INTERVIEW OF CATRIONA, THE IRISH ASSISTANT

(Recorded on November 19th, 2020)

Charlotte : Do you play sports ?

Catriona : No, I don’t play sports. I used to do gymnastics when I was younger but then I broke my ankle… and I never did gymnastics again.

Elodie : Do you like traveling ?

Catriona : Yes ! I went to South Africa when I was at school and we did a project with children from a squatter camp. We raised money ourselves to go there and to help them.

Sophia : Did you choose Beaujeu ?

Catriona : No, I didn’t. I decided to be an English language teaching assistant and – when I decided I was going to do that – I applied to a company called the British Council. They put me in Lyon and they picked schools for me. So I didn’t choose to come to Beaujeu… but I like it !

Noa : Do you have any brothers or sisters ?

Catriona : I have one sister. Her name is Nicole. She’s eighteen years old and she studies psychology at Queen’s University in Belfast.

Juliette : What are the main differences between Ireland and France ?

Catriona : That’s a good question ! Well… the weather is different. It rains a lot in Ireland. It’s quite warm here, I think. And also the French people eat a lot of bread ! And of course the langage ! It’s very different. Usually there are similarities with English but I find there are lots of differences.

Candice : What do you like in the French langage ?

Catriona : In the French langage ? Well… I like learning about the French culture and I like learning about the French history. So, in particular, I like learning about the France’s colonization of Africa. I really enjoy that. And I also like learning about the French Revolution.

Grégoire : What’s your favourite dish ?

Catriona : My favourite dish is anything that has pasta in it. So I like spaghetti bolognese… I like lasagna… And for my favourite French dish… it would probably be the sugar tart.

Maxence : What is your favourite style of music ?

Catriona : I like pop music… anything that’s in the charts. I listen to Beyoncé and I like listening to an Irish artist called Hosier. And I also like groups such as Maroon 5.

Louison : How does Ireland look like ?

Catriona : Ireland… well… most things in Ireland are green. There are lots of trees and fields and sheep. But apart from that it just looks like France. There are stonebuildings… There’s just more grass.

Louison : What do you like in France ?

Catriona : Well… I haven’t had a lot of time to explore France now that we are lockeddown. But I did go to Paris last year. My family and I went to the catacombs and I really enjoyed that because I study history. So I really like going to historical sites in France.

Marylou : Do you like drawing ?

Catriona : Yes, I do like drawing. At school, I used to draw a lot. I particularly liked painting but now I don’t really have much time to draw.

Estelline : Where do you come from ?

Catriona : I come from Belfast in Northern Ireland, but specifically I come from a town called Carryduff and it’s about a 15 minute drive from Belfast. I live in Carryduff with my family.

Jade : How many languages do you speak ?

Catriona : I only speak English and French. If I were to pick a language to study I would speak Spanish because it’s similar to French. But unfortunately, at school, we could only pick one language. So I chose French instead of Spanish.

Marie : Do you have pets ?

Catriona : No, I don’t have any pets. I used to have two rabbits but they died.

Gabin : Do you like reading ?

Catriona : Yes, I do like reading. I haven’t read in a while because I don’t really have time. But I did buy a book in France. It’s called « La petite fille de monsieur Linh».

Camille : Do you have projects for the future ?

Catriona : Errr… no, I don’t. At the moment I would either like to be a teacher or a journalist because I like traveling and I like reading. But I also like working with younger people. So I’m not sure yet, I have some time to decide… but either journalist or teacher.

Doriane : What do you study in Ireland ?

Catriona : In Ireland, I study French and history. I probably prefer history because I get to study whatever I want. So I can choose to study the history of Russia, the history of Italy, the history of France… and then in my French class I learn about French grammar and French culture. My favourite is history.

Tiphaine : How did you learn French ?

Catriona : I started learning French at school. And then I went to high school and that’s when I really started to enjoy learning French. I particularly enjoyed it because my teachers were both from France. And they were both very nice and that’s why I was excited to go to French class. I also love learning about the culture of France and history.

Lucie : How many countries have you visited ?

Catriona : Err… well… I’ve been to France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Croatia, America, South Africa, Abu Dabi, Switzerland, England, Scotland. That’s all. Oh, I forgot Sweden and Netherlands !

Mélissa : What is your favourite country ?

Catriona : My favourite country is probably South Africa. Because there are lots of history and I liked learning about Apartheid and I also liked helping children who lived in these squatter camps and I liked working with the children from the outskirts as well.