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LANGUAGE SCHOOLS CRISIS IN IRELAND
By Limerick International Study Centre Yeah! Magazine — SEPTEMBER 3, 2014 Strict new rules will apply from January to language schools. It is hoped that the changes will prevent abuses in the system against English language students who come to study in Ireland from overseas. The closure of a number of language colleges since May is regarded as the result of abuses of the immigration system, but these schools have generally claimed bankruptcy and gone into liqudation. The withdrawal of accreditation by the governing body ACELS is frequently preceded by the schools’ closures. Withdrawal of other support effectively means that state sanctioning for the school of any kind – in the form of overseas promotion, for example – will have been withdrawn. The schools have been described as “visa factories” with little academic merit. However, some running schools in the industry claim that goalposts have changed, and that it is difficult to adhere to regulations and maintain a strong reputation in the language school sector. One of the first schools to shut down was Eden College. Students who had attended Eden were among the first students to be provided with official advice from Education in Ireland, a body under the Department of Education and Skills, before the summer months. Students had been informed that if they chose not to take up a new college place until September, they were in effect on holiday before the start of the following academic year in the autumn. The owner of
Eden College was impossible to contact, even when visited at his Finglas home, at the start of the summer. His debts include salaries of those employed by the college while they studied there – some owed three months of back pay. Meanwhile, the beginning of September was the deadline for students to choose a new college place. It will be interesting to see what the government response is to students who were left without a qualification in May, and who choose not to continue to study here but wish to stay on some other form of residency visa. A few weeks or less before the end of the academic term – when many would have gained a qualification of some kind – was the worst timing for all of the students who were preparing for their final exams. If any such students apply for a more extensive work visa, for example, one hopes that the government response will be positive. It is clear that some of the colleges involved in the crisis had not registered students for examinations among the regulatory bodies over seeing qualifications in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. Students have told Yeah! Magazine that many of the exams in the academic year pre-dating the shutdowns ere not properly invigilated nor logged with the accrediting bodies while the colleges struggled financially. This makes students’ exam results next-to-worthless, and it means that students have to gain further credits than they had anticipated in order to complete the courses for which they were reading – should they choose to
remain within the Irish system, and choose an identical qualification. With the changes coming in in January, Jan O’Sullivan, Minister for Education and Skills, has said: “What we really want to do here is to weed out the [schools] that are not here for educational purposes but are here to use the system in order to access employment for people. That’s not good for Ireland’s reputation. While we will see a number of closures, I think in the longer term we will actualy see an increase in the number of students who come here to Ireland.” Minister Frances Fitzgerald of the Justice Department added: “This is a high priority area for us, in terms of making sure that the industry is sustainable. We don’t want our international reputation being damaged so we will put in the resources that are needed, they will come from INIS (the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service) and they will come from working with GNIB (the Garda National Immigration Bureau).” Accreditation will be more stringent from January, coming from an Irish accreditation body, with more extensive inspections. Ireland has a reputation as one of the strongest education systems in the world; this is indicated in the education of its population, which is consistently high at secondary level. However, this reputation has not transferred into the language schools sector, if the recent scandals indicate a more pronounced problem beneath the surface. News! Eden college students unexpected closure , Photo Yeah! International.
CHAT WITH...
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PROFILE!
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KYLE RYAN - DUBLIN, FINISHED HIS
LEAVING CERT THIS YEAR AND HOPES TO STUDY HISTORY IN TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN “There are cheap night clubs and pubs for students. Play Night Club does things for free if you have an app on your phone, for example. Clubs might do half price drinks or three euro shots. I don’t drive yet, but getting around is easy enough on public transport. Visiting museums isn’t something I do a lot of, but I have an interest in History and I have visited Collins Barracks. It’s free in and in terms of military history, it’s very interesting. I just got back from a week in Galway, and that was really good. It’s not like Dublin, where people are rude to you. You’ll get along with everybody. It’s cheap as well, with bars and clubs everywhere. It’d be great to go with a friend or a group. I went to the Titanic exhibit in Belfast. I thought it was boring. But Belfast is a good city.
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MADRID - SPAIN “I recommend going to Malahide, in Dublin. It is a great place, with the castle and the gardens, and the restaurants. Also, I would re-commend Howth. However, the long walking route in Howth is very long: Like, four and a half hours! I would recommend taking a shor-ter walking route (around Howth). Also, the harbour at Skerries is very beautiful. To go for a walk, along that seafront, it’s amazing. In the city, I have seen bands playing on Grafton Street – famous Irish bands, like Key West and Kodaline! Outside of Dublin, I have been to Connemara. It is amazing. It reminded me of Scotland! I was surprised at the beauty of Derry/Londonderry, as I had low expectations. For me, it was nicer than Belfast. The quality of life in Dublin is totally different to Madrid, in terms of capitals. Public transport is more expensive, and food is more expensive, but also the salaries are higher than in Spain. Rent in Ireland is so expensive. You don’t have this in Madrid.”
It’s cheap enough to travel around Ireland – especially by bus.”
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LATIN PARTY!
Yeah!
Celebrates its 3rd anniversary By: Richard Gibne & Paula Silva Cerejido The basement of Trinity bar played host to the Yeah! Student Magazine 3rd annivesary party on 10th August. There were Capoeira rhythms at the pub entrance on Dame Street’s, with a group led by Mamaozinho. The Dublin based capoeira instructor despite the display of roundhouse kicking martial arts. No one wanted to miss the opportunity to personally congratulate the entire team and dance until the wee hours at the pace of a mix of Latin music provided by Trinity Latin Bar’s Latino DJ. To honour all those who have accompanied Yeah! Group over three years,its director Raffael Abarca and event organizer of the popular southside Latin bar, Laura, prepared some very special surprises, including the capoeira display and a very “spicy” show from a transvestite. Trinity Bar was kind enough to act as official sponsor, alongside Shelbourne College. On the pavement outside, the high-kicking Brazilian dance was complemented with the percussion instruments as they tapped and banged out their rhythms! The neon blue of Trinity’s basement contri-buted to a fantastic club vibe as the drink flowed. The party went on for hours, the dancefloor packed to capacity for most of the evening.
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The Brazilian and South American themes continued inside, with a Latin DJ in the booth and a band of great musicians onstage. Drag queens wandered about, mixing with the common folk, and people of all ages were there. Two different bands accom-panied the party at various times, giving a focus for the colour and fun of the anniversary celebrations. A unique take at the night’s close was the “crazy hour”. Those who stayed until well past midnight witnessed the immense gifts, dances and performances that took place at the event. There is photographic evidence as proof of the night’s wonderful fun and entertainment. See the photos!
The hot beats were constant, with the Latin tinged night enjoyed by the party’s international attendees. Samba was the dance of choice for many celebrating, and numerous couples took to the dancefloor throwing their hips around and putting any novice to shame, as Yeah! journalist Paula Cerejido and the magazine’s director Raffael Abarca shot some footage and conducted interviews both inside and outside the superb pub / club. Also in attendance were Yeah! correspondents, webmasters and designers – such as Sylvia Picazo and Alfonso Fernandez. The magazine’s celebrations bode well for its continued success. It now has three standalone publications – Yeah! Brasil, Yeah! Espanol, and Yeah! International – all of them featuring unique and localised content and web presences, with the ability to adapt and translate any features that are pertinent to all three. Over the last few years, the magazine has expanded to include other student services: It has seen a number of summer interns pass through its doors over the years, and has involvement in student exchanges and trips. Yeah! has established partnerships and colla-borations with similar publications in other countries. The magazine has also expanded into student accommodation – so if your class requires beds for a week, or a month, when you arrive in Dublin, contact the magazine staff and they will see what they can do! Yeah! extends its thanks to all those who came to the event. It was a great night.
Photos by: Trinity Latino
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Infocus!
Are International Students Satisfied wile studing abroad ? By Carrie Circosta ISV.USA A recent satisfaction survey suggests that international students from Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia are least satisfied with their time studying abroad. The survey consisted of 60,000 international students from 48 universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The survey, the International Student Barometer created by the International Graduate Insight Group (i-graduate), asked for students to rate their overall satisfaction on a scale from 1 (very dissatisfied) to 4 (very satisfied). The survey found that most students are mostly satisfied with their experiences. The average satisfaction level was 3.09 for undergraduates and 3.08 for graduate students. However, the results also showed that satisfaction depending on the country of origin. Students from Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong reported having the lowest satisfaction averages. Other countries with low average scores include Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. Various reasons were discussed as to why certain students are not satisfied with their time studying abroad: Not having familiarity with English and/or cultural traits Financial disadvantages Less-informed decision making Lack of integration When I read over the results, I was not at all surprised. Recruitment of international students is a top priority for Western universities, but where these institutions lack is following up with students when they arrive on campus. For example, there is no doubt that the largest number of international students are from China. Since they have a large population on campus, in general Chinese students tend to stay together, causing them not to integrate into campus life. This has a negative affect on their overall experiences because they become frustrated about certain things they never had a chance to understand, especially certain aspects of Western culture.
I also do not know what the i-graduate survey looks like. I don’t know what questions they asked in order to determine “satisfaction”. There are so many definitions of satisfaction and so many things that can influence a student’s experience.
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DUBLIN AT GROUND LEVEL By: Susana de la Antonia Pérez
It’s time to get to know Dublin on the ground. If you’re more interested in shoe-gazing than looking at the stars, this city will never fail to surprise you.
It’s time to get to know Dublin on the ground. If you’re more interested in shoe-gazing than looking at the stars, this city will never fail to surprise you.
If you pay attention to detail you’ll see that the ground beneath your feet in Dublin offers wonders permitting a profound study in the history of this beautiful country in the most curious way.
If you pay attention to detail you’ll see that the ground beneath your feet in Dublin offers wonders permitting a profound study in the history of this beautiful country in the most curious way.
The Vikings left some permanent tracks on Dublin’s streets in the ninth century. Christ Church Cathedral has a corridor linking with Dublinia, where a beautiful path is found from a Viking house on the cobbles.
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The Vikings left some permanent tracks on Dublin’s streets in the ninth century. Christ Church Cathedral has a corridor linking with Dublinia, where a beautiful path is found from a Viking house on the cobbles.
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Yeah! África
Black History Month celebrated in Ireland in October By: Richard Gibney Before 2010, Ireland was not known for celebrating a Black History Month, an October celebration of African history that has been taking place in North America for half a century every February (now sometimes called African or African-American History month). It is also celebrated in the UK in October. However, Nigerian-born Zephrynus Okechi Ikeh (known as Zeph) established Black History Month Ireland in 2010. Celebrations were held in Cork, where Zeph lived at the time. “Before this, around 2008, I started researching about Africans’ contributions and participation in Irish cultural development, hence the Black History Month in Ireland.” According to Zeph, this gave birth to “Africa Irish Initiative” in a small local community of Rathcormac in County Cork. On 30th October 2010, Cork Africa Connect, established by Zeph, showcased the first Black History Month event, as a pilot project, at the prestigiousGresham Metropole Hotel in Cork City with a Symposium, Dinner and a speech on “Africa Empowerment– Working Towards African Unity”. Rev. Fr. James Good’s keynote address was attended by African envoys and high profile Irish personalities, and supported by Cork City Council, University College Cork (UCC), and local media such as Red FM and the Cork Independent.
A talk on the travels and works of social reformer Fredrick Douglass [who met with Daniel O’Connell of Ireland’s Catholic Emancipation movement in 1845] took place in University College Cork, alongside lectures on African-American Slave Trade Emancipation. Zeph explains: “This year there are official events in Dublin, Cork and Waterford throughout the month.” The theme of this year’s Black & African History Month celebrations will focus on civil rights, intercultural education and development. You can follow the Irish celebrations via Twitter @BHM_IRE, via Facebook at facebook.com/pages/Black-History-Month-Ireland/150546811813778. The official launch of the Black History Month Ireland (BHMI) project takes place on Thursday 2nd October at the European Commission Representation in Ireland, European Union House, on Dawson Street, Dublin 2, Ireland. Other events during the month include a Black & African Culture Night, a YEPS Photographic Exhibition Launch, and a Film Screening & Display at the ECO-UNESCO, Green House, at St. Andrew’s Street, a series of educational lectures, speeches, seminars and exhibitions on African Troops in World War 1 in partnership with University College Cork and Cork City Council/Libraries between Wednesday 8th and Friday 10th October, and an African Music Entertainment Nights in Cork and Dublin. It is hoped that a BHMI Local Heroes Awards will celebrate those who make a positive impact in local and African communities.
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“I came to Ireland in 2007. It’s an innovative country whereby everything is possible if you do a little hard work. Africans need more identity here. Many Irish people don’t appreciate how Africa is structured because they look at Africa as a nation rather than a continent. There is no proper means of communicating the cultures, traditions and histories of Africa to Irish society. I see the Black History events as a means of intercultural communication and dialogue for the minority ethnic groups in Ireland, and for the host communities to understand themselves better in a cultural perspective,” Zeph said. “The essence of the Black History events are for you to look at your present from the past. I believe that to function effectively in your present state, you must know your history. The wise man is the one who has made a careful study of the past (ancient) and modern history, and adjudged the knowledge of the future by the knowledge of the past.”
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Zeph hopes for attendees from all communities for the cultural events. “Black History Month is a community educational project that requires the entire community’s participation and involvement, including the Irish of European descent, who are more than welcome to attend all of the events.� In the coming years, Zephrynus hopes that Black History Month will become a joint project among the indigenous and immigrant communities of Ireland, celebrating difference and diversity, and will also be known as African-Irish History Month.
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Student Fair!
International Education Fairs in Europe Now that we are approaching the final third of the year, it is the perfect time to book your institution onto one of our leading international student recruitment events for the next academic year. Take a look below at some of the events we have coming up over the next 2 months. Korea Study Abroad Fair The Korea Study Abroad & Emigration Fair brings more than 600 schools and associations related to studying abroad from 20 countries with also 50 associations related to emigration from 10 countries. 11th September 2014 | Busan 13 & 14th September 2014 | Seoul For more information, please visit the fair page a2 International Education Fairs in Kazakhstan The percentage of Kazakh students studying abroad has tripled in the past 5 years. The stable economy and foreign investments encourage students to study abroad and strengthen their English. Over 5,050 students and 70 institutions from 13 countries visited 2013 Spring a2 Kazakhstan Fairs in two days. 22nd September 2014 | Almaty 24th September 2014 | Astana For more information, please visit the fair page ISFA International Student Fairs Africa The exhibition will bring together students and international education providers with the focus on recruiting students for foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels. 29th September 2014 | Dar es Sallam, Tanzania 1st October 2014 | Arusha, Tanzania 3 & 4th October 2014 | Nairobi, Kenya For more information, please visit the fair page Studyrama Go Abroad Fair London We are pleased to announce that we will be returning to the UK market with the first edition of the Studyrama Go Abroad Fair in the UK, which joins additional tour locations in Paris and Brussels. 16th October 2014 | London, UK For more information, please visit the fair page The Go Abroad Fair in London in 2014 is dedicated to providing students with knowledge of Bachelors, Masters, MBA, Internship, Job and Employment opportunities abroad. The main countries represented will be the USA, Canada, Australia, France, Switzerland and other European Countries.UK Universities are welcome if they are offering International Programs with study abroad opportunities. Open Doors Education Fair - Bulgaria 20 - 28 September 2014 Days of International Education (Baltics) 25 - 29 September 2014 26th International Education Fair in Russia 04 - 05 October 2014 Education and Career Fair in Slovakia 07 - 09 October 2014 Photo Yeah! Inte
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PRIDE!
What Pride Means to Me I’ve often been very insensitive in language, six-letter words and all. Schoolboy stuff, what I’d fondly recall in my own deluded mind as a parody of jock culture, or pronounced put-on campness or mincing, for instance. There’s no doubt such behaviour – and that of my some of my peers – meant that people on the fringes felt they were better off staying there, through the environment in which we were learning and drinking and smoking and toking and yoking, and whatever else. Anyone who has been stared at through eyes of hatred or disgust will tell you that it’s not a nice feeling. It’s gut wrenching. To stay positive, if that hatred is consistent, is tough. Even more jarring if you don’t know exactly what the reason for that hate is, for example if the cowards looking at you deny their looks of contempt. If the reason for such hatred is homophobic bigotry, I’d hope that the victims of such attritious bullying might dismiss the contempt out of hand, rather than bottle things up, or internalise, thanks to awareness-raising events such as Dublin’s PRIDE parade on Saturday. If you’re the only gay in the village, you know today that there is a whole world celebrating Pride, just beyond the valleys. Student life is unlikely to be the same for those in the LGBT community now as it was in the late 1990s when I was at college. One day, while chatting up a young lady (while rehearsing for a play), she told me her friend had a gay flatmate, and they didn’t have a problem with it at all. But, she went on, they had walked in one night to catch him kissing another fellow on the couch. The revulsion in her voice was visceral. I pointed out that she wouldn’t feel the same way with a guy and a girl kissing. (Or maybe I didn’t. I might have just thought it. I wanted her to like me and I was already going bald.) Another good male friend found out a second male friend was gay, and insisted repeatedly on ascertaining his orientation because he would’ve preferred he wasn’t gay, due to his own Catholicism! “Are you sure?” “Yes!” “Are you sure?” (They’re still great friends today.)
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Another friend at university identified as bi. An immense talent as a writer, he has admitted since that it took a while to come to terms with çhis homosexuality. There was a rather lewd story involving this same friend and another male acquaintance. Although I had heard the salacious gossip, I didn’t mention this until he admitted it to me himself, many months down the line, and I probably said something blokeish like: “I heard about that, you dirty bastard / you big bender!” I do remember, however, he then asked me why I had not told him when I had heard the story at the time. I can’t remember my response, but it was likely to be something like: “It’s none of my business!” or “It’s not important.” In hindsight, I think it WAS important that HE know what I had heard, and, in hindsight, I should have gone to him immediately, as a friend, and told him there was talk about his encounter. Knowledge of being bitched about (even in jest) is healthy, and being left in the dark is unfair; forewarned is forearmed. My college peers and I were not in the Taliban Society or the Opus Dei Squad or the Fascists’ Association. Many of us were in DRAMSOC in UCD, which some fifteen years ago was not known as an ultra-conservative society on an ultra-conservative campus. Growing up, my own language was often homophobic in a pseudo-fascist, Jimmy Carr sense. I quote him as an example: “They asked me to judge Mr. Gay UK. I said it’s against nature, it’s against God, and he’s going to hell.”
But in the last few years, both Jonathan Ross and Chris Moyles have found themselves in hot water over their language and jokes on BBC radio. Only right to highlight it, as one shouldn’t turn on or stream BBC Radio One or Two or Four to be subjected to a pseudo-homophobic comedy routine, unless it’s clear satire. The Irish media ought to be commended for the dearth of such a tone (whether intended or not). However, the irony is that perhaps anything regarded as demeaning to a minority should be relegated beyond the mainstream – a popular morning or afternoon radio broadcaster, listened to by a broad demographic while in traffic, ought to know his listenership.
However, none of this relates to arguments for or against same-sex marriage, for instance. Social conservatives may regard traditional marriage as the last plank to be removed before social order atrophies entirely.
If there has been a cultural shift to the left, since even the mid-1990s in Ireland – meaning that eighteen- or twenty-year-olds are more conscious of their language, or less insensitive, or more aware, and that fewer people feel marginalised – then the Pride festival is very much a part of that change. People realise today that if you’re already bruised, a gentle, joshing slap is often as painful as a punch.
The openness of countries such as Brazil, Colombia and Argentina ought to be lauded over the frequently less tolerant societies of Europe. Argentina’s gender identity law of 2012, and the anti-homophobia campaigns running in South and Central America since 2002, are significant. Uruguay was passing gay marriage laws while Ireland’s civil union debates were taking place.
The world is smaller, and we know of the bigotry of Russia, Uganda, Zimbabwe and elsewhere. When Vladimir Putin says at a Sochi press conference that they are debating in Western parliaments about whether to decriminalise paedophilia – as a rationale for criminalising education and discussion of homosexuality in Russia – we understand that he’s not only using specious reasoning in comparing child abuse with homosexuality; we know, with complete certainty, that he’s an outrageous liar or an ill-informed idiot. Sad that his predecessor, Vladimir Lenin, was one of the first world leaders to decriminalise homosexuality, almost a century ago. But people who make more reasonable arguments for the retention of a traditional, conservative society can cite the loss of authority among the once-trusted classes and castes in Ireland. For any number of cogent reasons, in the Republic:
The counter argument is that it is far better that people are inclusive, and included. Ireland is small, but the application is universal. That the greatest pool of people is asked to contribute – to the debates about Church, and medicine, and the economy, and education, for example – rather than having a minority irrationally marginalised, ridiculed, and treated with apprehension or fear or contempt, can only be beneficial.
Even with the irrational polarity evident in the United States, and its sometimes less-than convincing insistence on freedom – whether domestically or around the world – we can still look to the New World, further south, and see progress. On Saturday, among those celebrating the Dublin event, Emma (one of the many cele-brating Pride that day, and kind enough to chat) was asked what Pride means to her. “Pride is everything, about who we are, what we are, a celebration of life: It’s simple. When I was growing up – I’m only thirty-three – so it wouldn’t have been as difficult for me as for older generations. But even now, there’s far more acceptability, and if you’re a good person that’s all that matters, and that comes through. Happy Pride!”
The public has lost respect for the Church; few have faith in the medical profession, in childcare, or in geriatrics; the government can’t be trusted to monitor our economy; and it could be argued that education standards are broadly slipping, generation after generation.
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11 Things To Do in Limerick By Limerick International Study Centre Limerick has a long list of at- edge at Thomond Park Stadium tractions and exciting activi- Experience the proud histies for people of all ages and tory and heritage of Munster interests. From exploring King Rugby at Thomond Park StaJohn’s Castle in the heart of the dium’s spectacular interaccity’s medieval district to tracing tive museum or follow in the Frank McCourt’s footsteps on an footsteps of Munster heroes Angela’s Ashes walking tour, to by taking a look behind the mountain biking in Ballyhoura scenes at the historic Stadium. there is something for everyone. 4. Visit the absorbing Foynes You can always enjoy a relaxing Flying Boat & Maritime Museum cruise on the River Shannon, take Foynes Flying Boat in a game of golf or a rugby match & Maritime Museum in Thomond Park Stadium or try your hand at angling, horse- 5.Visit Limerick’s oldest buildriding, swimming and more. ing still in daily use, the 11th Century St. Mary’s Cathedral Limerick is a great shopping lo- Most noteworthy relics of the cation and boasts a diverse cul- past, within the ancient Catheture and arts scene where there’s dral, are the ancient altar stone always something going on! With used when Mass was celebrated in so much to see and do, you can al- the Cathedral and the splendidly ways join a guided tour or hop on carved misericords in the choir. a City Sightseeing Bus to find all of Limerick’s hidden treasures. 6. Take in a Sporting Event Did you know that Limerick is 1. Explore Limerick’s most icon- often referred to as “Ireland’s ic landmark, King John’s Castle Sporting Capital”? The City King John’s Castle Re-opens was awarded the coveted Euon 28th June 2013!! Visitors ropean City of Sport title in of all ages will find something 2011. Make sure to take in a to inspire and excite them at Sporting Event (GAA, Rugby, the brand new visitor expe- Soccer etc.) while you’re here! rience at King John’s Castle. 7. Check out Limerick’s Leg2. See the internationally im- endary Nightlife Scene portant collection of art and Whether it’s a Guinness, a Cosartefacts at the Hunt Museum mopolitan or a cold beer, you’ll Exhibiting one of Ireland’s find plenty of stylish bars, cosy greatest private collections pubs and happening nightclubs of art and antiquities, dat- in Limerick to suit your tastes. ing from the Neolithic to the 20th Century, including works 8. Whiskey Tastings by Renoir, Picasso and Yeats. Michael Flannerys Pub has the largest Irish Whiskey collection 3. Brush up on your rugby knowl- in the Mid West and the ideal place
to enjoy an Irish Whiskey tasting. 9. Test you nerves and take a high speed RIB tour on Limerick’s Shannon Estuary Experience the thrill and adventure of powerboating on the river Shannon. 10. Take the Angela’s Ashes Walking Tour This tour is based on Frank McCourt’s best-selling memoir of his childhood in 1930s Limerick. 11. Indulge your curiosity and passion for flight with a flight simulation experience at Atlantic AirVenture Experience flight from the Captains seat as Pilot in Command of one of the most successful aircraft ever produced, the Boeing 737. How to make an Irish Coffe Hot glass Sugar Irish wiskey Coffe Cream Chocolate
PRIDE! interview
SHOUT-OUT By: Richard Gibney Two volunteers, Nick Murphy and Sally Herbert, were among the group from the organisation ShoutOut that marched in this year’s Pride parade. “ShoutOut is a non-profit LGBT educational organisation. We go to transition year [fourth year] classrooms around the country and we’ve been to – I think – fifty schools this year, in fourteen counties,” said Nick. “It’s really hard for students, when they’re in their teens, coming out, so it’s talking about how they can deal with a friend coming out,” Sally added. “We just play mini-games where we ask people ‘What would you do if your friend came to you and told you they were gay?’ And we give them options about what decisions they could make about it,” Nick continued. “They all just talk about it and it’s important that students who are LGBT realise that their friends really wouldn’t care, and would have a very positive reaction to them being gay. So far, we’ve had some huge successes – starting out, we got funding from an IndieGogo campaign, a very generous ten thousand euros from the American Embassy, and from Trinity College, from philanthropies, and various other sources. We are based in University College Cork, Trinity and NUI Galway. The reaction has been brilliant. We send out letters at the start of every year. The reaction has been absolutely fantastic.” “We were invited to march in the parade this year,” Sally added. “So that’s been really exciting because we’re just a year old.”
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Yeah! África
An orphanage named through a dream
Jeranjie Kamfose has been studying in Dublin for the last two years, and agreed to allow her name to be used in an orphanage project based on the dream of a local pastor in her homeland. “I’ve a passion in helping people, especially the less privileged, as I believe they are happy and genuine. Anything to do with changing the community for the better and helping the needy are actually things I love doing.” The story behind the naming of the Jeranjie Kamfose Orphanage Centre is unusual. “One of the pastors from Lilongwe knew my name, and the local pastor who named the orphanage said to the first pastor that he had had a God-given Word of Knowledge – he had had a dream about someone in Dublin, Ireland. The first pastor knew of only me living in Ireland. So the prophetically-named orphanage was based on the fact that the pastor had had a dream about someone in Dublin. As I was the only person anyone had known in Dublin, I was asked if my name could be used. Of course I agreed! I was honoured.” The orphanage had existed for a few years, but the name of the orphanage was only assigned recently by the pastor. Jeranjie visited in 2013. The orphanage in Ntcheu is named after Jeranjie, while a second orphanage which Jeranjie supports in Mzuzu is called Kabu. The Ntcheu orphanage in the central region of Malawi has eighty-five children, the one in Mzuzu – in the far north of Malawi – has almost thirty. The children are aged between 0 to 16. The children are getting their basic childcare needs met, and they go to the local primary schools.
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“I send letters of encouragement to the orphanages to let the kids know that they are not alone, and they pray for me all the time. Most of their parents are deceased. Some of them would have been living with their grandparents who can’t take care of them properly because of their old age. The orphanage is there to provide meals for them and to ensure that they are involved in some of the village activities, to encourage them to attend church and to give them something to look forward to beyond going out looking for food. The orphanage acts as a meeting point for the kids. They organise sports events and play time around the orphanage. “We are trying to start farming to grow some maize, rice and vegetables, and pig raising, so that they can do this and sell the crops and they’ll then be able to earn their own money rather than subsisting on handouts.” Jeranjie’s family has a background in such local services, as her mother was a district health officer during her career in nursing. “One of the plans is to build accommodation for the orphans, with a kitchen and a dining hall, and to employ a full time officer who can oversee the children and cook the meals.”
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IN FOCUS!
JUST LOOKING FOR A HOME! By: Paula Silva Cerejido
September and October are synonymous with searching for the keys to an apartment in Ireland. For those students who pack their suitcases to go to other countries, Ireland is a popular destination and its cities of Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Cork. The steps to follow when you take the hard decision to leave are always the same: choosing the destination, the school, and what brings more headaches is finding a home, and when we say home we are not talking about a palace or a mansion full of amenities; no, that’s not it, just a house that meets the minimum requirements for a decent living, and for many this is the most difficult task. Unscrupulous individuals have created different ways to take advantage of innocent people and thus steal their money. Popular Facebook groups and news stories detail cases of tenants who had to leave their apartment as it was rented to them illegally. Many are friends or acquaintances, and you may have paid a deposit for a “flat” and that money as if it were something magical, inexplicably disappears. To prevent such abuses, you have some tips, so that you have all the senses open, especially when handing over money:
Renting an apartment online is as comfortable, especially when you are not yet in the country. Many agencies and real estate companies offer databases of apartments for rent on your web pages. You can see pictures of the apartments, read the reviews left by other customers, and even book online your own apartment. But beware, you have to be careful if:
1. you do not know from whom you are trying to rent an apartment. Because when you rent a apartment online, you can bump into different types of people involved. We must know with whom we are dealing, as the various stakeholders in the business offer different services and guarantees. Having the agent data is a guarantee in the event that a problem arises. We must beware of scammers who sometimes misrepresent themselves in photos, or are too old or young – or perhaps the wrong ethnicity if you have spoken to them on the phone – or do not somehow reflect the current state of the apartments they rent.
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2. If a deal is too good to be true, it probably is Relying on gut instinct isn’t a bad idea. If you think something is so good as to seem unreal, you probably you’re right. If you see an individual home or even a room or Suite in leafy Dublin 4, for 300 euros a month, it is unlikely that this is real, so wake up and continued the search. 3. You should never send money via unsafe pay-
ment methods When you have to pay the apartment, either alone or the whole deposit rent, do not use services that can not be tracked. You can use PayPal verified accounts, or pay directly through a web page that displays secure payment methods. Credit cards are more likely to restore funds lost through fraudulent transactions that were not your fault, but you are unlikely to be reimbursed if hard cash or bank drafts are involved.
4. We Always Ask for more information about the
apartment in which we are interested. I f you find an apartment online that you like, but you can not go visit in person, try to get all the information you can about it. Of course, send a friend you trust. It’s always a plus.
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5. Always Check the reviews of the apartment you are interested, if they are all processed by agency. This will serve as a reference to see what previous customers have said.
6. Signing a contract is essential to defend your rights when renting an apartment. Be sure to sign a contract between the agency or landlord and you, clearly indicating what you are renting, and for how long. When the rent is due, also be sure to ask for a receipt from the landlord. Having a lease is absolutely essential when it comes to defending your rights, and further confirms the legality of the agency that you are renting. We hope this has helped, if you feel identified with some point in the article or you want to share your stories, send them and we will publish, in order that there are no more disadvantaged students and we can learn the lessons you might have learned the hard way. Good luck in the hunt!
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