From November 28 to November 30, TY students participated in a variety of language workshops at UCD. Twelve languages were covered in the workshops, including Spanish, German, Korean, Swahili, French, and more. Overall, students had an excellent time, and they had plenty to report on.
Day 1 kicked off with Final-year UCD students giving presentations. Each student gave fascinating accounts of their Erasmus experiences. This included life in the nation where they studied their target language, the diverse cultures they encountered, and the range of career options that came with learning a language. Not too long after, the TY pupils attended a lecture about global languages. They were able to participate in this conversation by passing a ball around the room, sharing which languages they studied, and translating various words from other languages.
On Day 2, TY students had a wide variety of language workshops to choose from. They had the opportunity to learn basic phrases, terms, and conversation starters during these courses. Among the exercises were writing your name and reading words in Arabic, translating words into Korean and utilising hand gestures, learning phrases and taking quizzes in Swahili, and so forth. More final-year UCD students wrapped up the day by giving speeches about their experiences thus far in college, their goals, and the advantages of studying a language in college.
The most eventful day throughout the language week was definitely Day 3. It began with workshops in Chinese calligraphy, Chinese paper cutting, French language, and Chinese language. Each student was allowed to select up to two workshops that most sparked their interest. Chinese language lessons included speaking about oneself, learning about Chinese culture, and mastering the various tones in the language. French classes included learning basic greetings and participating in both oral and written exercises in pairs. Chinese paper cutting involved folding and cutting paper in such a way that, when opened, revealed an animal or a Chinese word. Chinese calligraphy involved writing the numbers from 1 to 10 in Chinese using ink and paper.
After that, TY students were given pizza and cookies. Students were able to catch up with each other and talk about all that they had learned. An hour later, the TY students gathered in the Student Centre, where there were a number of on-going events. They headed for their final and most unforgettable workshop, which was mostly centred around Japanese taiko drumming. With the drums, students could form original rhythms that they could then perform for their fellow pupils. It was a blast. The students were then in shock of the taiko drummers' incredible performance, which they gave their all to. The day concluded on a good note with in-depth conversations about Japanese culture.
Many TY students have been inspired to study languages in college by this experience, which has given them a taste of life in third-level education. In addition, this chance has given participants the chance to make lifelong memories they will treasure and remember. I'm sure all the students can agree that they were incredibly appreciative to have this opportunity as a group.
By Shivon Mesembe
