Amazing Ireland

Hello from Ireland, where we are currently starting the third last week of our exchange.

When we first arrived here in the end of January it was surprisingly easy to settle down here. People are great and really, really friendly. Our teachers Danny and Sean are awesome and it would have been harder to come here if they weren't here. When we have needed help, we've gotten it.

We have school on Mondays and Tuesdays. The school system is really different here. In Finland we are used to doing lots of PowerPoint presentations and group work. Here we do a lot of essays. Everything needs to be written down. Ireland just loves reports. School days can be very long and I'm usually pretty tired after them.

I'm doing my work placement in Irish Wheelchair Association in Kilkenny. It's a national organisation for people who have different kinds of disabilities. They have day care centres around Ireland.

I'm working on Wednesdays and on Thursdays. The work is really different from what I'm used to. In Finland I have done my work placements in hospitals and the first one in a kindergarten. I have never worked in a day care centre before. There really isn't much for me to do but I'm glad I'm here in Ireland and I got to talk English on a daily basis.

Weekends we have for our own activities, we can do what we want to. We have tried to visit as many places as we can. We have gone somewhere almost every weekend, although it's great to hang out in Carlow too.

You got to love Ireland. It's really hard not to. I'm so sad we have to leave Carlow in three and half weeks because it's been such a good time. We have met loads of new people and had some incredible experiences. But you know, you have to leave so you can come back. And I definitely will.

I'm really going to miss Irish people, Irish scenery, the live musicians in pubs etc. But it isn't over yet!
At the end there are some photos and a video of Pat Byrne singing in The Tully's, which is a student pub.

Greetings,

Eetu

Picture from Mount Leinster where we went on Valentine's Day.

From Carlow town centre.

Institute of Technology Carlow.