mackdonald language academy´s blog

 After having had breakfast with the host family everyone meets at school at 9 am.

First day is test day, which enables us to find the right class for each person.

The classes are divided into different groups: Beginners, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper Intermediate and Advanced.

Before school starts many kids are have fun playing table tennis in our gym or listening to music or just relaxing before classes start.

When the bell rings at 9:00, everyone strikes off on the way to their classroom.

Our teachers have elaborately prepared every lesson, which can include work with our mackdonald language academy exercise book, creative writing or talking about certain topics in class.

In our experience, students benefit greatly by taking part and enjoy interacting with people from different countries.

The first lesson ends at 10:45, which is the start of an active, half an hour of break time, Here, students chit chat with friends, play kicker, table tennis or billiard. Teachers prepare for the next class, while enjoying a well deserved cup of coffee and a nice treat.

11:15, break is over, the bell rings and is met with an array of sounds – grunting, cheering or whatever the mood is that day :)

The second lesson is also well chosen by our teachers to improve everyone’s English.
At 13:00, our big lunch break starts and everyone is happy to unpack the host family’s lunch package. Mostly, this contains a cheese-ham sandwich, some kind of fruit (apple, banana, orange), a small pack of crisps and something to drink. Some students visit the local diner or supermarket to see what delights are in store for them there.

The lunch break is also a good time to get to know the other students, make new friends and enjoy the nice atmosphere at school.

At 14:00, our afternoon activities start: Bowling, Sight Seeing, Sports, visiting the Castle/Cathedral, minigolf, just to name a few.

On Friday, for example we went bowling. Everyone was served a drink and popcorn, Neon lights and the loud music, made for a very enjoyable afternoons activitity.

At 117:00, another day was already over and the host families came to pick up their students for a little more interaction.

:)

During our visit to Waterford and the Irish coast, we had the opportunity to visit the Dunbrody Irish Emigrant Experience. Many students were suprised to see and experience what life was like for many people around 150 years ago. 

The Dunbrody Irish Emigrant Experience in New Ross is a great hands-on experience. You are transported back in time to the 1840′s and what life was like in Ireland at that time. When you enter the experience you are given you ticket for the ship. We were given steerage passage to New York on the Dunbrody Ship leaving in March of 1849. As we walked through the building as passengers we learned what it was like to live in a country in crisis. The potato crops were failing, food prices were soaring and people were forced to leave their homes.

All this atmospheric tension of the Dunbrody experience leads to students experiencing the voyage these scared and displaced people would have made to ‘the new world’ on the famine ship, often referred to as a ‘coffin ship’ due to high mortality rates. With the journey to the new world could last to up to six weeks, the Atlantic crossing was a terrible trial for those who were forced to leave lives in Ireland. In extremely overcrowded quarters, the steerage passengers barely saw the light of day. 

Most were only allowed on deck for only one hour a day, where they would gather around open stoves to cook. When their time was up, it was back down into the dark, dank hold. Notoriously poor hygiene standards aboard most ships was the leading contributor to the high mortality rates. With nothing more than buckets for toilets, and only sea-water to wash with, disease was rampant. As a result, a large majority of the deaths were as a result of Cholera and Typhus and those who died were buried at sea.

Only those that were physically strong enough to survive the long and disease-ridden journey across the Atlantic Ocean arrived in North America. While many were filthy, penniless, and often illiterate, many Irish emigrants remained determined and were able to start over their life in the United States. For example: Ford motor-company founder Henry Ford and former U.S President, John F. Kennedy.

Readers of the Australian online magazine news.co.au have voted Kilkenny as the 9th friendliest city in the world!