I spent the last year wondering what I want to do with my life. I quit my family to move to another city with my boyfriend also I found different jobs but none of them pleased me. So I arrived at a point where I was completely clueless what to do with myself, so the idea to go abroad and work in an unknown country started to tickle me. But I am in a relationship for 4 years, with an apartment, so the decision was difficult to make, especially for my boyfriend who found it very difficult to accept. But at the end he realized it would be a good opportunity for me personally AND professionally, so he accepted it.
At first I wanted to go to a Nordic country like Norway or Denmark, but the freezing temperatures there made me change my mind! So I said why not to go to a country, where I can improve my English and discover a new culture? So, that is one of the reasons I came to work for GEAI. I had a first zoom-meeting with two of the volunteers that were already there, and then I had another one with the directors. Both of them went pretty well because I’m with them now, so I’m glad I took this chance.
But it wasn’t easy to come here actually! I sprained my ankle playing an escape game, the day before my departure, and I couldn’t even put my foot on the floor… So because of this I couldn’t take my first plane, so I had to take another one 3 days later, but this one got delayed so I arrived at Dublin airport later. Because of this, I missed the bus who was supposed to get me to Drumshanbo, my new home for 6 months! So I had to wait 4 hours at the airport before I could take the next bus. But at least I could start to watch people here and see that they are very different from French people. To begin with, they are always smiling and helpful, I had to ask my way many times and each time the person helped me. In France, especially in Paris, when you approach someone, the person will be very defensive, and sometimes they don’t even answer you. Another example was that there were some policemen having coffee next to me, and civilians just go to say “hi” and talk with them like they were friends! Again in France the police and the citizens are not friendly like this, there is a conflict between us, mostly because there are a lot of police abuse and mutual defiance… So yes, I was already seeing the differences between my culture and Irish culture. Anyway at the end I arrived safely at my destination, and now the adventure can finally begin!
When I arrived at the house, there were already two guys there, one Italian and one Mexican. We live in small groups of 3-4 people, but we all have our own private room, so it’s nice. I arrived pretty late so we didn’t really have the time to talk, as I was really tired by the trip, so I preferred to prepare my room and go to sleep! The house is really typical, with a beautiful lake just in front of it. We can even go wind surfing here, so I will definitely try it! The weather is really changeable here but it’s part of the Irish beauty. It is said that you can have the four seasons in one day, As for the work, there were a lot of activities planned, like actions in schools or meetings with locals and politicians, as well as digital work like updating the website, making flyers, writing articles, organizing events, and more. So with all of these tasks we will never be bored!