Erasmus+: Besuch der 4C in Dunshaughlin

Im Rahmen des Sprach- und Kulturaufenthaltes der 4C Irland verbrachten die Schülerinnen und Schüler auch – gefördert durch Erasmus+ – drei Tage bei unserer Partnerschule, dem Community College Dunshaughlin.

Neben dem Besuch des regulären Unterrichts in Kleingruppen, gab es auch ein umfangreiches Rahmenprogramm, bei dem Kontakte geknüpft und Freundschaften geschlossen werden konnten.

Nach einem gemeinsamen Frühstück am ersten Tag war sogleich Aktivität gefragt: traditioneller irischer Tanz brachte nicht nur den Besuch aus Österreich, sondern auch unsere Gastgeberinnen und Gastgeber nahe an die Grenzen ihrer motorischen Leistungsfähigkeit. Erholung fand fanden wir danach in den Unterrichtsräumen. Dort waren es nicht nur die allgegenwärtigen Schuluniformen, sondern auch der allgemein etwas andere Unterrichtsstil, welche unsere Aufmerksamkeit erregten.

Am zweiten Tag stand traditionelle irische Musik am Programm: nebst Vorführung gab es auch die Gelegenheit selbst die Bodhran zu testen. Energien wiederhergestellt wurden sodann bei traditionellen irischen Speisen und Gesprächen mit unseren Partnern.

Der letzte Tag stand ganz im Zeichen des Sports. Schritt für Schritt drangen wir ein in die obskuren Tiefen des Regelwerks des Gaelic Footballs und erhielten zum Abschluss noch eine Vorführung des schnellsten Ballsports der Welt – Hurling.

Ohne das Erasmsus+-Programm wäre all dies wohl nicht möglich gewesen. Hierfür sind wir alle überaus dankbar und hoffen auf eine langandauernde künftige Partnerschaft zwischen der HIB und Dunshaughlin.

Folgend nun noch die Eindrücke einzelner Schülerinnen und Schüler in englischer Sprache:

Wednesday 19/3:

The day began early as we took the 7:00 AM train from Bray to Dublin. From there, we caught a bus to Dunshauglin, where we were welcomed by students from our partner school. In the morning, we had the chance to share a meal with them, which included a sweet dessert, juice, and a traditional bacon sandwich. This was a great opportunity to speak with Irish students for the first time.

After breakfast, we were split into small groups of two or four and joined the Irish students in their first class. This gave us a glimpse into the Irish education system. We then spent an hour in the library, where we chatted with the students about their school life and daily routines. It was fascinating to hear about their experiences and to practice speaking German with them.

Later, we observed another hour of class, where we got to see the students in action and learn more about their schoolwork. We were particularly intrigued by their school uniforms – blue sweaters, white shirts, ties, and black pants – which was quite different from what we are used to in Austria.

Thursday 20/3:

Today, we met up at the train station at 7 am. The train then took us to Dublin, where we got onto a bus and drove for about an hour to our partner school in Dunshaughlin. First, we did a bit of Irish dancing, which wasn’t hard at all but very fun, and then we visited different classes (we were split into different groups). After that, we met up at the school’s library and listened to a bit of Irish music played by the students. We also got to try traditional Irish food, which was very delicious, and then we had some classes again.

Friday 21/3:

Today we met at the train station shortly before 7 a.m., then took the train and then the bus to Dunshaughlin to our partner school. First, we played Gaelic football, which was great fun. Then we played table tennis, which was also a lot of fun! We had another lesson after that. Then we had to say goodbye; some of us exchanged phone numbers. It was a real shame that we had to leave.