meine Gast Bruder Hauke zum seinen Klasse. (7 Klasse) Die andern Tagen bin ich in dem 10 Klasse. Ich findes das die 7 Klasse ist sehr gut für mein Deutsch denn ist es ein bisschen mehr einfach als 10 Klasse!! :D Ich habe viel mehe Unterricht verstanden!! Das ist sehr gut :D Manchmal the 10 Klasse ist ein bisschen schwer denn habe ich sher lange Deutsches Worten so 7 Klasse ist meines kleines Pause von 10 Klasse. Aber 7 Klasse hilfst mir so viel mit mein Deutsch!!

One weekend gehe ich mit meinen Gast Familie zum Bremen. Es ist einer toller Stadt!! :D Sehr cool!! First we looked around the city and saw some really cool things such as die Bremer Stadtmuiskanten. WE even did a little shopping and kaufe ich ein Deutsches Fußball Trico!! :D Später gehen wir zum Werder Bremen für ein Fußballspiel. Aber Werder Bremen haben verloren!! Schade :/ Aber es war eines tolles Erfahrung!! Ich finde die fußballspiel echt Klasse!! Ganz anderes von ein Irischfußballspiel!! aber gut :D

The next weekend I had eines anderes Geburtstag Party für ein anderes Madchen in meinen Klasse. Ich finde Parties in Deutschland ganz lustig, ein bisschen komisch aber wirklich prima!! :) Manchmal die Musik ist ganz anders von typisch Irisch Party Musik aber ist es cool :) Ich liebe ein Party in Deutschland mit miene Freundin :D

Letzte Woche (Am Freitag) koche ich eine Irisch Eintopf für meine Gast Familie!! Sie finden es sehr lecker! :D Gott Sei Dank. They have cooked alot of Typisch Deutsch Essen and I thought that it was time I cooked them omething that was Typisch Irisch!! :) I have even enjoyed some of the German Food so much that my Gast Familie have given me the reciepes!! :)

As I write this blog habe ich nur noch EINE WOCHE in Deutschland!! Es ist unglaublich, viel zu schnell!! Ich hatte eines tolles Zeit hier in Deutschland and I cant believe its drawing close to an end. :( Wenn gehe ich nach Irland vermisse ich miene Gast Familie und neue Freunden!! I cant wait to see my family and friends in Ireland and show them how good my German has got. I really cant wait to go back and show meine Deutsch Lehrerin how good I am at German now!! :D

Ich habe viele neue Freunden in Deutschland and when I go back to Ireland I know that I will keep in good contact with them. Sie sind alles so nett und wenn habe ich nicht verstanden dann helfen sie. They understand the fact that I can not always understand everything. But I have to say that jetzt Schule ist viel einfacher!! :D Sehr gut!! Jetzt verstehe ich die Unterricht (meistens) und sprece ich viel mehr Deutsch!! :D At first when I didnt understand something I got a little frustrated but now I can understand so much more. I cnat believe how much German you can learn in just two months!! :D

I had to say godbye to four girls in my class this week denn gehen sie nach Polen für zwei Wochen!! (Austausch) They come back to Germany the day I leave for Ireland!! Schade!! :/ Saying goodbye to them really made me realise that I dont actually have eine lange Zeit in Deutschland!! I think thats going to be the hardest thing I will have to do while Im in Deutschland. Saying goodbye to meine Gast Familie und Freundin.

Vielen vielen Dank to EIL!! Without you I would not have been able to experience somehing as amazing as this!! This has been the best two months of my life and I cant thank you enough!! Thanks to you my Deutsch ist viel besser und habe ich so viele lernen von Turnen zu Eislaufen und naturlich Deutsch!! Danke nochmal!!

Also anyone that is reading my blog and is considering going on an exchange just go for it!! Its a once in a lifetime experience that you will absolutly love and never forget because I know that I will never forget Deutschland!! :D

Vielleicht meine nächste Blog ist von Irland!!!!

Bis dann :D

Emma <3

Saying goodbye xxxxx

Steph Elliott — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:49:25 +0000

Leaving Chilecito was a sad day. If you had asked me 10 weeks ago if I would have made such fantastic friends, travel on my own around South America or learn to speak Spanish (still need to improve on that bit!!) I would have laughed at the idea. Leaving Ireland and travelling on my own to Argentina was honestly one of the scariest and bravest things I have done and now that I can look back on it I feel rather proud and the memories from this trip are going to stay with me forever.

I gained far more from this adventure than I could have ever dreamed of. I gained a mother, best friends and a new family on the other side of the world. My host mum Betty and her family are honestly like a second family to me now. She opened up her home and heart to me and answered my every need while I was so far away from home, sounds corny I know but it’s the truth. You will not meet warmer more welcoming people than the Argentines actually I’m sure many people will argue with this but it’s my personal opinion, they are the best.

I cried for hours as I waved goodbye to my new friends, Marieke ,Ariel, Carsten, Cesar, Fernando, Jan, Esther, Betty, Neddy and of course Lea and Leo. They all came to the bus stop to wave me off. They bought me chocolate and drinks and made a book about the time I spent in Argentina each writing a letter to say goodbye with pictures from my time in Chilecito. I mean heart wrenching stuff right? :) And that’s not even mentioning the kids.... my god the kids. Honestly I love them all and I woke up every morning happy about the fact that I had to cycle to the comedor and entertain and cook for the los Chico’s . They organised a going away party before I left. We ate like kings and queens that day. The best cook in Chilecito Reina made some Empanada’s, soup and sweets lot’s and lot’s of sweets I think I was a bit more excited about all the food than the kids hence gaining some "holiday weight" along with everything else while I was in Argentina :).

Anyway back to the party, we played into the late afternoon and the kids made a lovely poster signed by all of them and gave me a chain and earrings I will honestly treasure them. It brought a tear to my eye reading all their personal notes to me and their tiny signatures scribbled on a drawing of the comedor itself.

I miss the familiar faces, DVD nights at my friend’s houses, greeting the kids every day, hearing about their day at school and helping them learn new things. Leaving all this was incredibly hard, harder than I thought it would be.

So basically to sum up my travel award experience in one word =Worthwhile. If you are contemplating working abroad, working with kids, learning a new language, travelling and seeing a new part of the world I would say what’s stopping you? DO IT. I am so glad I did and I don’t regret a single thing.

Wow Deutschland!!

birchallemma1 — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:11:45 +0000

Tag!! Well I can now officially say that I am definately settled into life in Deutschland!! Am Montag ist es meine vierten Woche in Schule. Manchmal Schule ist ein bisschen schwer aber Jeden Tag, Ich verstande mehr. Hoffentlich, am ende die zwei Monate, Ich verstande alles!! I am really enjoying school and I have met so many nice people that I hope I will stay in contact with when I go back to Ireland!! :) When I find something difficult or hard to understand, there is always someone there to help me out. Alles Schlurin sind sehr sehr nett!! :)

Wir haben viele Schnee und Eis!! Ich muss mit dem Fahrrad zur Schule gehen!! When it was very icey I fell and sprained my wrist!! es tut mir so weh!! I couldnt believe it,not even a month here and I have already had an accident!! Ich bin nicht gut mit dem Fahrrad in der Eis und Schnee!! Aber jetzt es ist besser. :) Thank god we no longer have any snow so hopefully that means I will have no more accidents!! Its raining here all the time now, so it really feels like Ireland!! Theres just no escaping rain! :)

When we had all the snow and ice, we went to the Nörd See (North Sea) and it was full of ice, you could actually walk on it, Unglaublich!!! The ice was so bad that the ships could not get out to the islands that are near the coast!! this for me was amazing as someting like that would not happen in Ireland!! It was so cold when we went to the North Sea, -10!! aber jetzt es ist nur 7. ich denke das ist viel besser!!

I have also met some of my Gastfamilie friends and relatives. last week I met some of their friends that were stayig over for a few days and this week I met their grandparents. Alles Leute sind sehr nett und sprechen nicht so schnell Deutsch!! Ich verstande manchmal viel und manchmal nur ein bisschen aber das ist ok.

For one of the english classes that we had this week, I had to do a presentation on words that irish people say. everyone in my class couldnt believe all the wierd words we had for things such as craic and howya. it was so funny to listen to them trying to say all the words!! :) I sappose they feel the same when I am talking German to them!! Aber, Ich denke das jetzt mein Deutsch ist viel besser!!

Am Freitag, Ich gehe zum Bowling mit Lara und ihre Mutti. Wir haben viel spaß. I even won a game!! Am Samstag, wir gehen zum eine turnshow denn Hauke war in die show!! It was amazing!! One of the best things I have ever seen. But it wasnt without some drama!! During Haukes routine, one of the other boys fell and had to go to hospital! Nicht schön.

Danach denn turnshow, Lara und Ich gehen zum Geburtstag Party!! One of the girls in my class turned 16. Wir gehen mit dem Fahrrad....aber viele Regen!! We got soaked. Es war sehr lustig! Luckily it was a fancy dress party and we had to change our clothes!! :) I had so much fun at this party as I got to know everyone in my class a lot better!! Der war viele Deutsches Lied!! Sehr sehr Lustig!! :) Then when the party was over, Lara and I had to cycle back home!!!

Heute, Lara und Ich gehen zum Kino. Ich denke das für mich das ist sehr gut! Hoffentlich, Ich verstande viel. Aber, if i undersatnd nu ein bisschen, i would be very happy. Every night we either watch ein Film oder T.V. auf Deutsch und das ist sehr gut. Jeden Abend; ich verstande ein bisschen mehr and I realy think that by watching everything auf Deutsch, it is really helping me to hear what certain words should sound like and I also learn alot of new words in this way!! Und das ist sehr gut!! :)

Once again I would like to thank EIL for this amazing opportunity. This has so fair been the best four weeks of my life. From the seminar in Wiesbaden, meeting my host family, going to school for the first time and just experencing this wonderful new country, I dont know whats the best. If it wasnt for EIL I would have never gotten this opportunity, so Vielen Dank!! :) Also if anyone reading this, is considering going abroad to another country, I would without a doubt recommend it!! Trust me its amazing!

Ich habe viel spaß in Deutschland und ich hoffe das der nächste fünf Woche ist besser!! (und mein Deutsch auch!!)

Well thats all my adventures in Germany for now, until next time :)

Tschüss!!

Emma <3

Meine Erste Woche in Deutschland!

birchallemma1 — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:43:45 +0000

Wow what a week!!! I can't believe I'm saying this but at last I am in Germany und Ich liebe Deutschland!! I can hardly believe that one week has already passed. It has gone by so quickly and I have loved every minute.

On Tuesday 24th January I flew into Frankfurt where I was met by two lovely gentlemen called Herman and Martin who worked for experiment ev. We then had to wait on a girl from brazil called Melanie who actually turned out to be sharing my room when we got to the seminar in Weisbaden. I met so many people from all over the world and I know I have made some great friends for life. There were people from new Zealand, Colombia,Korea, Brazil,USA and Italy and also another girl from Ireland. We had so much fun at this seminar. I loved every minute if it!!

On the second day we were split into small groups and Herman was our team leader. In my group was Danna and Camilla from Colombia Joshua from the USA and Dohymund from Korea. Our task was to go out in Weisbaden and swap an egg for something better. We went all over the town into shops asked people on the street to swap with us. First we swaped the egg for a lighter then a bookmark then back to a lighter then on to flowers and finally some Christmas decorations. It was one of the best things I have ever done and it really relaxed me with speaking german. We had great fun but unfortunately my team did not win as one of the other teams got a working phone.

On the last night in Weisbaden we had a talent show with each person doing something from playing the piano to making a human pyramid. I decided to do my Irish dancing and it went down a treat. After the talent show we had a mini disco and the guys and girls from Colombia showed us how to salsa!! I will never forget my time in Weisbaden it was amazing Es war Klasse!!!

On Saturday I made the seven hour train journey to meine Gast Familie in Aurich. Die Reise war sehr sehr Lange!! I had stopovers in Mainz,Munster and Leer. When I got to my family I was so excited as they were amazing so lovely and I am having a great time with them. So far I have been on a pony, ice skating on a frozen lake and shopping. I also went to see my host brother in a soccer blitz and to gymnastics and every night we watch a film in german and this is really helping with my language skills.

On Wednesday I had my first day at school and it was great. Ich bin auf dem 10 Klasse und Ich habe viele neue Freunden! Am Ersten Tag, Ich Lerne Sport, Mathe und Kunst and sometimes I find it hard to understand the teachers as sie sprechen sehr schnell Deutsch aber meine neue Freunden hilfst Mir. Sie sind sehr nett!!! I hope that in the coming weeks my german will continue to get better and when I come back to Ireland I will be amazing!!!! Even in the last few days I am finding things are getting easier and that's only in one week imagine eight!!!!!

Well that's all for now I promise to keep you updated with my further adventures in the coming weeks.

Bid Bald!!

Emma <3

Just before I go!!

birchallemma1 — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:56:31 +0000

Only one more day left and then I will be starting my adventures in Germany!! :D Im so excited, I cant wait! I have all my bags packed and Im ready to go. I still cant believe that I was lucky enough to recieve this scholarship from EIL. Its the trip of a lifetime and Im delighted that EIL have given me this opportunity and for that I would like to sincerely thank them. Zwei Monaten in Deutschland. Klasse!!

I will be staying with a host family in North Garmany for the duration of my trip and I am looking forward to getting to know so much more about them and their home country. Since I have recieved this scholarchip from EIL I have been in regular contact with the family. They have made me feel really welcome and I cant wait to finally meet them in person. However, before I meet the family that I will be staying with, I must go to an orintation course in Frankfurt. I am really looking forward to going there as I will get to meet some other students from around the world that will be doing the same thing as me.:)

A couple of months ago, I went to a pre-departure workshop with EIL and I got to meet loads of other students that were going all around the world. I was also lucky enough to meet Bríd, another girl that was going to Germany just like me. It was great to meet so many other people that were doing the same thing as me. The pre-departure workshop really helped me to realise that it was ok to be a little bit nervous about going to a new country for the first time. It also gave me great advice on what to do if I ever felt upset while over there.

Ich freue mich auf die Reise nach Deutschland und wenn die Schule beginnt!! I am really excited to meet lots of new people that I hope can become friends for life. I am also really looking forward to improving my German language skills. I have been learning German for three and a half years and I always wanted to be given the opportunity to do something like this, so once again Vielen Dank EIL!! :)

I will be posting blogs regularly to share all of my adventures from Germany and I will try to add as may photos as I can!! Ich hoffe meine Reise wird etwas das Ich nicht vergessen!! :D

Bis zum nähsten Mal

Emma <3

Continually thinking in German

Brid McConnell — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:26:04 +0000

I'm now back a month after spending two months in Germany as an exchange student. It was an amazing experience and I'd even go as far as saying the best two months of my life!. I had soooooo much fun. I made many friends who I hope to have for a long time (some are planning on visisting me in the summer hols), I got to experience another culture and have grown to love it, I've tried many new things, become more organised and independant and my German has improved immensly.

I'm now fairly fluent and confident at speaking the language and I can understand what people are saying quite easily. My goal for the two month was to improve my German so that I'd be able to have a normal conversation with natives, to get to know and appreciate the German culture and to make friends. I achieved what I wanted to and even more. I'm now in the process of reading my second book in German. That's something that would have been unimaginable 3 months ago. Some might think I'm weird but at the weekends, when I have time I even watch my favourite German T.V. programmes.

When I first came back, I was constantly thinking in German and spoke a few words here and there by accident! I was delighted to see my family and friends again but I really do miss my German family, my friends, the schoolsystem and the lifestyle in general. I found it quite easy to adjust to the German way of life and it was a pleasant experiece but when I returned I found it quite hard to get back to my old routine. The school in Germany started at 8 and finished at 1.15/3.15, there was no uniform, the schools were mixed and their was not as much emphasis on written homework. This meant that I had loads of time for hobbies in the afternoon, I could spend time with family and friends and just relax. As you can imagine, it was a lot different when I came home as school and schoolwork practically dominates the day. I also experienced culture shock for a while. I kept complaining about Ireland and comparing it to Germany and almost everything here seemed to frustrate me! Things are only getting back to normal in the last week

I've enjoyed sharing my stories and experiences with my classmates and friends. I even told them the stories where I made a complete and utter fool of myself trying to explain things without the propper words. We all had a laugh at my expense but they learned many "need to know" phrases :P People seem to be quite interested in hearing about my time in Germany and some of my classmates are even making the effort to speak to me in German outside of the classroom! After doing the exchange, I have more respect for Irish culture and realise that it is unique like every culture is, I've more respect for the German culture and every other culture in general. I'm more interested and passionate about learning languages (though especially German) Learning languages in my opinion is never boring, because no matter how much you know, there's always more to learn and there's always room for improvement. I'm even considering learning another language

After spending 2 months in Germany, I'm 99.9999% sure that I want to pursue a carrer in German. I plan to become an Irish/German teacher or become a translator.

I'd like to thank EIL for giving me the opportunity to participate in the "Secondary School Abroad Programme", my German teacher for telling me about the travel award and nominating me and also my school who allowed me to go to Germany for 2 months. It sounds a bit cliché but it was a dream come true!!!!

Bríd McConnell <3

Tralee Twins with Hong Kong!

Caitriona — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:31:13 +0000

In the month of March this year my Youthreach co-ordinator Margaret Culloty nominated me for a Travel Award to Hong Kong through the not-for-profit organisation EIL Intercultural Learning. I had never travelled anywhere abroad before apart from Britain so it was a huge opportunity for me. The trip was a youth exchange so we would be hosted by a group of young people from Hong Kong and then they would come to Ireland when we returned. I had to write an essay about why I would be worthy for the trip and after I got short- listed for an interview. There were 10 of us going for interview and everyone was really great so I wasn’t too confident about my chances of winning the award, however about 2 weeks later I got a phone call telling me I had been chosen to go to Hong Kong. I was so excited! A few months later we set off for Hong Kong.

I was one of 8 young people from around Ireland going on the trip. I was really worried about meeting the other people going, in case I didn’t get on with them, but by the time the 13 hour flight was over we were all great friends! Whilst in Hong Kong we did a huge amount of activities such as going to museums, theme parks and visiting the famous Hong Kong landmarks and markets. We stayed in a youth hostel on the outskirts of the city, it was a great hostel and we all loved staying there. We spent one night in a resort called the Noah’s Ark Resort; this was my favourite night in Hong Kong. There was a beach at the resort and all of the Irish group and the Hong Kong group stayed on the beach until about 3am playing games and talking. It was such a beautiful experience sitting on the beach and looking across at the lights of the city, and it was still boiling hot even at that early hour of the morning! Another one of my favourite experiences was going to visit The Peak, which is a famous building in Hong Kong. We took a tram up to the building and from there we saw the entire city, the view was amazing and there were lots of shops up there to buy souvenirs. We had dinner at The Peak that night in a Western style restaurant, which was a nice break from all of the Chinese food! Before I went to Hong Kong I was expecting a lot of differences between the young people there and the young people here but after getting to know them I realised that we are not that different at all! We all got on so well, we shared the same sense of humour and all had ambitions to go to university and start a career. The Hong Kong group were so welcoming and helped us so much when we were finding things hard. I found the food very challenging as it was so different from anything I had ever tried but the Hong Kong group were very patient and told me what everything was and didn’t get offended if I didn’t like something. They were especially patient with us all about the chop sticks, a lot of us found this very difficult to get the hang of in the beginning but they helped us a lot and found it all quite funny!

I loved every minute of being in Hong Kong and it has really made me want to do more travelling and see more of the world! To other young people reading this, I would really recommend them to travel at any opportunity. I can truly say that this has been one of the best experiences of my life and I am so thankful that I was given such a great opportunity. I have made great friends that I will remain in contact with both in Ireland and Hong Kong. It was so sad when we all had to say goodbye but I am hoping that one day I can go back to Hong Kong and see everyone again.
Rowena Mattock, Tralee Youthreach LCA

October in Germany! Oktober in Deutschland :D

Brid McConnell — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:57:30 +0000

Hey! Sorry it's so long since my last blog. I've been quite busy doing many different things. The first weekend in October was a long weekend, as Monday was a National Holiday (Tag des Deutsche Einheit/German Unity Day). On the Saturday we went to Bremen. On the train we met an Irish band called "Spellbound". It was the first time in 5 weeks that I got to speak English face to face with somebody. Surprisingly, I found it extremely difficult, as German words kept coming to mind. When we arrived in Bremen, we went to the "Universum" there. It was a really cool Science Museum, that had exhibits related to cosmos, the earth and people. Most of the things were pretty cool. There was a sitting room, and when you sat on the sofa, an earthquake from the past would occur eg. 1906 Sanfransisco Earthquake. It was so authentic. The pictures began to shake on the wall, the music on the radio cut out and there were even aftershocks. It mimicked the actual earthquake. Monday was German Unity Day, so we had no school. The weather was so nice 22 degrees that we had a barbeque

During the week, I made a powerpoint presentation about Ireland with the help of my host sister Jenny, and then on Friday I showed it to my class. I can't believe that I only realised after doing the presentation, that there are so many unique and interesting things about Ireland and our culture :O. My classmates found out that the majority of the Stereotypes of Irish people are false (not all of us have red hair, drink Guiness for breakfast and are drunk and lazy). When I first came to Germany, somebody actually asked me, were my ancestors originally from Ireland as I have brown hair :L Everyone found Gaelic Football, Hurling and Irish Dancing quite interesting as they had never seen anything like it before. Some described Gaelic as a mixture of basketball, volleyball, soccer and rugby and many said that hurling was like playing hockey in the air. I thought my classmates cupla focail and they quickly learned that it is a completly different language to English. Many of them were actually surprised to learn that the majority of Irish people don't speak Irish at home.

The next weekend I went to the Salt Museum in Lunenburg (a salt town about 15km from my German home). I was able to see many different types of salt crystals, the process of making salt. After that I went to a German 1960's house. My last school week in Germany, we had a project week. Every yeargroup were given different themes. My theme was from text to film. We were given 4 texts, we had to choose one text, interpret it and make a film from the text. After filming, we had to edit the scenes, add appropiate music to the background and add credits. It was soo fun and something that I had never done before. During the project week, my host sister went to Rome for the week with her Latin course, so things were quite different. On my last day of school, everyone presented their projects so the whole school and parents could see them. After school, I went to my friends house to celebrate her 15th birthday. It also turned out to be a goodbye party for me, because the next week most of my friends were going on holidays,. We made pizza's ourselves, watched two movies (shopoholic and Inception in German) and played many board games.It was very sad, when I had to leave, but they promised me they'd come to visit during the summer holidays

Last Sunday, I went to Neungamme Concentration Camp with my family. It was the one thing that I felt I had to do when I went to Germany. We learned about the Holocaust last year in History class, but I didn't hear about a lot of things that happened. It was so very interesting and educational but I found it unbelivably sad. I had a constant lump in my throat and when I read diaries of those who were in the concention camp, and stories of what had actually happend, the tears streamed down my face. It is something that I'll never forget but I'm glad I went there.

On thursday, I went to Hamburg, and did a bus tour of the city, so I could see everything. Friday night, was my last night in Germany. I stayed up till three O'clock with my family, playing kareoke, listening to music, talking about my time in Germany and their culture. They gave me a beautiful necklace, with a key. They told me that the key symolises the key of their house and that I'm welcome back whenever I want. My host sister is also welcome to come to Ireland whenever she wants, but first of all she has to do her German Leaving Cert.

Thanks sooooo much once again for the opportunity!

Brid <3

“Connecting the Dots” at a UN conference in Bonn, Germany

aislinn — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:44:51 +0000

Last month, I set off to Bonn, Germany to meet with other members of Federation EIL and represent the organisation at the 64th Annual United Nations NGO Conference. There were seven delegates from EIL representing with representatives from Germany, South Korea and Colombia. Bonn was a lovely host city which is situated on the river Rhine and is the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven. Bonn is Germany’s UN City, with 850 men and women working in 18 UN organisations, programmes and offices, mostly in the area of sustainable development. This made it a very suitable host city for the theme of the conference: “Sustainable Societies, Responsive Citizens”. The German branch of EIL also have their offices in Bonn.

The conference ran for 3 days and was attended by more than 1,700 people from 70 countries representing many different NGOs. On the first morning of the conference I met with the other members of the EIL delegation at the EIL booth in the main hall. Over the duration of the conference attendees of the conference were able to stop by the desk to learn about EIL and the volunteer programs. Lots of other NGOs and some UN agencies had desks set up where you could find out about their organisations and their work.

The opening ceremony was very illuminating and set up the themes from conference. The slogan for the weekend was “Connecting the Dots” and the speakers at the ceremony gave their interpretation of how this related to “Sustainable Societies, Responsive Citizens. “Connecting the Dots” makes reference to a speech Ban Ki Moon, made in January this year where he spoke of “tearing down the walls between the development agenda and the climate agenda” and he spoke to his audience about “connecting the dots” between climate change, water, energy and food.

One of the opening speakers in Bonn remarked that “connecting the dots” meant that sustainable development is not just an environmental issue, but an economic and social one as well, as sustainable development needs finance and needs to be achieved alongside social equality. Vandana Shiva, an Indian environmentalist and a keynote speaker at the opening ceremony, stressed the importance of connecting the anti-poverty agenda with an environmental agenda, claiming that hunger could be ended by using innovations in agricultural ecology with are also good for the environment. The Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information, Kiyo Akasaka, remarked that we need only look at the famine in the Horn of Africa to see how hunger is cause by the intersection of climate, conflict and governance. The opening ceremony also included a video address from Ban Ki Moon who spoke of the need to development sustainable economies in order to achieve the Millennium Development goals and protect the environment.

The conference consisted of a series of roundtables and smaller workshops where which sought to link volunteering, youth involvement and bottom-up approaches to the creation of sustainable societies and economies. Irish MEP Marian Harkin was among the speakers in a workshop on “Volunteering for a Sustainable Future” that I attended. She spoke of how economies weren’t sustainable because they were no longer related to people. This workshop highlighted how volunteering should take centre stage in the struggle to develop sustainable societies.

Over the course of the conference, a declaration was which brought together the ideas of all the ideas and contributions of the various organisations represented by the delegates of the conference. The declaration calls on governments to come to the Rio+20 conference on Sustainable development to produce a politically binding document on the issue. The Final Declaration is available here:

http://www.un.org/wcm/webdav/site/ngoconference/shared/Documents/Final%20Declaration/Chair%27s%20Text.pdf

It was a great opportunity to attend a real UN conference and a huge thanks to EIL Ireland for the opportunity and the delegates from the German office who were there to welcome me on the first day. It was a wonderful chance to meet international members of EIL and people from NGOs around the world.

Here’s a link to a video summarising the highlight of the conference

http://www.un.org/wcm/content/site/ngoconference/pid/16700

Eurocamp Naumburg 2011

LydiaFish — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 16:58:49 +0000

Eurocamp. If like me, you have no idea what this is, then you are exactly where I was back in May when I applied for the award. To this day, I never expected to win it and I really did not have much time to mull over what was in store for me. Essentially, it was a three week opportunity to make friends from all over Europe, to explore East Germany and generally to become aquainted with the whole concept of being "European".

My first contact with Eurocamp was when I started receiving e-mails from the organisation in Germany. Eurocamp started to feel a bit more “real” in the sense of the word and by the end of July, I was on a bus from Cork to Dublin to catch a flight to Germany.

It took me around eighteen hours of travel to get to Germany, so for me, Eurocamp is just twinned with travel forever in my mind! A mixture of bus, over-night stay in the airport, plane and train got me there and thankfully a very nice Team member from the organisation collected myself and others at similar times and drove us straight to the youth hostel.

My arrival is a bit of a blur, I just remember LOTS of people all coming in at once and having to introduce myself to everyone. We were ushered in, had our photos taken for the Eurocamp ID cards and were told to sign in. Unlike others who were a bit subdued, I could talk for Ireland so I was chattering away pretty much instantaneously. Without fail, most people could speak at least two languages. German was preferred by the organisers but in reality, a basic level of German would suffice so no worries here if you are still a beginner!

We were then shown to our rooms, introduced to our room-mates and told to go down to the main room to meet everyone. Accommodation wise, we were split into groups of four, for example, four girls or four guys to a room. I found the accommodation to be very nice (although things did get a bit messy with four girls sharing one small bathroom) and I was very pleased with the food we were provided!Meals were served three times a day which everyone took full use of because a combination of hard work and lack of sleep would make anyone very hungry! Mealtimes were held in a large room and there were many different areas in the hostel just to relax. There was also an internet cafe which was nearly always full! There were also cleaning supplies provided if you, like me, could not stand using the same bathroom for three weeks without some form of a good scrubbing! Clothes washing was only done once during the three week stay so I would advise to pack more than you need as some of my clothes also went missing somewhere along the journey from the washing machine to the hostel!

In total, there were around ninety members partaking in the camp, ranging from ages of eighteen to late twenties. It was an entirely international affair with representatives from countries such as Slovenia, Denmark, Finland, Bulgaria and Romania to name a few. Each representative country was asked to make a presentation about the country and it is through this that I learnt a lot. Although at times it did feel like a very “organised fun” affair, I think it was to be expected considering the nature of the programme. The three weeks consisted mainly of timetables involving your work-project, daytrips/activities and the theatre project in the second week.

The work project was the title given the volunteer work you would do during your stay. There were a number of different projects to choose from, which were all explained with the help of a presentation. For my project, I chose a primary school. My group had to sand and paint fences, build a summer house for the children and create a little garden. This meant a LOT of varnishing and sun-burning. In all honesty, I believe that my project was one of the more purposeful ones as many other groups ran out of work early on in the camp. If anything, it was our group organiser that made it all worthwhile. She was incredibly motivating and was quick to alter things for the enjoyment of the group. In the beginning, I was a little disappointed that our work, was perhaps, not as meaningful as I would have hoped it to be. However, by the end of the first week, the ability to work in shifts was a god-send as we could all catch a nap at some point of the morning!

I believe the purpose of the work project was more so about “unity” rather than the actual work we were doing. This whole experience was essentially an exercise in inter-personal and intercultural skills, for which I am most appreciative of. The work was hard-going at times as everyone was tired but it was worth it once we saw the end-product. Out of all of the projects, I feel like mine made the most sense as individuals in the other groups felt disillusioned by what they were actually volunteering for. However, personally, I do believe it is what you make of a situation that will decide whether you will enjoy an experience. I threw myself into the work project and got involved where I could. It's up to the individual to decide whether a project has a purpose or not. Thankfully, I was part of a very motivated group who all wanted to improve the local school and be able to enjoy a sense of achievement towards the end of the three weeks. So in that sense we succeeded in one of the goals of Eurocamp. We were an intercultural unit working together for the betterment of the local community!

Without a doubt, it is the individuals I met in Eurocamp that stand out to me the most. I realise that three weeks is a short period of time but I really got to know people and have been in constant contact since the end of Eurocamp. In some ways, I do feel that I have a greater connection to the idea of “Europe” through meeting like-minded people from countries such Iceland, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Malta. I feel like I have made friends for life and to me, that is worth far more than anything else.

Hence, I must thank Eurocamp for the activities they organised as it is through these experiences that I got to know these people. There was the tour of the town, daytrips to Leipzig and Magdeburg, a trip to the champagne factory, a town treasure hunt, lots of barbeques, movie nights, game nights and wall climbing. Some I liked, some I didn't but I think that is the same for anything in life! The organisers certainly kept us busy and one thing I had not accounted for were the amount of parties. Without fail, every night a majority stayed up till four in the morning dancing, singing and making merry. There were Balkan nights where we were taught traditional dances and everyone joined in. It was great fun and is probably one of the many reasons I decided to take it easy the last two months since Eurocamp! It certainly gave me enough “partying” to last me for a few more months!

There were also many opportunities to organise outings yourself as every Sunday was a designated as free-time. For example, myself and a group of girls went out in Halle one night and then partook in the organisers activities the next day, so everyone was happy!

There was also the main theatre project which took place during the second week. Again, we were divided into groups and given “props” and were instructed to debate their meaning. My group received a head scarf, a picture of a woman with a briefcase and a Turkish newspaper. As a group, we came to the conclusion that the topic we were dealing with centered around female emancipation and how we viewed the “headscarf”. Together, we worked together to put together a theatrical piece without words. This was then performed in a lovely little theatre in Naumburg. Personally, this was not my favourite aspect of the camp as I felt that our group had little say in the development of the piece. Theatre is a passion of mine, thus I was slightly disappointed by this thread of the programme as I expected some form of professional mentor-ship where we could aptly deal with the issues we were given. Yet on the other hand, for a newcomer to performing, this would have been very enjoyable. Having performed for years, I am just a little biased and I do not want to influence anyone in thoughts about Eurocamp! I enjoyed every other aspect of Eurocamp, this just wasn't my thing!

Eurocamp is also, in some sense, a politically driven affair. European Union style debates were held and many of the seemingly innocent games we played, would then be linked into current topics of European or national interest. Many of the people involved like myself in Eurocamp, were undertaking European Studies or politically driven courses as part of their degree. It was satisfying to see these said people defending policies as I believe they will do in their future careers. Now, have no fear if like me, you do have the same extent of passion for politics. I partook in these activities as a learning experience as in all honesty, I did not harbour interest in whether or not the European Parliament should only converse through three main languages. I enjoyed the cultural aspect of the camp, with a favourite moment being when myself and the other Irish representative performed a piece from “Translations” by Brian Friel. I want to stress that Eurocamp does have a greater meaning because although the experience was a nice get-away for me, there is a meaningful point for such a large group of Europeans to get together!

So in my evaluation of the project, I am just trying to be as honest as I can. If you love people, having the opportunity to speak three different languages in a day (mine were German, French and English) and want to make friends from all over Europe, this is the place for you. I surprised myself with how much I laughed and bonded with people I probably would have never met in my normal day-to-day life. I love traveling and now this experience has piqued my curiosity even more. There is so much to see out there in the world and you will surprise yourself with how easy it will be to make friends because, I guess, culture may represent a group but it does not represent the individual. In Eurocamp, we all came from very different cultural backgrounds but once we got to know each other as people, there were very little differences to speak of. The whole of Eurocamp was a boiling-pot for open-minded, well traveled personalities,with many having volunteered in other parts of Europe previously. So perhaps I was not completely enamoured with some parts of the programme and my political knowledge may have been a bit lackluster but this all greyed in comparison to the unadulterated fun and laughter that I shared with my friends in Eurocamp. I absolutely adored the experience and if like me, you like adventure, apply for this programme straight away! Have fun Eurocamp 2012!

Published article.. happy days :)

Steph Elliott — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:17:22 +0000

So I have some fantastic news. The article that I wrote not only got published, they also put an ad on the local radio station. It was so strange to hear my name and what I wrote on the radio. I was happily chopping my vegetables making a soup for the kids when the ad came on, As my Spanish isn’t excellent I had to wait until I returned to Betty’s to ask exactly what they had included in the piece . It was perfect. A lot of people listen to this particular radio station so the word is out there and you never know maybe more kids will arrive at our doors in the coming weeks . There was a lot of ‘Oh my god’ and jumping around. I was very proud. That’s not all... A member of the government read the article and is willing to help out the comedor. I am very excited and I couldn’t have asked for a better response. Our work doesn’t stop here however another letter needs to be written explaining exactly what we need. It looks like my hopes for developing a library with a cupboard to keep the books safe it actually possible. New chairs will also make such a difference for the kids and will add an extra bit of life to the room. A very wise person once said “We need to be the change we wish to see in the world” What a clever man...

Forming new friendships and the possibility of an excursion for the kids...

Steph Elliott — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:41:29 +0000

Hi everyone, so on Saturday evening Marieka, Jan and carsten arrived in Chilecito. They are the fresh new volunteers ready and waiting to begin their year’s stay here. I have to say I am a little jealous. As I live with Betty I never need to go very far for our volunteer meetings or parties and on Saturday evening we met for some sandwiches and ricotta cake. Seeing the guys takes me back to my first day in Chilecito. I was so scared and unsure about what to expect. I remember attending a similar party where I was the main focus of attention. Everyone was speaking in Spanish and I didn’t have a clue what they were saying to me. It feels like a million years ago. You really grow, mature and experience fantastic things in such a short space of time on an adventure such as this one. I am glad I can help the guys settle in here as I know exactly how they are feeling. We sat and talked about their first impressions of the town. I told them a little about the comedor and gave them the all important tour of Chilecito showing them the important places you crave when you first arrive, a phone shop, internet cafe, bank and post office.:) They seem really nice and I am looking forward to spending my last two weeks with them.

On Monday Jan,Marieke and I set out on our little journey to San Miguel. We left a little early so that we could stop and take in the surrounding mountains which I knew they would adore. The kids were very well behaved and quiet shy to begin with but within a half hour the hyper atmosphere of the comedor was restored and they even drew some pictures with the guys. At the moment I am teaching the kids the names of all the animals by drawing a picture and writing the Spanish and English translation. I have to say the Spanish /English dictionary that I brought here has been a life saver and we use it time and time again. The kids love the pictures. I am keeping all the pictures aside and when we have learnt most of the animals I will paint a zoo scene on the wall in the comedor so that the kids are reminded of the English translation every day. I have also begun to stick both the Spanish and English translation on all the items in the comedor this not only helps me to remember the name in Spanish but the kids are also reading the English words on a daily basis.

Having the guys in the comedor is great and with three people we are able to organise more games and English classes for the kids. I feel very confident that together we will generate a positive change in the comedor. I have really noticed a difference in the kids. There is a really nice energy and willingness to learn now. As Spanish is not our first language we meet before the kids arrive and organise our activities for the day. This helps us to be more confident when we are explaining the lessons to a group of 30 exited children. My ambitions for this project have defiantly changed dramatically from the ambitions I had before I left however this is not necessarily a bad thing. The comedor has so much potential and I truly believe we are on the right track to make it a very special place for the kids to grow and mature into young adults. However Rome wasn’t built in a day and patience is a must when one is trying to generate change.

Friday was a very special day; a group of children from a school in Buenos Aires who are vacationing in Samay Huasi came to visit us in the comedor and invited the kids for a game of football and volleyball. They even donated some caramels and lollipops which will come in handy as prizes for bingo. I should mention that we play bingo to help us teach the kids numbers in English. I take such pleasure in seeing the kids improve more and more every day. So back to Friday, Samay Huasi is this fantastic property about 2 km outside of Chilecito. This house belonged to JoaquinV. Gonzalez a fascinating man was an Argentine educator, political scientist, writer, magistrate, and politician. It is now a museum and people come from afar to visit this beautiful home and its breathtaking grounds. The boys played soccer and the girls played some volleyball. At half time, we were invited for some chocolate milk and cookies. The kids had so much fun and it was lovely to see them form friendships with these kids from Buenos Aires. We have arranged to return next week.

So I have mentioned in my title that we hope to bring the kids on a little day out. There is a circus in town and we are dying to bring the kids along for a fun day. I have written a letter to present to the owners of the circus. Hopefully they will be generous and give the kids the opportunity to experience a little excursion far from the comedor. We are very reliant on donations to help us take the kids on little adventures such as a trip to the circus. A circus only comes to Chilecito every few years so it would be great to be able to bring the kids.

Stephie x

1 month in Germany <3

Brid McConnell — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:14:36 +0000

Guten Tag! :D I find it hard to believe that I'm here 1 month. The time is flying and I'm enjoying every minute of my time here. I've really settled in with my family. I feel right at home to be honest. School is getting better and better by the day. 3 weeks ago I knew nobody, I could hardly understand a word my teachers were saying, I was unable to do my homework and I was almost afraid to speak incase I made a mistake. (stupid ehh?) I learned quickly that it's better to make mistakes and learn from them than being afraid to speak. What other way was I suppossed to learn. 3 weeks later, I have many new friends, I'm able to understand what my teachers are saying, I'm able to do most of my homework (well I try my best), I have the confidence to speak and am no longer afraid about making mistakes. When I dont know a word, I try my best to describe it. yesterday for eg. I hurt my toe. I didn't know the word for toe so I said "meine Füße Finger tut weh(my foot's finger hurts)!" It was quite funny and I made a fool of myself, but I learned the word for toe :P The school here is very different to my school at home but I like it.I love the way, school finishes early here (1.15/3.15). You have more time to relax, do hobbies and evern do homework and study. I've noticed that here in Germany, pupils don't get as much written homework as we do, and they don't have to learn as much off by heart. There is more emphasis on oral work (even in subjects like history, maths etc). The students rarely have to change classroom as the teachers come to us. We get regular breaks. There is a 5min. break between every class and a 15min break every 2nd class. At first I loved not having to wear a uniform, but the novelty is slowly wearing off. It's so hard to decide what to wear in the mornings :P. I find it really intersesting the way they learn English here.

People over here, have a genuine interest in the Irish culture. Some people seem to be surprised that not all Irish have red hair and drink Guinness for breakfast. My sister here, finds hurling pretty cool. I promised her that when she comes to visit me, she can join my local team. She's also interested in the Irish language, so I taught her´"cupla focail". She's a pure natural! In return for teaching her Irish, she taught me some German tongue twisters. Now I know the proper definition of tongue twisters, because they are litteraly IMPOSIBLE to say.

I don't know why, but many Irish people say that German food is disgusting, without evern tasting it. (I was once one of those people). I've tried so many new things since I arrived here and the only thing that I can say I don't like is...... The tea.

THe first weekend here with my family , we went to Cuxhaven by the North Sea. The tide was out sooo far, (3.5km) that we were able to take a horse and carraige to a nearby island (Insel Neuwerk). We did a tour of the island, and played in the sand. By evening time, the tide had come in, and the water level was soo high that we had to return to the mainland by ship. It was such an enjoyable day. The next weekend I went to "Hamburg-Theatre Nacht" with my sister and her friend. It was my first time in Hamburg, my first time at a ballet, my first time at an opera and my first time at an improvisation. It was a great experience and I'd love to do it again. That thursday, I went ´to the cinema (Kino) and saw Freunde mit Gewissen Vorzüge (I think friendships with benefits in English). Surprisingly I was able to understand it and it was soooo funny. Last Saturday I went to Hamburg again. This time, we went to Hamburg Hafen (the port) and did a boat tour of the port. NEVER in my life did I see so many different types of ships and so many big ships. Every ship I saw was bigger than the previous one. One ship, was over 400m long and could carry more than 12,000 containers :O after that we went to the Reeperbahn, where I got pretty cool souveniers, saw Hamburg's Rathaus, and then went to "Build a Bear" where I made a bear with a German football Jeresy. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, as I'm going to my friends house

One of the most common questions people ask me is "do I feel homesick". I can honestly say, most of the time no, because I'm so busy doing things, having fun, enjoying the experience and I know that I'll get to see family and friends again. However, the day I got my Junior Cert Results I was quite homesick. My parents sounded so proud of me on the phone that it made me miss them and want to see them again. It also felt strange, that while I was at school doing Maths and Physics, the rest of my friends were celebrating. The next day results day was over, homesickness gone and everything back to normal. It was quite strange.

Last week I was talking to a girl who read my last Blog. She asked me what's it like to do an exchange as she's thinking about doing one. I can honestly say than in the past month, my German has come on leaps and bounds! I'm beginning to think in the language and sometimes I speak German (accidently) to my family at home.. I understand more than I ever could have imagined and am able to have a decent conversation with others. If you like/love the German language,want to improve your German or learn about the German culture, this programme (in my opinion) is the best way to go about it. You'll make many new friends, will always have contacts in Germany and it's DEADLY CRAIC!

I've done so much since my last blog, and find so many things about the Germany and the German culture great, that it's impossible to fit it all into a blog. I could almost write a book.

bis hoffentlich bald!

Brid :)

Last week all alone and creating a reading friendly environment in the comedor.......

Steph Elliott — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 09:49:29 +0000

After a beautiful relaxing weekend in Catamarca it was time for me once again to begin another week in the comedor. Time is genuinely going by so quickly here is Chilecito. This Saturday night I am meeting the next group of German volunteers who will be working in the comedor. I am very excited to tell the guys all I have learnt over the last few weeks. Betty and I are holding a little welcome party for the new volunteers which will be really nice. I have invited some of my friends along to help them realise that chilecito is a friendly fun place to be.

Sadly my Spanish lessons are coming to an end and I am finishing them this week. I have really enjoyed going to Esther’s house every evening and I will miss her a lot, however we have arranged to have coffee this Friday and I know we will keep in touch. Every evening I tell her all the news from the comedor, how many kids showed up? What I cooked for them? Were my games a success? After hearing so much about them she was dying to meet them in person and kindly offered to give me a helping hand on Wednesday. We drove to San Miguel together early in the morning (which was a nice treat). She donated two bags of clothes, lollipops and some fruit for the kids; it was such a lovely gesture I have to say a massive thank you to her. The kids also wrote a little letter to say thank you for all she did that day which was very sweet.

On Wednesday we read stories, sang songs and the kids taught me some fun games. I have realised that the real experts concerning games and activities are the kids themselves and sometimes I just need to kick back and watch them for a while. Honestly I have learnt so much from them. For me personally I thought I needed to know it all before I came here and to be honest it is the complete opposite, you learn everything when you arrive and I am sure what works in this project would not work in another but that is where the challenge and fun comes into play and it is really up to each and every volunteer to make their own experience one to remember. I enjoyed reading with the kids on Wednesday, so much so that it got me thinking...there should be more focus on reading in the comedor. There is a lack of comfy chairs for the kids to sit on while reading and also a lack of a safe place to put some new and second hand books (as the centro vicinal is also used by other groups and workshops). So a wish or idea I have for the comedor is to set up its very own library. On Wednesday night I got to work on this matter and with the help of my host mum Betty I wrote an article to the local newspaper in Chilecito. As this article was in Spanish it took me some time but I am very happy with the finished product. I explained a little about the project itself and how grateful we would be to receive donations to help make the comedor a reading happy environment. Hopefully it will be published soon as I would love to still be here to put this idea into place. Fingers crossed.

On Friday I explained to the kids that 2 new volunteers will be joining us in the comedor on Monday. It will be nice to have some cycling buddies and co-workers back however I have had an absolute blast working on my own with the kids and I feel I have made a really good connection with them.

My first week working alone...

Steph Elliott — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:42:00 +0000

So as you already know from my latest blog the other volunteer working in the comedor( Lea) has left this lovely country to return home to Germany which means I was working on my own this week. It felt a little strange at first because I am really used to having the guys with me in the comedor, but it was another little challenge for me to overcome here in Chilecito and I think I did ok.... If I do say so myself

I was very nervous last Monday morning, thinking of the prospect of cooking and preparing for all the kids while also planning some activities for them to play after lunch. However I had some great help from one of the mother’s who kindly helped me every morning this week preparing the ingredients for dinner. She is a great cook and gave me some great ideas for recipies I can use in coming weeks. I love seeing more and more kids coming to the comedor. On Monday 30 children arrived at the doors of the comedor and it is a day I will never forget. Thankfully I had plenty of food for everyone and they even stayed behind to play some volley ball and football which was a lot of fun.

On Wednesday I made spaghetti Bolognese which went down a treat with everyone, they have even asked for it again very soon which is always a good sign. Being in the comedor on my own no longer seems so scary and daunting. The kids are behaving so well and they have been very helpful this week especially with my Spanish if I can’t remember a Spanish word or if I am having difficulty explaining a game to them, they will all try their best to help me. Some of my activities and games that I have planned don’t work out according to plan, and I have learnt to except that and move on quickly to my next idea. It is all about trial and error in the comedor and I think that I am just coming into my stride. I have begun to sleep siesta now as I return home exhausted but satisfied.

On Friday I decided to celebrate my first week alone in the comedor by making pizza for all the kids. I cycled to San Miguel that morning with 9 pizza bases , ham, cheese and a lot of tomato sauce. The kids LOVE pizza and they were so excited to hear that I was making it. They all helped chop the eggs, onions and ham. I always enjoy seeing the kids getting involved preparing the food and it was especially easy when pizza was on the menu. The pizzas turned out delicious and every plate was cleared. I even helped myself to two slices. I finished the week by playing a really great English volcabulary game called ‘Action race’. This is a fun game using actions like jump, hop, clap and run. Each child learns what each action means and also how to describe the action in english as they need to act it out on my instruction. This game took some time to organise but when it works, it works very well as the kids are using some of that extra energy they tend to have on a Friday afternoon because they are acting out these actions numerous times.

On Saturday I travelled to Fiambala in the south west of Catamarca near the province of La Rioja. Fimbala is a fantastic place in the middle of the mountains where you can visit natural hot springs. We left early on Saturday morning and the landscape on the drive to Fiambala was out of this world. We visited a walnut farm on the way and I even got to help the farmer with his sheep and goats. We stopped off in the town Fiambala for some lunch before going to the springs themselves. It is so relaxing at the springs and I really enjoyed my weekend. I returned home to Chilecito late Sunday evening rested and ready for another week in the comedor

Trekking Chimborazo

Damien Thomsondthomson-4@li — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 21:34:21 +0000

Chimborazo is the closest point on the world to the sun....AND I WAS ON IT! This is one of those surreal events that I was part of in Ecuador. It is such an amazing place. We got up really early to start our excavation. We were told that it would be cold, very cold...and after seeing so many pictures of a blizardary snowcapped volcano, we all got dressed up in our layers of wooly fleeces! We were well prepared. The 12 of us gathered in my house, all buzzing with excitement and ready for our adventure we drove for around an hour and a half on a coach to this spectacular landscape. It was completely barren and there was a fierce wind! Our coach pulled over on the road when we were nearly there. It was the first time that we got to see Chimborazo up close. It was amazing! I’ve never seen anything like it. This huge volcano capped with snow with the clearest blue sky. We were stunned looking at it and couldn’t imagine it getting any better. But as we drove on a bit it just kept getting better and better.

We drove up this winding, narrow road to the station where we would start our hike. Once again, we were amazed by the volcano! It looks really fake! I don’t know why, its almost like a painting. Before starting our hike, we sat down in the hut and talked with our guide. We were all given some coca tea and biscuits before the hike! It’s made out of the same leaf as cocaine but it’s not bad! The coca tea is to help you adapt to the altitude, and the biscuits…well…are just for eating. (Even though the Americans and I had a heated discussion on biscuits/cookies!) It was nice getting a hot drink anyway. We all had lots of clothes on and big bags on our back. We were told to bring sunglasses too, as the sun is so strong and also the wind blows a lot of dust around.

Before starting the hike, our guide told us a little about the volcano. It hasn’t erupted in 2000 years…seems like a long time ago but geologically it’s nothing! So it is still called an active volcano. The quickest summit was by a Peruvian man who climbed it in just over 2 hours! He ran to the first base (which we struggled to!) At the base of the volcano there are many headstones of mountaineers who have died climbing Chimborazo. I found a headstone of an Irish man who climbed it in 1990. We weren’t going to climb to the summit, only to the first base but we still had these people in mind. We were also taught how to walk up the volcano. You are supposed to take small steps and keep in a straight line and at an even pace. You can get altitude sickness but I never experienced it.

However, you do feel the effects of the altitude when you are doing anything physical. You can barely run 20 meters in Riobamba without feeling tired. We played football one day “Gringos vs Latinos”. It was the 12 foreigners against our host siblings! Of course, we didn’t win. We were so tired from doing so little running! None of us ever felt sick but you do feel the thinness of the air when you need it! Climbing Chimborazo was the same. After climbing around 10-15 steps you need to stop for a few seconds and then you’re grand again. It was the strangest feeling – just like as if you suddenly turned really old! We got to first base and took lots of great photos. At this stage we had peeled back our various layers. We were roasting from all that (well what seemed like) “physical activity!”

My host brother Mundi came with us. He has climbed Chimborazo many times and knows it like the back of his hand. When we got to first base we were allowed to stay there or go exploring around the plateau for a while. At this stage we were well past the roof of Europe – which I found hard to believe seeming that we didn’t even climb that much! It’s to do with the altitude. I went with Mundi a bit further up. There was absolute silence all around. It was quite eerie and simply surreal. I don’t think I’ve ever heard complete silence like that ever before in my life. We could look down the mountain and see miles and miles of this lunar landscape. All the rocks on the ground are either bright orange or black. It looked crazy and I took a few home to give to my brother who is a geologist. He thought they were amazing and explained all the science about them. I think he was happier with the rocks I got him than the present!

Chimborazo is covered with glaciers that stream down is. Mundi brought me to one where we could drink from. I normally wouldn’t advise drinking water but I was assured it was okay – and it was! I’ve never had anything fresher! I was able to wash my hands and cool myself down. I stood there looking at the top of Chimborazo for ages. I was amazed by it and afterwards the 2 of us went back down to first base to the Americans. There I broke the silence by whipping out my tin whistle and playing a few Irish jigs! We went down the volcano after a long time of admiring it. It was quite dangerous descending as there were so many loose rocks. I tripped a good few times but got there in the end.

At the first station were we had the tea, there were bikes lined up for us. We were going to cycle down the rest of the volcano, down the windy road and along to the closest town where lunch was being prepared. We started the decent and it was probably the scariest cycle I’ve ever done! (And I’m well used to cycling!) We were told to have our sunglasses on because the dust would agitate them, and I luckily enough brought my painting mask from the community work we did so I was fine the whole way through. We cycled down the bumpiest road I’d ever been on and the speed of light – What fun! Some people fell but everyone was okay in the end. It was so thrilling shooting down the road and we did have all our safety gear if you’re wondering! We got to the base of the mountain and struggled against a strong wind before getting to the major road where we could cycle leisurely.

We cycled for miles to the nearest town through incredible scenery. The mountains are so tall and green, it was really beautiful. We even got splashed by a waterfall on the way. We were chased by dogs through some of the little villages where little children waved at us with delight. They love seeing “Gringos” – the white, English speaking tourists. We arrived at a little heritage centre in a town were we sat down for lunch. We got a lovely plate of a hot, juicy steak of LLAMA! NOM! We saw many llamas during the day and it was quite sad tucking into one but I can’t lie…it was delicious! What a lovely end to a great day!

We arrived home later, absolutely shattered but with the most amazing memories. Climbing Chimborazo was such a great day. We had so much fun doing it and I see it as a real achievement. I look back so fondly on all our days out but Chimborazo was so exciting and exhilarating. When I go back to Ecuador (and I mean when!) I’ll definitely got back to Chimborazo. There are so many volcanoes in Ecuador, but Chimborazo is like the God that stands over Riobmaba. It truly is magical.

Back from Mexico

mark clarke — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 13:58:06 +0000

Well I've been back home a couple weeks now so this is my final blog. Its so hard trying to reflect back on everything that happened over the summer there was just so much. I'm home since the 14th of august and its just been all go as soon as I got home. Its such a change from the pace of life in Ventanilla, it was just so relaxed, I laughed when I read the handbook because it said there was no forms of stress in La Ventanilla but being back home seems so much more hectic here now. I arrived back and had two months of post to go through and god only knows how many forms and errands to do to get ready for college but I'm settled back in now. The summer just seems like a blur now it just went too fast it all seems so surreal now. I miss it but glad to be back with my family and friends, mexican food just didnt agree with me either. Theres alot of things I really miss like the people, Lalo, Carmelo and Trini I only felt like I was really getting to know the people and settling into their way of life and then it was time to go which was such a shame. I miss being able to just wear a pair of shorts day or night I forgot how cold and damp Ireland is, I dont miss the mosquitoes though ha!

Now I'm back home in Ireland, back to college, back to reality I really want to become fluent in spanish, I didnt think about the benefits of being multilingual before the travel award now I think its essential and I'm already planning my next adventure, this trip really gave me the travel bug, It was an amazing experience and I really think it has opened my eyes and changed me for the better.I am so grateful to EIL for giving me such a life changing oppertunity and I've been telling anyone who'll listen to me about it. Thanks alot EIL and for future travel award winners you'll love it, enjoy every minute of your trip as time is fleeting and you'll be home before you know it. Hasta luego