I’m Montse from Girona, Spain.

I progressed from B2 level to an FCE exam class to C1 level while here at CEA!

After graduating from College and working for a while I decided to have a break and improve my English. It is something that I had always wanted to do as I have been studying this language all my life and I couldn’t talk as fluently as I wanted. So, going abroad was the best way to do it.

I had a great feeling about Ireland although I had only been in Dublin before. I knew that I didn’t want to live in the capital and for this reason I decided on Cork.

When I arrived in Cork I fell in love with the city and it felt like home from the first moment. This wasn’t only a first impression, it was also they same after a few weeks. As it isn’t a big city it is really easy to get around and it is also a safe place. Irish people are known to be friendly, but Corkconians are more than that!

During my experience in Cork I have tried to do and explore as much as possible. The main trips I’ve done around Ireland are:  Dublin, Limerick, Galway including Connemara, Clare including Cliffs of Moher, Northern Ireland and my favourite one the South-West Coast and the Ring of Kerry. Overall ,visiting the nearby villages of Cork city was the best way to get away during the weekends.

Something that I can’t skip mentioning is  the ”craic” in the pubs! Even though Cork is a little city it is a lively one!

Finally I have to say that I reached my goals thanks to Cork English Academy. After some General English lessons I decided to do the First Certificate Exam too. All the teachers are very professional and want you to be better.

This period in Cork is the best experience ever and I encourage everyone to do it!

Juan from Uruguay enjoyed a short stay language programme with us here at Cork English Academy. Here is his story:

1) Why did you choose to study overseas?

I chose to study abroad because I believe that the best way to learn a language is to live in a place where you should use it most of the time. As well as wanting to live a new experience within a culture and society different from the Uruguayan one.

2) What expectations did you have from this experience?

I wanted to improve my English, meet new people, and enjoy every activity I did.

3) How was your experience with the school? First day reception, the teachers, the school etc.

The school in my opinion is of the first level, the teachers always with great sympathy, understanding the different capacities of their students. The school as a building is very comfortable, always a suitable temperature and in general in excellent condition. It has many extra activities, which help the student to meet new people, and in turn improve English. I think they have proven to be professionals in their field.

On my first day, he was interviewed by Vincent, the Director of the Academy, who very kindly and very clearly introduced us to the staff, and gave us the guidelines to follow in the Institute.

4) How did you find the accommodation?

I spent 2 weeks in a Host Family with Jim and Eileen a couple of retirees who attended me as if I were part of their family, I can only mention good things, since first arrival when they collected me from the airport until my last day.  Always very friendly and flexible with the hours of leaving the house, as well as breakfast or dinner. They assisted me in the purchase of tickets to travel to Dublin, and every day that I returned to the house, we had 1 or 2 hour talks on various topics, such as the city, diving, history, etc.

I was also 1 week in the student residence, living with 2 Spanish girls and 1 Brazilian boy, I had no problems, but lived in community dining and lunch sometimes together, there were no problems.

5) What is Cork like as a destination?

I think I made a correct decision when choosing Cork, a small city, being easy to travel and move between the host family and the academy. While there are Spanish-speaking people, it is not as much as in Dublin, in addition to the fact that the city is not a tourist center, and you can enjoy Irish culture and life.

6) What recommendations do you have for other students that are considering travelling to Ireland?

To know a new culture, new people, travel, face a new language and enjoy the challenge of doing it.

Hello, I’m Fatma from Istanbul in Turkey.

I’m a professional dancer and dance trainer. English language is important for my job so I can communicate in my dance workshops. Also I want to go on to do a Masters in Ireland.

I wanted to live in Ireland because I heard Irish people are very friendly. I think Irish and Turkish people are similar. I practiced my English outside of the school a lot. Irish people are very helpful.

I chose Cork because it is a small city. It is definitely a safe city.

I visited other places during my time in Ireland. I visited Dublin, Castletown and Cobh.

My favourite thing about Cork is my teacher Joanne. She is like a mom to me. She is the best teacher and helps me with everything.

I learned a lot in the school but I need to practice more. I hope to return to Cork English Academy in 2019.

My name is Lourdes and I am Mexican, from a town call Queretaro, at the centre of the country. Currently, I am a student at Cork English Academy and this is my story.

A few years back I started looking for something meaningful in my life. I found an organization that sends people to different countries to do social work and it was suggested that I join a program in L’Arche, Belgium for a year. This organization provides support to people with intellectual disabilities at home, as well as in a workshop, where they do occupational therapy. Before my year ended, I applied to a similar community in Cork.

On arrival to Cork I remember being in Merchant’s Quay, waiting for someone to pick me up and it felt like love at first sight with the city. The orange of the bricks in Merchants Quay shopping mall, the river, It was cold and rainy but I felt as if I had just arrived home from a long trip.

I found that people from Cork are used to being surrounded by foreign people. For that reason, people will always try to talk to you. Personally, I think Irish people are really friendly and reliable, with a good sense of humour. Proof of this was in my third week here when I met a lovely, kind and handsome Irish man. He became my boyfriend and next year will be my husband.

    

 Lourdes at Kylemore Abbey, Galway.                     Lourdes at Mizen Head, Cork.

My immersion into the English language was full since day 1 since the other volunteers that I used to work with came from different countries and the main reason for us to choose Ireland was the language, so even when we were able to speak the same language, we chose to speak in English. One of my challenges here was the different accents and different words from my American English education. In my house, there were 6 Assistants and 6 residents from different counties in Ireland. Sometimes breakfast was a big challenge, but I can see now that this experience was incredibly rewarding and provided me with confidence to speak in English in spite of all my grammar and conjugation mistakes.

Every day off that I had during my first year in Cork, I spent travelling around. I was very lucky to have friends that wanted to do so. Ireland is, in fact, “The Emerald Island”, so wherever you go you will see green, surrounded with buildings or castles full of history, cliffs that take your breath away and views that I could only dream of.

After my first year in Cork, I decided to stay longer because I wanted to keep improving my English and also for my boyfriend since we didn’t want to put distance between us. I applied to the English course at Cork English Academy. For me, the classes are the easy part of my day, where I don’t get embarrassed when I am corrected in class. It is my best opportunity to clear my doubts and improve my pronunciation. I see my class as a good opportunity to re-learn something. When I get home, my now Fiance always asks me “how is school?” and it’s a simple question that makes my day because I enjoy the time that I am spending with my classmates and my teacher that challenges me to be better at English.

My time in Cork English Academy has been enriched by teachers who are always willing to teach and learn about new cultures, as well as my classmates, who some of them I can now call friends. The staff at the school are also always helpful to me whenever I have any doubts.

Currently, I am working as a health care assistant in a nursing home with elderly people, practising my English every day and learning new vocabulary. I remember my first day at school in the induction talk, the advice that they give you is “talk as much as you can with many as you can” because that is the key to learning any language. I feel like a kid that can’t wait to be at home and use my new word or expression with my fiance and hear him say “did you learn that today?” It is just priceless.

I like the city also I enjoy the cold and rainy weather. In addition, I love to see my progress when I compare my first writing task with this, as there is a huge difference, for the better, of course!