After my exchange partner Ruth had stayed with my family for two weeks in January and visited me in my class, I now had the opportunity to visit her in Ireland from April 20th to May 4th.
I stayed in the Curragh area in County Kildare, about an hour’s drive from Dublin. The host family consisted of the parents, three children, and a dog.
I attended Cross and Passion College in Kilcullen. The host family’s house is in a rural area outside the town and there is no bus service, so, we were driven to school every morning by a neighbour and her daughter. Classes start at 9:00 a.m. and usually end at 4:00 p.m., except on Fridays, when school finishes at 1:15 p.m.
Compared to the LMRL, the school is much smaller (around 830 students), and everyone wears a school uniform. There were about 18 students in my host class. Ruth’s class is in the so-called “Transition Year,” so the atmosphere was very relaxed because no exams were taken during that time. There is neither a library nor a cafeteria, so most students bring their own lunch for the 40-minute lunch break.
On Tuesday, together with other students from the LMRL, the Irish exchange students, Mr Brücher and Ms. Galli, I visited the Old Kilcullen Round Tower.
In my free time, I also took part in the family’s daily life: three times a week I went with Ruth to acrobatic gymnastics practice, twice I accompanied her to piano lessons, where we even played a duet together, and I also watched one of Ruth’s Speech and Drama recitals.
On the first weekend, we visited her maternal grandparents and went on a trip to the Irish National Stud & Gardens. This famous stud farm is located in Curragh, which is well known for horse racing. We also visited Newbridge and watched a Gaelic football match in which Ruth’s brother was playing.
On the second weekend, we travelled by train to County Clare and walked along the Cliffs of Moher on the west coast. Afterwards, we stayed overnight with Ruth’s father’s family.
May 1st is not a public holiday in Ireland, but instead the first Monday in May is celebrated as “May Day.”
Overall, I felt very comfortable both with the host family and at school. I would love to travel to Ireland again anytime — preferably for an even longer stay.
