In July 2018, I had the opportunity to participate in another English Inmersion Experience. In this case, The Regional Ministry of Education recovered this program abroad, so I could improve my English skills in a real English-speaking city. Dublin was my town for 2 weeks and I could live, study and enjoy the Irish custom and culture.
It was a 50 hours English C1 course for bilingual teachers, led by a prestige English Learning School called International House Dublin, where we spent around 8 hours everyday. While the most of teachers were enjoying their holidays, others were involved in intensive classes studing grammar, vocabulary, useful expressions... and practicing listening and speaking all the time. We approached the Irish Language, Oscar Wilde, Hugh Lane, James Joyce and we worked on the Book of Kells, U2, Sinéad O'Connor... After classes, we had a complete cultural program full of visits to museums, theaters, typical places, and also activities like dancing, sports or sightseing. All the time we were with native teachers and monitors who guided us in a professional and kind way.
Meanwhile, we discovered Dublin. It is the capital of Ireland so there are a lot of things to do, but it is also a cozy city where dubliners enjoy talking with foreigners and sharing their knowledge about this particular island. We were able to enjoy the most lively area and taste the best Guinness in Temple Bar Street, take a picture of Molly Malone after listening to her legend, cross the Ha'penny Bridge, admire the Spire of Dublin or the Monument of Light in O'Connell Street or get shocked in Trinity Collegue and its famous library.
The accommodation was with host families, I mean, all of the teachers lived as a part of an Irish family for 15 days in a single bedroom and without Spanish speakers living there. So at the end of our days, we had to return to our homes with our families, in order to get a total immersion in Irish culture and share daily routines in a dubliner atmosphere. I was so lucky with my hosts. Mary and Martin welcomed me as one of their children and I could taste their foods like Fish and Chips, boiled potatoes, vegetables or the Irish breakfast, and talk about Irish sports like Cricket, Hurling or Irish Football.
Taking into account that we studied a lot, we also enjoyed our free time, almost always speaking in English, of course. We enjoyed the typical pubs with live music, visited some picturesque towns like Howth or Greystones and travelled to Northern Ireland and discovered its gorgeous landscapes like The Giant's Causeway. It was the time to get to know the rest of the participants and have the opportunity of learning through our colleagues' experiences and lives.
Taking into account that we studied a lot, we also enjoyed our free time, almost always speaking in English, of course. We enjoyed the typical pubs with live music, visited some picturesque towns like Howth or Greystones and travelled to Northern Ireland and discovered its gorgeous landscapes like The Giant's Causeway. It was the time to get to know the rest of the participants and have the opportunity of learning through our colleagues' experiences and lives.
