Ciarán Boylan & Cillian O’Sullivan (Syntax)

Amid all the plans, expectations and worries, the day the Wah Yan Hong Kong students arrived seemed to come out of nowhere and was upon us before anyone knew what had happened. There were sceptical faces all round at the arrivals gate in Dublin airport, as the Hong Kong students marched through arrivals complete with their blue school blazers. Those faces turned to worry and laughter in some cases, as the students were paired up with their host families. In my case, the car journey home was comic and as we drew closer to the fresh air and the Meath border, my student’s mouth drew wider and wider. Space is not something he was used to. The settling in process was a lot easier than expected despite a little bit awkwardness initially.
Friday morning brought the official welcoming for the Wah Yan students in the ref. by Mr.Foley and other notable members of staff. After that, the roof was the venue for the first international soccer match in the schools history between the two schools. The match ended in a draw thanks to a last gasp goal by Hong Kong’s Cillian O’Sullivan, who was eligible for both sides on the granny rule. That afternoon Mr. Moran took the entire group on an open-top bus tour of Dublin City seeing sights such as The Molly Malone & The GPO. This was also the Hong Kong students’ first experience of proper Irish weather. They constantly complained of the cold and rain as if they were a bad thing; bring the raincoat next time lads!
Saturday was spent with each student’s family. Some students spent the day at home while others went sightseeing in places such as the Wax Museum and Tara Hill. On Sunday we visited Newgrange in Meath’s Boyne Valley which both sets of students were fascinated by. In hindsight, that was the day the exchange really took off. On Monday, the Hong Kong boys visited the Guinness factory while On Tuesday they went Go-Karting in Kylemore while the Belvedere boys had their parent teacher meeting. Mr Kelly was the star in what proved to be one of the highlights of the trip.
On the Wednesday, the Hong Kong students took part in morning classes and then had a traditional Irish music workshop with Miss. Bowe at noon. The Hong Kong students really enjoyed this as they got to listen to traditional Irish instruments as performed live by the College’s Trad Group. They also were introduced to the sounds of various different instruments such as the concertina, the flute and the fiddle. They also learned how to play the tin whistle with help from Miss. Bowe and surprisingly they were quite good. For many days after, a number of the students were playing the tin whistle learning new songs, much to the annoyance of some Belvedere students. Later on after the workshop, they were taken to The National Museum and Collin’s Barracks to learn about our history and culture. Many students came back enthralled by what they had learned and seen. Later on that evening, the Chinese Ambassador paid a visit to Belvedere College which was a formal but very enjoyable occasion as the parents got to meet the other Hong Kong students and teachers that had come to Ireland. Mr. Foley and the Chinese Ambassador gave speeches on the night and many gifts were exchanged between the Hong Kong students, Belvedere College and the Chinese Ambassador.
The next day the Hong Kong students visited Dáil Éireann with Mr. Kelly and after that we went with the students to Temple Bar to get a taste of Irish food. I must say that the Hong Kong students weren’t very fond of “boxty” but the Belvedere Students had no complaints and were more than happy to take the extra helpings from the plates of the Hong Kong students.
Friday was the day of the Belvo versus Hong Kong students’ football match. It had been a draw in the first leg and this was to be the decider. It was a very enjoyable occasion in the Gym but eventually the Hong Kong students won by a single goal although there were rumours of match fixing by some of the Belvedere senior players and management. Following this we went to a classical concert at St. Anne’s Church in Dawson Street, courtesy of Miss. Bowe. Many of the Hong Kong students enjoyed it while other weren’t quite so inspired but in the end it was quite entertaining and most relaxing. Next was a tour of Croke Park which we were brought on, by Miss. Bowe, Mr. Kelly and Seán Boylan. This was a brilliant experience for the Hong Kong students as they got their first taste of Gaelic Football and Hurling. Many of them were in awe of the stadium and how big it was. I would say that this was the most enjoyable trip for my exchange student and I’d say it was the same for many of the others.
The Hong Kong students then went to see the Ireland versus Fiji game on Saturday. For me, it was an good game to watch but many of the Hong Kong students commented on how cold it was and how miserable they were but that’s not to say they all didn’t warm to it. Many came away singing praise about the game of rugby. Following this, there was a great party kindly hosted by the Boylan’s in County Meath. There was great entertainment and food, with a number of people playing the piano and singing through the night.
Finally the time had come for the Hong Kong students to make their long journey home. It had been an incredible experience which left behind a lot of good memories. We met in the airport with the other students and we all began to say our goodbyes. When it was time for them to go, there was, surprisingly, many tears shed by the Hong Kong students as they were clapped into security (rugby style). The entire experience was so positive and we all gained so much from the trip. We cannot wait to visit Hong Kong in March.
Finally we would like to thank Mr. Kelly, Miss. Bowe, Mr. Moran and Mr O’Leary for making this exchange possible.