Experiencing Ireland through a homestay

When Sebastian’s college offered him the chance to take an internship in Dublin, Ireland, he was keen to take them up on the opportunity. Sebastian, who is from Galicia in the north of Spain was conscious of price when it came to accommodation and was on a tight budget to make his time abroad worthwhile. Happily he found our hosts Liz and Mick who live in the south Dublin suburb of Leopardstown, only a tram link away from his office in Ranelagh.

Sebastian said that Liz’s fast response time to his request to stay with her as well as the friendly vibe he got from her and her family were big factors in his decision to stay with them. Although Sebastian’s internship was with Zappy, a web and app development agency in Dublin, he was keen on using his time in Ireland to improve his English.

“My college and former classmates both spoke to me about Homestay.com, the web site is so good. You can find a lot of information about the host families and their location, it’s a lot easier than other sites.”

The international and global nature of Dublin as a workplace really appealed to Sebastian and was something that really stuck him about his time in the city. “Dublin is a very good city to get know people from a lot of countries and cultures around the world, that's amazing!”

Having a homestay and a host family to come home to however was what separated Sebastian’s internship in Dublin from that of other students he knew who had spent time abroad. He feels that a homestay is the best way to really get to know a country and its culture because you really get to live and interact with locals in a constant and natural way. He also believes that hosts too have a lot to gain from this experience. His hosts Mick and Liz echo this thought, saying that part of the reason they signed up as hosts was to introduce themselves and their children to diversity and to learn from people and cultures that are different to our own.

For now Sebastian has returned to Spain although he says he’ll keep in touch with Liz and her family for sure. His experience of interning and living abroad was so positive however that he’s now looking into doing another internship in Prague to further improve his CV and career.