Meet Camila

This is an essay about superlatives!

Do you see this girl in the photo? She seems confident, right? But what you do not know is how much she freaked out when she arrived in Ireland in 2020 and realized that she was not able to express herself in English at all. But now, exactly one year after this photo was taken, she is truly fine being in her own skin and more self-conscious. She is more patient, responsible, and humble. Last, but not least, now she is writing this text by herself.

When you are planning your exchange to Ireland you will listen to people saying that the weather is terrible, that the Irish accent is hard, that you will learn to say sorry for absolutely everything. People will talk about milk in tea, yellow double-decker buses and that you are not good, you are “grand”! Everybody will say to you: “do not drink pints in the Temple bar! It is too expensive!”. Then each one will talk about the best pub in Dublin ever (apparently, there appear to be at least 50 best pubs here).

What people do not say to you is that you will break down in Ireland. Exactly! You will break down! If you are an engineer, accountant, physiotherapist in your country, forget it! Here you will be just a foreigner doing your best to survive. You will see yourself struggle to try to say simple words such as flip-flops or earrings. You will want to cry when you see yourself comparing your vocabulary with a 3-year-old little girl. It will get even worse when you realize that she is much better than you. But, one day you will cry, being proud of yourself, rebuilding yourself, finding that you have learned, that you learned with the bests!

The best of ISI English is Finbar’s vocabulary, James’s grammar, and Roberta’s IELTS classes. The best of ISI English is the teacher Úna answering your emails with your silly doubts with great kindness and attention. The best is Nicole being proud of your effort and creativity, even though you are building words that do not exist. The best of ISI English is Claire answering your emails within minutes. The best of ISI English is the cozy Parnell’s unit canteen. The best of ISI English are your classmates who will teach you about France, Taiwan, and Turkey and their accents. And the best of being in Ireland is the moment when you realize that the world has no more borders, just like you. And so, it will be how you will meet your best version by studying at the best school, in the best experience of your life.

Hi Camila, great job! You showed some very good writing skills in your essay about superlatives!  Thank you so much for your lovely words. Knowing that we helped you have a great experience in Dublin means everything to us!