Some time ago we hosted a lovely Belgian student at City Language School. See what she had to say about her experience in Dublin:
Hi, I am Vahinée, I am 23 years old, I am from Belgium. I had been studying English for 12 years before arriving to Dublin but I wanted to come to Ireland to improve my English and to do an internship, because that\’s what I do now – internship at City Language School. So it’s a great experience because I can learn how to be a student here in Dublin but at the same time work here- so it’s such a great experience for me.
Fantastic. What do you think about Dublin itself?
I love Dublin. Actually at the beginning it was a bit difficult for me because. You know, the food is very different from where I\’m from. So at the beginning, I had some difficulties. But now, it’s like I don’t want to come back home. Dublin is a lovely place. It’s not like Rome or Paris or any “wonderful city”, it’s just a simple city where you can have a great time because people are very welcoming. I love it. People just live here and that’s cool, I love it. I love Dublin.
How would you describe the Dubliners?
OK, the first time I talked to Irish people I thought: “OK I cannot understand anything” and I felt silly because I had been studying English for 12 years. But now… Ok now it is still difficult but I can understand more. I think Irish people are very open. You can ask them what you want and they will just answer you. For example, if you talk to people, they will just answer you in a kind way. So I think they are very open… Yes I think it’s a good point about culture in Ireland.
And how are you enjoying your internship?
The internship with City Language School is very nice. Because I do what I studied at school so it’s cool. I work here with the Marketing Manager I’ve learned a lot of things, it’s not only being in an office all the day. I have to run, I have to move all the time. I think it will be a great experience for my CV and my professional life. And I think, when back in Belgium, I will find more opportunities thanks to this internship.
Perfect. And one last question. I presume you’ve explored Dublin a little bit, what’s your favorite place in Dublin?
There is a lot of places actually that I really like. But OK… I really love the pub called Porter House because there are 3 or 4 floors and some bands perform there every day – it is very, very cool. A man is just singing there and singing a lot of songs like Bob Marley\’s songs or something in French- and he’s amazing. He says: “hey guys, come on, just sing with me!”. That’s very nice, I love this place.
Thank you and we wish you best of luck!
