2 degrees and now a masters - Janaina doesn't want to stop learning any time soon! MIC student Janaina tells us why cultural differences can be a blessing...

We chatted with international student Janaina Andrade about her move to Ireland, her many years of education and the loss of a beloved umbrella…

By Lauren Valentine

Fact File

Name: Janaina

From: Fortaleza, Brazil

Current University: Mary Immaculate College

Studying: MA Mentoring and Leadership (Education)

Clubs and Societies: Hoping to Join the Choir!

Can you tell us more about the course you’re studying?

I’m studying a postgraduate degree in mentoring and leadership. I’m doing it thanks to a programme sponsored by the government in Brazil involving a partnership with the Irish embassy. Everybody on the course is a school leader back home, but there aren’t opportunities like this there, so it’s a great experience.

What brought you to this point?

First, I studied a BA in Education which took 4 years. As part of this, I specialized in school management, applied linguistics and education. I also studied an arts degree in English. One year after finishing, I became a permanent teacher in the public service. I then became an English teacher before specializing in school management, which meant I was invited to coordinate the school I’m currently working in.

What are your living arrangements?

At the moment, I’m living in student accommodation with several people from my course. In my opinion, it’s perfect: we have individual rooms but common spaces too. We can get together whenever we want to. Of course, this comes with its challenges. For example, we have 1 kitchen between 100 people so you could have around 20 trying to cook at once! We’ve resolved this by cooking together a lot and the cultural difference helps too, in that we eat dinner a lot later than the Irish!

How did you prepare for your arrival at the university?

In 2018 I spent 6 weeks in the US doing an English course with FullBright. That was the longest time I’d spent abroad, so it helped to prepare me in terms of both the language and staying away. The idea of spending a whole year away from home was still challenging though – you can’t really foresee what will happen.

How about any stories that you look back and laugh on?

One time, my friends and I were on our way to a pub in Lahinch. When we left the house, it started to rain and the wind was very strong. I madly decided to go back and get an umbrella because my hair is not waterproof. It was insane! Once opened, the poor umbrella lasted only three seconds. It looked like it had entered a tornado. At the time, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry because I liked my umbrella so much. Today I look back and just laugh.

Finally, can you share something you’ve learned from your experience?

It’s great if you can learn a lot about the culture before coming to prepare yourself for the big changes. It’s important to know how people behave there, in order to know how you should act too.