Stranded far from home by Covid-19

Lifestyle – Students from all over the world who came to Galway to learn English were shocked when language schools had to shut down in March as part of the Irish Government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak. Many who were able to fly home did so then. Those who stayed continued to study online and have been enjoying Irish hospitality and time out, as three of them tell CIARAN TIERNEY.

They are among the forgotten victims of the coronavirus crisis in Galway. Many of them spent years saving up to come here, planning to change or improve their lives, and they never imagined the transformation that would occur when schools across the country were forced to shut down in mid-March.

They come from countries as varied as Switzerland, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Mexico. Many get eight-month visas which allow them to work part-time and the thousands of students who come to Galway to learn English every year make a significant contribution to the local economy.

From the host families they stay with to the hotels and shops they work in, and the tour companies who bring them on weekly excursions to Connemara and the Aran Islands, foreign students make an immense contribution to the economy.

Language schools contribute an estimated €880m to the national economy and there have been pleas for the Government to provide support to a sector which is facing a very uncertain future.

Three of the country’s biggest and most established schools are in Galway (Atlantic, the Bridge Mills, and Galway Cultural Institute), so the difficulties faced by the sector are a cause for concern locally.

Almost all the language students who come to Galway go on day trips to the Aran Islands, Connemara, or the Cliffs of Moher at the weekends, using local companies like Lally Tours and Aran Ferries.  Meanwhile, trips on the Corrib Princess and outings to Galway pubs for special student nights out are scheduled into their weekly timetables.

While there’s no roadmap for when language schools can reopen, these places rely primarily on advance bookings from students who plan their trips to Ireland months or even years in advance. It is hard to see too many people in Brazil, Spain, or Italy planning to come to Galway to study English in the near future.

For those who were already here when the schools shut down on March 12, it has been a surreal time. Many of them choose Galway because of its famed night life and compact size. And they found it strange to see roads and beaches deserted and pubs and restaurants closed during the first few weeks of the lockdown.

Among them are three students who came here in February, with plans to spend months studying English at Galway Cultural Institute (GCI) in Salthill.

They are Kayla Isabel Sandigo Davila, originally from Nicaragua; Nadia Bea Gonzalez from Granada, Spain, and Caio Eduardo Batista from Brazil.

They were given no notice when the Government announced on a Thursday at lunchtime that all schools in Ireland were shutting down.

It was a strange time, they recall. Some students never got a chance to say goodbye to classmates or teachers. Some of their friends wanted to go home as the places where they worked part-time were also closing and they wondered what they’d do with their time.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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