Residential Activity: Language Course in Austria

As part of my qualifications for the Teaching Council, I needed to complete one week of a residential experience in a German-speaking country, which could either be studying at a university, work or a language course. I knew I would learn the most if I undertook a language course. I set about researching different language courses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but was unsure about where to go. It was only after doing a cultural class about Vienna with my Transition Year German class, that I realised I really wanted to go there.

I had been to Vienna once before when I was very young, meaning I remember very little of my experience there, so I really wanted to go back to experience (and hopefully remember!) it again. There are so many language courses available, but after looking at the helpful reviews online, I decided on Actilingua. For more information here is their website: https://www.actilingua.com/

As part of the residential activity for the Gaisce, I also requested to stay with a host family, and I am so glad that I did. My host was an 82-year-old local from Vienna, who is so enthusiastic about her home, culture and infinitely more sociable than I will ever be.

On the first evening I arrived, she brought me to a concert at the Rathaus, or city hall, with her grandson too. We sat out under the stars to watch a projection of a Beethoven concert conducted by Leonard Bernstein in the 60s.

The following day was the first day of my course. I had already completed a written placement test online before arriving, but on the first morning of the course you also have to complete a short oral test. Following this, I was placed in the C1 class, which took place every day from 2.15-5.30. The classes were excellent, and really suitable to the level of everyone in the group. I really appreciated how difficult it must be to teach on such a summer course, because no two students in my group had the same mother tongue, meaning that everyone had had very different experiences of learning German.

While I wasn't in class, I probably spent most of my time eating (on my return, my grandmother said "you've got stout", so maybe I overdid it on the Wienerschnitzel), and walking around the different parts of Vienna. In the mornings, I had great discussions with my host, about everything from her experiences of the Berlin Wall, to Austrian and German politics, history, religion and education.

The course itself was brilliant, and I loved getting to experience Vienna again, but what really made the trip so special was the residential aspect, which gave me such an immersive experience, enabling me to learn about the culture and history from someone who had actually experienced it all.

A New Yoga Class

If you have given yoga a shot and think that it is not for you, bear in mind that a different instructor may take an approach more suited to you, or you could even try out the different types of yoga. As far as I'm aware, the classes I have been to are Hatha yoga classes. But take one look at Groupon, and you will see advertisements for "Hot Yoga"- where the room you are in is very hot - which honestly sounds really uncomfortable to me, but could be your cup of tea.

So far on my Gaisce challenge, I have had 5 different yoga teachers, and for being the same physical activity, it is amazing how significant the differences between the approaches can be. Some yoga classes have left me exhausted, others have just left me feeling nicely stretched, but most recently, I leave yoga feeling calm.

While I have finished the 52 weeks for the "skill" (Ballroom Dancing), I had to put the two other challenge areas on hold, because training to become a teacher does not result in buckets of free time... Now that it is summer, and that the dance classes are finished, I can turn my focus back to both yoga and working in a charity shop.

In the mean-time, I also moved away from Dublin, meaning that I needed to find a new yoga class to join. The great thing about yoga is that no matter where you are in Ireland, you will probably be able to find a class nearby. In UCD they even have Ióga through Irish!

The new classes are a mix of yoga and meditation, and this time my mother has joined me at the classes, which make them a bit more fun. I still have 24 weeks of yoga to go, but I think these classes will be a great stress reliever once term starts back in September.