Nona

Hello, I’m Nona Cuartero and I’m 15 years old. I live in Sant Cugat and I’m staying a week in Dublin, Ireland. Here I will post my daily diary. I hope you enjoy it!


This is my host family.




Sandra McGuirck is 50 years old and she is our host mother. She is an economist. She enjoys cooking, walking, travelling and watching TV series. Lia is Sandra's daughter and she is 14 years old. She goes to secondary school and her hobbies are swimming and meeting her friends.






8/6/2017

Today I have got up at 6 in the morning. I have had a shower and I have gone to the meeting point, which was at Thau Sant Cugat. There I have met my friends and teachers and we have gone to Barcelona-El Prat Airport. We have made the check-in and everything has gone okay. At 12h we have caught the plane and in two hours we have arrived to Ireland. When we have gone outside the Dubin airport, it has started raining. Luckily, two coaches were waiting for us. We have gone to Hoath, a fishing village which was very nice. I have been astonished by the sea lions we have seen at the harbour. After this we have gone to Malahide Castle, which was constructed in 1775. I found it really beautiful. Finally, we have gone to Swords and we have met our families. Me and Mariona, we are very happy with our family.

9/6/2017

Today we have met at 8:30 in the meeting point. After 15 minutes in the bus we have arrived to Dublin Center. We have split the whole group into 3 small groups, each one had a different guide. Our  guide was very kind and very cult. He has explained us a little bit of Irish culture and the Georgian Period in Ireland. He has also mentioned some important Irish writer, like William Butler Yeats or Bram Stoker. We wave visited the center of Dublin, and I have found it very beautiful. At 2:00 we have had dinner and then we have gone to the Temple Bar. We have taken loads of pictures and we have also gone shopping. Today has been great but at the end of the day we were really tired!

10/6/2017

Today we have gone to the Hill of Tara. After one hour in the bus we have arrived to the countryside. We have watched a video inside the Church of Tara and then we have gone in a guided tour. He have learned a lot. The Hill of Tara is a very ancient place, it was built in the Middle Ages. There were lots of monuments and rocks on the top of the hills. The path was very tortuous and the weather was cloudy and windy. After this we have gone to Trim Castle. We have splited in two groups. First we have listened to a man who has explained us all the types of weapons that the Middle Ages soldiers used to use. It was very interesting, and we have been allowed to touch the armours and the swords. After lunch time we have gone to Barracks Museum. There we have visited an exposition about the Easter Rising and we have visited all the museum.

11/6/2017

This Morning we have gone to the Guiness Storehouse. We have had two hours of free time. We have visited all the floors, each one had a different topic. For me, the best one has been the publicity floor. It was full of screens with advertisings on it. We have also gone to the Gravity Bar, from where we could see the city of Dublin. After this we have walked to the center. On the way we have seen St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which was really big! In the afternoon we have visited the Trinity College and the Long Room, where the film of Harry Potter was recorded. We have also seen the Book of Kells.

12/6/2017

Today, after one hour in the bus, we have arrived to Powerscourt Gardens. We had a guide, Jennifer, who was really nice and explained us the history of these gardens. They were really beautiful and colorful. We visited the Japanese garden, the Italian Garden, the pet cementery and Triton Lake. We have had free time to walk around there and we have taken cool pictures. After this we have gone to Glendalough. The weather has gone windy and cloudy. We have walked through the cementery, which was quite big, and when we have crossed a bridge we have thrown coins to a river while we made a wish. We have walked to the lake and we have had lunch there. After lunch we have gone home.

13/6/2017

This morning we have done a political tour around Dublin. We have been split into 3 groups. In my group the guide was really funny and nice, and he has explained us all the political history of Ireland, especially the Easter Rising and the rebellions that took place in the center of Dublin. We have had lunch in a beautiful park and at 1:30 we have met again our classmates. In the afternoon we have played gaelic games. A team of instructors has teached us how to play gaelic football, hurling and squash. I have had a great time!

14/6/17
Today has been our last day in Dublin. In the morning we have had free time and I have gone shopping. I have bought some souvenirs for my family. At 1:30h we have gone to Phoenix Park, the biggest urban park in Europe. We have had lunch and we have played baseball. After this we have gone to the airport. We have made the check in and everything has gone OK. We have had dinner at 17:30h in the airport. At 19h the plane has taken off, and after two hours we have arrived to Barcelona. We have met our families and they were very happy of having us back again. I was a little bit sad because it has been a great experience and it's a pity that it is over.

IRELAND FOR ME

I really liked this trip to Ireland. I have enjoyed all the activities that were prepared, especially the guided tours around the city of Dublin. However, my favorite activity by far was the Gaelic sports. The instructors taught us three of the most popular sports in Ireland. I found it very interesting and quite alternative. 
What I have missed has been the beach, but I can understand that we couldn't visit it, due to the little time we had and our timed schedules. 
The Long Room really struck me, since it was identical to Harry Potter's Library, and it was great to see it in real life. 
I would repeat the whole experience in Ireland. I have been able to spend time with my classmates, have a laugh with them and learn new things about this beautiful country, Ireland.
I would give myself an eight as the mark for the overall of the "project de recerca". I think    I've behaved correctly during the guides' explanations, I've done my project and the group's project and I've got on well with my host family.
I really enjoyed this experience!