In case you have already been wondering - YES, I am still alive!
I arrived safely in Austria at the end of last schoolyear. Helene welcomed me and I moved in with her in her flat in Linz. School was closed over the summer holidays, of course, so I had two months' time to discover the country on my own. Helene asked me if I wanted to go on vacation to the sea with her, but I felt a bit adventurous, so I did some backpacking around the country. As I wanted to travel light, I neither had my laptop nor my camera with me. That's why I didn't write anything on the blog and why I can't show you any pictures of my summer. I can just tell you that Austria is just... amazing! I am so glad that you guys gave me the chance to come back again!
I spent quite some time hiking in the Alps and met lots of welcoming Austrians there. The landscape was just breathtaking up at about 2000 metres above sealevel and often even higher. Also Austria's lakes are worth a visit. The water is blue and very clear - the lakes are famous for their drinking water quality. And as the weather was really, really hot this year (especially for a fluffy sheep used to Irish rain), it was refreshingly cold. Summer was awesome, but I have to say that after the holidays I was already looking forward to going back to school to meet some new students at the Petrinum in Linz.
And last week, the great day had come: I met class 4b and it was a really big welcome! Here they are:
This bunch of 13- and 14-year olds are a fabulous group! They wanted to know everything about me and my country. Everybody wanted to stroke and cuddle me in the classroom. I felt overwhelmed by their enthusiasm! I am so looking forward to spending some time with this lot. Helene told me that she was already getting my schedule ready to organise who can take me home with them during the next few weeks. And of course, I will keep you informed!
Dia dhuit (Hello in Irish) Scaffy from your friends at UL Language Centre in Limerick, Ireland. We're delighted to hear about your travels and adventures in the Alps. How does it compare with the Irish mountains? Your new Austrian friends look like a lovely bunch. Keep in touch All the best for now. Joan and all at ULLC.
ReplyDeleteDia dhuit Joan!
DeleteGo raibh maith agat for your message - you can't imagine how great it is to hear from back home after such a long time travelling abroad! I cannot believe it's already almost one and a half years that I left you in Limerick! Zuzanna, Eero and Helene are still more than enthusiastic about the SCAF experience so that they have decided to keep the thing going and I once more get the chance to get to know new faces and have new adventures. This means I will be travelling a year longer. However, it would be great to come back home to Ireland soon and to see you again!
The mountains in Austria are just enormous. There's nothing like that in Ireland - I miss the sea here, though. What was the weather like in Limerick this summer? Austria had a heatwave for several weeks- luckily my fluffy fur protected me from a sunburn!
Big hug,
Scaffy