Rainy Coasts to Sunny Lakes, Ireland to Munich!

Hello my name is Dylan and I come from small village on the coast of Dublin called Malahide. In Ireland I study a BA in Creative and Cultural Industries with a structured elective in German at UCD (University College Dublin). I suppose that nicely leads into the lingering question; why come to Munich?

German has been a part of my life since I was 13 when I had to make the tough decision of what language I wanted to take in Secondary school. I was heavily influenced by my German teacher at that age, as the passion she had for the language and teaching totally incapsulated me. German had always felt like a school subject when I was younger and I never really looked at Germany as a place I had a desire to travel, that was until I visited Berlin for the first time when I was 18. This was the first time I realised how important having a second language is in life. I had never been to a foreign country before in which I understood the language. Being able to communicate in another language for the first time switched something in my brain. Up until that point, the words I was learning in language school had no meaning, it was only in that moment that I realised ‘I can now understand, experience and learn from these people, that are so different to me’. It felt great, and I became driven to get better and learn more about the culture and life in this country. That is why I chose Munich for my Erasmus!

I specialise in media and communications in Ireland and last year I completed my internship at RTÉ (the national broadcaster of Ireland). I worked mainly across radio for 6 months as an audio editor, broadcast co-ordinator and many other minor roles. This is why I have chosen to take the Media Institutions Munich Module as I want to broaden my knowledge of how other media companies work, especially in a larger country like Germany. I look forward to making the comparisons down the line and to bring more knowledge of these institutions in Europe back to Ireland.

My time here so far has been equally as daunting as exciting. I have never moved away from home before so this is my first time living alone and trying to live completely independent. Luckily I met a great bunch of people that never fail to make me feel at home (I honestly feel like I’ve known them for years it’s scary). We’ve made so many great and genuinely hilarious memories so far that I cannot wait for the rest of the summer and already dread the day we will have to say goodbye.

I wouldn’t be much of an Irish bloke if I didn’t mention the weather too! Sure I even made the title about the rain in Ireland. I visited Tegernsee on Saturday and I’ve never experienced anything like it. Sitting on the rippling lake with the sun warmly kissing my skin whilst my eyes are blessed with rugged skyline of snowy mountaintops. I think it is safe to say, it beats the rain back home!