EIL Intercultural Learning - Clonmel

EIL Secondary School Students chatting at local coordinators house at recent gathering, January 15th, 2011

Gen — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 16:00:26 +0000

EIL Secondary School students visit and catch up after Christmas at local gathering of the Clonmel/ South Tip coordinators house.

South Tipperary Local Coordinator Hosts Exchange Student Get Together

Gen — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 15:42:24 +0000

South Tip Local Coordinator, Susan Phelan, hosts a get together for her community of EIL Secondary School exchange students on January 15th, 2011. Both new arrivals to Ireland and old students who've been in Ireland since August got together to meet, greet with each other and socialise after the busy Christmas and New Year season. Many of the students will be leaving at the end of January and the end of February, so it is also a chance to meet up as a group one last time before the quickly approaching end of the school programme and their time in Ireland. Students come from many different countries: France, Germany, Belgium, Japan, Korea, Brazil, and Australia, but all are living with local families in the South Tip areas of Clonmel, Cashel, Cahir and as well Callan in Co. Kilkenny. They go to different schools, so the chance to meet up with everyone on the same programme rarely happens outside of their arrival orientation at the start of the year. New students Flore Bonvier (Belgium), Gabriel Pupo (Brazil) and Marcel Disl (Germany) were welcomed by 19 other students already in the local community. Only one student from the local area was missing from the gathering as she was busy shopping with her host family that evening!

Also pictured is local host mother Kim Conolly O'Grady with her 7 month old baby, Dáithí who is host baby brother to German student Stephanie Mikut (all living in Cahir).

A great evening of chat and craic was had by all who attended. For those going home shortly, they will have many friends all over the world and in Ireland to stay in touch with. For those just arrived, they have many more friends to meet yet!

Kathrin Schneider

Gen — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:18:15 +0000

Kathrin Schneider with her host sister pose in front of a picturesque view of the Irish countryside.

Student reunion in Co. Tipperary

Gen — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:35:00 +0000

Susan Phelen, Local Coordinator in Tipperary, poses for a picture with her students at their last gathering in January 2010 . She introduced Mederic Thomas of France who arrived just a few weeks before (pictured on her right) to other students who have been in the community since August. This informal social gathering gave students an opportunity to meet and catch up since their last group outing back in the Autumn.

Susan with her female exchange students

Gen — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:27:46 +0000

Susan Phelan visits with her girls at a recent reunion of exchange students in her host community in January 2010. Susan hosted 14 students at her home so that the students could meet and visit with one another during their long term Secondary School Programme. The girls are staying with host families in Cahir, Cashel or Clonmel and attending school here in Ireland.

Exchange Students in Co. Tipperary have Community Reunion

Gen — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:21:58 +0000

On Saturday, 24th January, 2010 students of the Clonmel/ Cashel/ Cahir host community had a get-together at their local coordinator's home. Susan Phelan hosted the event so that the international students of the community could gather and socialise with one another. As many of them attend different schools and live in different areas, they do not get the opportunity to mix and meet all that often. Also, Susan wanted to welcome and introduce to the group two new exchange students who arrived in early January. 14 students attended and their host families were also welcome to pop in and out as well.

Those who attended were: Tamiko Kehrer, Nicolas Kratzch, Katherine Schneider, Teresa Manogg, Helena Kontny, Anne Schlueter, Simone Beyer, Sarah Bischoff, Ludwig Welde of Germany, Takafumi Komito of Japan, Jin Young Park and Hunbin Lee of Korea, Stephanie White of Australia and Thomas Mederic of France.

Host mothers Kim Connolly O Grady, Bernie Phelan, and Jo Kelleher had tea in the kitchen with Susan while all the students chatted and caught up with one another. In the sitting room in front of a big roaring fire they snacked on crisps, sweets and minerals and the room was a buzz with talk and laughter. Other host families came and went to call in and say hello to everyone before heading off again. They all enjoyed being there; this gives the students a sense of community when they get to meet up and relate their experiences to eachother. It may have been only a few hours together, but as exchange students are away from their own friends and family for so long, it is nice for them to sit and relate with other students who are going through the same emotions and experiences.

As group excursions can be costly for the students, just having the opportunity to meet and have fun together is what really gives them a feeling of community and also gave the new students familiar faces to say hello to in the local area. The gathering was much appreciated and enjoyed by all that attended.