Hey! My name is Mehmet and I’m from Istanbul, Turkey.

I have a few reasons for choosing Ireland as my study abroad destination. I watched lots of documentaries about Ireland and I love the nature. I decided to come to Cork because it is small and I wanted to stay away from crowed cities. In addition, there is a historical background between Ireland and Turkey (Ottoman Empire) during the The Great Famine of 1845 as Turkey was one of the only countries to offer Ireland aid.

Cork is a really lovely city. You can find everything you need in Cork.  There are a lot of cozy pubs in the city. Irish people are very friendly. When I first arrived people were very open to helping me. Irish people are very polite. They don’t get off the bus without saying ”thanks”.

I have taken trips around Ireland. There are so many castles and old ruins. My favourite trip was the Wild Atlantic Way. The scenery is incredible . I will never forget the views in my mind.

      

I recently graduated from University (department of Engineering). I needed to develop my English skills because I would like to apply for a postgraduate programme. I need to have a specific IELTS score for this. Also, many multinational companies now demand an applied or proficient level of English language.

I studied General English in Cork followed by 6 weeks IELTS examination preparation which was very useful for my needs. I studied lots of strategies for the exam.

The most difficult thing for me is different accents and different pronunciations.  We covered different accents and pronunciations in our school course. I feel more confident when speaking English now.

After my course I started to work in a deli in a supermarket. It was very busy and I served a lot of customers. This really helped me learn about different accents.

My teachers were very good and encouraged students to speak and be active in class.  Learning IELTS exam strategies will really help me going forward.