Select a day
Don't mess with me!
Being
a accommodation manger means not only organising how people from 8 nationalities
should live togather but also to make sure that they have something in
common for being able to live in the same cottage. That was the first
thing which I had to do. The other thing was to divide the rooms and to
mix nationalities in the Hostel. When they arrived in Dublin I made sure
that everyone from every county received a list with their name and the
rooms which they were suppose to be in.
In Achill I looked after the cottages and that people from different countries
did not change places. The difficulties which I faced was that people
from different cultures had different ways of taking the responsibilities
of taking care of their accommodation. The best way to make sure that
everybody cleans their cottages was to be clear how they should do it
and to order someone to take the responsibility that it happens. It actually
worked very well thanks to my mood "You do want to mess with me"
and thanks to all students who did a very good job by helping each other.
The best thing with being the accommodation manger was to seeing that
everyone was getting along well with each other and in some way everybody
within a cottage fit together.
Ifete Binaku
(Swedish group)
Educational Impressions
How is your national educational system, can it be international? There
is not only one answer for this question; people have different opinions.
As a personal experience, 
education
goes beyond borders and it applies to every day's own actions. But it
is also differently instructed in many countries. I had my primary education
in Mexico, secondary, preparatory and university education in the United
States, with an opportunity to study abroad in Germany. Thanks to an 11-day,
multicultural project that was realized in Achill, Ireland, I have encountered
the Irish educational system. It was a total, new experience for me. I
cannot fully express my admiration for McHale College, but I will try
my best to describe my viewpoint. In my opinion, independence, kindness,
and moral values are the most important subjects learned at this school.
I would like to start by describing the man that gave a group of friends
and me the opportunity for this unique experience. His name, Mr. Niall
O Loingsigh, a man who has lived and learned from life; whom with many
years of experience enjoys to share his knowledge with others, especially
with the young. Meeting him at Ted's on a Thursday night was never imaginable
for me. The way he approached us, interested in our project, asking questions
about our background and our young knowledge. He wanted toshare with his
students the French language, and answer questions for the kids that were
interested were we are coming from. Our small group consisted of four
lucky, young women, Guillemette from France, Raluca and Anda from Romania,
and myself. The school situated in the southeast point of Achill, where
the last piece of land connects to the rest of Ireland, surrounded by
lakes and seas; a beautiful location for 138 students and 13 teachers.
The size of the school might be the advantage for the successful education
the students receive, but Mr. 
Loingsigh
is the guide for every student. My first impression was the independence
from all the pupils. My first class to visit was metalwork, where the
teacher could not be sweeter than honey. He took us to his class and introduced
us to a small group of 16-17 year old boys, who were working on a tennis
ball expulsion machine, which they had to design themselves and independently
work on it using the machines provided. Fifteen minutes later, came the
11-year old girls straight to their projects without asking "Sir
what do I have to do today?" This would be a question, which I as
a younger student, would had asked in an US class. They made plastic photo
frames for all of us, and also taught us how to do them as well. Key chains
signed with all their names were not the exception. Without saying a word,
they made sure that all of us had the same number of their souvenirs,
showing consideration and kindness. Kindness is a value that is learned
at home, church and also school. But who can teach it better? I believe
that the best teachers for moral values are parents. However, with the
help from the principal, this school has made sure to do to its fullest
potential to teach as much values as possible. At lunch time, we were
a little shy about asking for food, but the girls would not take a bite
of their lunch until all of us had a sandwich, a fruit, a dessert and
a drink. We all would like to thank these beautiful girls for their attention
and care. "Sharing is caring" says the phrase; I felt that they
cared for me when they would take me by the hand to their classes, to
drink a tea, to satisfy me. That is a 
very
hard job for an 11-year old. Mr. Loingsigh knowledge of every single student's
name impressed me; his awareness if I had already eaten lunch "That
is not enough; Alison take her to that nice pub." Thank you for those
delicious wings and tea. I appreciated so much how many children looked
at the color of my skin and wondered where I was coming from; especially
because they asked instead of being shy. I cannot forget this little boy
when he told me: "Mexico, where you have these big clothes and drink
a worm?" I know Mexicans are very well stereotyped, but I have met
other kids that have no clue about my culture. Your culture has impressed
me, especially your educational system that prepares you very well from
French to computer studies, to sciences and engineering. That prepares
you well to go off to college and be independent at a young age. That
teaches kids what I didn't learn in my own country or in the USA. I want
to thank again Mr. Loingsigh for the opportunity he gave us to visit his
school. I want to thank all the other teachers for their welcoming attention
and especially for those lovely students that could not get enough from
us. Thank you McHale College for having us and giving all your kindness
to strangers! Keep up the good work and I hope I can visit you again in
the future.
Laura Gonzalez
(German group)
WALK ON KEEM
I stare into the eternal blue
I stare into the eyes of you
All my wishes will come true
Deep inside those icey blue
I wander into those fields of green
Two emerald eyes are watching me
One is shore, one at sea
They seem to sing just for me
Johan Lars Olsson
(Swedish group)
-2007-
