Milcah Vakauliafa

I was born in Wallis, a distant island in the South Pacific 22,000km from France. On 20 January 2017, I left my family and friends for the first time to continue my studies in New Caledonia for a BTS diploma (a French qualification) in assistant management. 

Part of this programme is an internship in an English-speaking country to help students learn the language. I sent applications to New Zealand and Australia, but I didn’t get a positive response to my research. Instead, I was fortunate enough to be selected among the six pupils in my class to go to Ireland.

This was a difficult decision, because of the distance and the high cost of travel, not to mention accommodation and food for two months. I thought for a long time before convincing my parents to let me try this trip, which I saw as an opportunity to see beyond the language barrier. Before this, I had the chance to go for holidays in New Zealand, Australia and Fiji, but never so far as Ireland. 

The trip was very long: more than 20 hours of flights to arrive safely. But it was well worth it. We were greeted by the wonderful and warm people and the beautiful city of Dublin. 

I have since seen a lot of green spaces; I visited beautiful landscapes such as the Cliffs of Moher in the west of Ireland and what people say is the largest park in Europe. 

I was surprised by this greenery and trees that I have never seen or known before, such as those that line the main street called maples. In Wallis, we only find tropical trees and flowers: coconut palms, palm trees and tiaras, which are flowers that are used to make necklaces and have a particular smell. 

In Ireland. I have to wear gloves because of the cold. I was a little surprised that it could be cold while the sun was shining. Accustomed to the tropical climate, it was all new for me to live in a country with a temperature below 30C. 

I also noticed that there were not only old homes and buildings, but they are well maintained. One can also find huge and beautiful chapels in Dublin different from those of my island, which are large churches built with volcanic stones carved by hand. 

I will take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime stay to maximise my internship experience, enjoy the country, spend good times with the people who host us, and enjoy the good prices to do a lot of shopping. 

I am very thankful to everyone that helped me make this trip happen, and as all beautiful things have an end I will leave grown from this beautiful experience. Dublin, I’ll come back again another day.

Milcah Vakauliafa was an intern with Metro Éireann.

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