A Mexican guy with big dreams

While others are still thinking about fulfilling their dreams, Alejandro Avila who is 22 form Tala, Jalisco  (Mexico) tells us what it is like to live them.

I arrived in Ireland on Thursday, November 17th  2016.

Two years ago I was thinking about coming to Ireland, it was so difficult for me. I like to play football and video games. My favourite food is spicy orange chicken. All my family and friends live in Mexico. So, when I arrived here I had to start a new life, a life with a lot of obstacles, but a very happy life.

This was my dream and I would enjoy every moment here.

I like to meet new people and here in Dublin there are people from all around the world, I find it so interesting to speak with everybody because they have different cultures, different mentalities .

Why did you decide to come to Ireland?
Studying in Europe has been my dream since the past four years. But for different reasons I couldn’t make it real.
My goal was not to just travel to some countries, my goal and my dream was to live, work and study in a European city.

One day in 2014, in Guadalajara I went to exhibition of language schools from around the world. In my house I read all the information and SEDA seemed to be a very good option. Also I had read on  internet about Ireland; its history, economy, level of English schools, life style. I thought  it was a very interesting country so I sent an e-mail with my personal data.

How does it feel to be fulfilling  your dreams?
It is the greatest feeling, because not many people have the courage and determination to follow their dreams. Many people who see little progress surrender easily. However, a small progress is still progress. Many others will wait for the “perfect” moment, but if we wait, maybe that moment will never arrive, we have to take a moment and make it “perfect”.

What can you say to those who are afraid of living their dreams?

The greatest enemy lives in our head and it is called “fear.”

We should not be afraid to leave the good and go for the best! Because great achievements never come from our comfort zone. On the other hand, if our dreams do not frighten us, it is because they are not big enough and from the heart. I can tell you that the greater the obstacle, the greater the reward. The world is too beautiful just to travel on the Internet.

What is the biggest difference between Dublin and your hometown?

Obviously the weather, because here in Dublin it is very cold. Also all the buses here have two floors. Dublin has a huge diversity of people, here you can see people from India, Korea, Colombia, Mexico, Australia and more countries. All people live in peace.

What is your favourite place in Dublin?

Dublin is so beautiful, I like to just walk on the streets, I really love the Phoenix Park, it’s a big park, here you can find a place to run, cycle a  bicycle, play sports, walk your dog, take photos, and see animals like ducks, squirrels, and stags. In the Phoenix Park there is also Dublin Zoo .  I don’t know all of the park because it is really big, but whenever I go, I can see lots of  interesting things.

What about your plans for the upcoming months?

The next step is to look for a job and earn money because I would like to travel to many places. Along with that, I hope to keep improving my English, because this language is very important, many jobs look for people who speak more than one language. Finally I would like to live here for a long time.

What were your first impressions of Ireland and SEDA?

It’s like a dream.

Everything is perfect for me. The school, the classes, the city, the people, the weather, everything. The buildings are beautiful and so colourful. The school has lots of extra classes, walking tour, trips to other countries. The teachers are prepared to help us, all the staff are great people. I really like studying here.

I’m very happy to be here, and I will use every second I can to learn, discover new places, new people and new food. And above all… BE HAPPY!