By the end of July I’m packing may bags for a different kind of business trip: I’m attending a English course for 2 weeks on behalf of the ERASMUS+ Staff Mobility-program. The program leads me to Dublin, Ireland – the beautiful capital on the east coast of the isle that offers a lot of tradition and culture. There are a lot of different schools and programs with different levels to choose from – I have chosen “Business English” (Advanced Level B2.2) at “International House Dublin” (IH.Dublin). During the classes (approx. 15 students), I have to change my point-of-view: Being a “student” again felt weird at the beginning, but it is a lot of fun to get in touch and share this experience with other students from Brazil, Chile, Spain, Italy, Saudi Arabia and Korea. The focus of this course is to get the self-confidence to speak referring to different economic topics. Furthermore you also learn about the cultural specifics and perspectives of the other students especially during the breaks and social activities outside the classroom.

For me, this trip became a unique experience while learning some new phrases and vocabulary, getting to know the Irish lifestyle, culture and accent as well as getting in touch with completely different people from all over the world. In the first place I want to thank ERASMUS for funding and making this experience possible. Thank you to Cansu Citil and Leonardo-Office Dresden for supporting the application process. And last but not least: Go raibh maith agat (“Thank you” in Irish) to Karina, Liam, Paul and the administration of IH.Dublin for creating funny and challenging lessons and the organisation.