My name is Nicole and I am from Italy. I had the opportunity to take part twice in a
farmstay programmme in Ireland. I loved the farmstay so much that I went back a second time to the same farm!
The first time was in winter (cold winter – it was in December, for New Year’s Eve) and the second time it was in June. In December I really wanted to experience something new and different and I definitely succeeded! The Farmstay in Ireland was a completely new experience, out of the everyday world, out of the city traffic and daily stress. I worked with horses on a family farm in the beautiful countryside of County Tipperary. I had to clean the stables every morning and to do some other small works at home. I would definitely suggest this kind of farmstay for all those that, like me, want to escape for a while from the frenetic city life, work, stressful situations and find themselves in contact with nature, silence, animals.
Moreover, I had the possibility to speak English a lot, because I was alone with my host family and ever time that I didn’t know how to express a concept, I asked and they answered to me. It was an
intensive English course, just not in a class, but in a farm with a real family. It really is a great way to learn English.
The second time I came back to the same family to improve my English and I decided to take some horse riding lessons from a personal teacher, too. 1 week of English speaking and horse riding. Although my horse (which you can see in the picture) was very “stubborn” (a new term that I learned), it was really funny. The weather was also wonderful, fresh and sunny. That is why I would surely suggest this time of the year to spend some time in Ireland because of the milder weather. Moreover I had the opportunity to visit some of the local markets where typical farm products were sold. I got in contact with some local people and I can assure you that they are very, very friendly. Calmer and relaxed in some way. I also met some Italian people who decided to live in Ireland to play music and I think that this is the ideal country to express musical passion. I visited Ennis, Cahir and Limerick.
My host family was the best that you can ever find. They always found some time to spend with me and talk with me, they explained to me how to work in a farm (they taught me how to cut grass…which was quite funny!) and also gave to me a lot of information about the Irish culture and politics.
From Language Travel Ireland I always received all the information to my enquiries and prompt answers to all my questions. I found this agency on the Internet and now I can say that I am really satisfied with them and this experience. I would recommend Language Travel Ireland for all the people who want to visit and do an
English course in Ireland, because they can give you detailed information about the country, as they are Irish, they know all about Ireland.
I would surely go back to Ireland to learn more English and to see again these wonderful places and nice people.
Nicole (Trieste, Italy)
