Lernende unserer Bili-Klassen (Bilingualer Unterricht) im 2. Lehrjahr verbrachten im April 2022 zwei Wochen in Cork, Irland. Während dieser Zeit erhielten sie nicht nur wertvolle Einblicke in den Alltag einer irischen Familie, sondern konnten auch in die irische Arbeitswelt eintauchen. Ziel dieses Sprachaufenthalts inklusive Praktikum war es, die Kommunikationsfähigkeiten durch den direkten Bezug zur irischen Bevölkerung zu vertiefen und die mündliche und schriftliche Ausdrucksweise zu verbessern. In kurzen Erlebnisberichten erzählen uns fünf Lernende, wie sich das Leben und die Arbeit in Cork von ihrem gewohnten Alltag in Winterthur unterscheiden.

Kajak- und Kartfahren in Cork
Cork and Winterthur have many similarities. The city centre in Cork is just lovely as the one in Winterthur. You have a variety of restaurants and places for hanging out with friends. They both aren’t big cities, but you’ve got a lot of activities to do. However, Cork is still quite different since Switzerland has a higher standard of living. People in Ireland don’t care much about being on time, while punctuality is essential when you’re living in Switzerland. Busses in Ireland are generally late, so people often drive a car. The houses in Ireland are usually tiny and colourful. Most people often start work at 9 am. However, you can see a lot of homeless people in the city. Overall, the infrastructure in Winterthur is generally being more taken care of than in Cork. After all, I still prefer living in Cork since all the people there are kind and helpful. I got the opportunity to meet new people and gain working experience during these two weeks. Being with my friends and doing fun activities like kayaking or karting made my stay in Cork unforgettable.

Kleine Bäckerei versus Flughafen Zürich
As part of my two-week linguistic exchange in Cork, Ireland, I worked at the Cameron Bakery in the city center for five days. My employer in Switzerland is the operator of Zurich Airport, the “Flughafen Zürich AG”. In this article I will compare these two workplaces and state my preference. The Cameron Bakery is a small but busy bakery in the heart of Cork. The team consists of four employees, one is responsible for the office and the other three are working in shifts, selling the pastries. I was part of the latter, which meant I was constantly surrounded by customers. The cash register is the only machine I was operating there. Approximately 1700 people work for the Flughafen Zürich AG. The apprentices switch departments every six months, although most of the time they are placed somewhere in the office. Customers are most frequently contacted via e-mail or telephone. Everyone owns a laptop since it is the number one tool used for our work. What I liked about my internship, is the use of social skills. I am a very communicative person and enjoyed the physical encounters with customers. Nevertheless, I prefer my workspace in Switzerland. The tasks are more interesting and there is a wider range of skills I can acquire.

Langer Arbeitsweg mit wunderschöner Landschaft
There are some differences between working in Cork and working at my company. I walk to my workplace in Switzerland. It’s just a short five-minute stroll from my home to the city council of Bassersdorf, because I live nearby. There’s not really anything interesting to see on my way there. However, when working in Cork I had to take a 40-minute bus ride from Cobh to Cork every morning. On one side I was always concerned about arriving on time, but on the other side I could never grow tired of watching the beautiful landscapes on my way to work. The working hours are also way shorter in Cork (9 am till 4:30 pm). Therefore, I could sleep more and enjoy my evening every day. At the city council I sit in front of a computer screen most of the time to issue documents. In Cork I was working in retail, selling suits to customers, folding and organizing clothing, helping the staff. There, I would be on my feet for most of the day. It was just very different from my usual work routine, but it was also very interesting and now I know how to tie a tie properly!

Kartoffeln in allen Variationen
Cork and Winterthur have some things in common. Both have a beautiful, colorful old town. After a few days have passed, I have noticed some differences. Besides the double-decker buses in the city, which are commonplace in Ireland, I found that life in Switzerland is more carefree than in Cork. Due to financial reasons, the houses in Cork are only sparsely heated, which we can almost not imagine in Switzerland. Also, a major difference from our life here in Switzerland to life in Cork are the working hours. In Cork we worked from 9am to 4pm and in Switzerland my work usually starts at 7am to 5pm. At the beginning this was a bit strange, but I quickly got used to it. Besides the lifestyle and the working hours, there is another big difference and that is the food and the rules with alcohol. At every meal there were at least two variations of potatoes. As far as alcohol is concerned, in comparison with Switzerland, it can only be consumed from the age of 18. In addition, drinking in public is prohibited. All in all, it was a very educational and exciting time together with my friends, which we enjoyed to the fullest.

Unpünktlichkeit ist kein Problem
During the last two weeks of my language study trip, I made new friends and could gain valuable experience in Ireland. While attending school and during my internship I could also see the differences between Ireland and Switzerland. To begin with, I’d say the biggest difference is the punctuality. In Switzerland we mostly arrive on time or even a few minutes early whereas in Cork it isn’t a big deal if you run 1-2 hours late to school. Another contrast is the life standard in Ireland. Here in Switzerland, it’s normal for us to have a big shower, 24h heating or normal drinking water out of the tap. However, in Ireland they have small showers with a white heating box in it, its normal to switch of the heating during night and the tap water tastes like chlorine. The final dissimilarity which I noticed is the serenity of the Irish people. If you make a mistake or run late to work, it isn’t a big deal, it happens. You don’t have to justify yourself like in Switzerland, just a normal apology is enough. In the end I am grateful to life in a country like Switzerland, but I would visit Ireland a second time because the two weeks were easily two of the best in my life.

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