My name is Laura Barba Muñoz, I am 24 years old and I come from Spain.
Back in Madrid, I graduated in Translation and Interpreting with English and German as my foreign language pair.
After finishing my Master’s degree in Literary Translation and completing a couple of courses related to the editorial field, I decided to come to Galway and take the chance of spending some time living abroad.
IN LOVE WITH IRELAND
To be honest, I had already fallen in love with Ireland before, back when I visited Dublin at the age of 13. I got captivated by its landscapes and the Irish culture.
Since then, I have known I would get back some day and when the opportunity of coming to Galway arose, I did not hesitate.
(Read about your first day in Atlantic Language School in this link)
This city has offered me one of the most enriching experiences I have ever lived.
Besides, attending classes at the Atlantic Language School has given me the chance to improve my English, meet loads of different, interesting people and relate to the Irish culture more than I could have ever imagined.
I would not lie if I said that I have felt at home in Galway.
THE LANDSCAPE & PEOPLE
Likewise, my trips to Connemara and Inis Mór will always have a special place in my heart, as well as the people who have joined me during my comings, my goings and my stay.
As a language lover, I have always taken delight in travelling and embracing foreign cultures in order to learn and open my mind.
Sometimes, I find myself writing about the places I visit and the Emerald Isle has been particularly inspiring since the moment I arrived.
For that matter, allow me to share with you one of the pieces Galway has inspired me to write:
| WOMAN OF ARAN |
Sky’s not blue, just etherised—
Crumbs of clouds feed the horizon,
his dress in shreds
whipping and riding the sea.
Sun shipwrecks and drowns.
Cliffs rock Mother Nature,
her bucolic and bare body
sculpted by sea foam punished
by crashing into emptiness. She
was not created from mud,
but from herself—
Ruins erode as faith
whilst prayers of the wind ululate
the foreign name of the living.
| MUJER DE ARAN |
El cielo no está triste, sino anestesiado—
Migas de nubes alimentan el horizonte,
su vestido a jirones
azotando y cabalgando el mar.
El sol naufraga y se ahoga.
Los acantilados acunan la Madre Naturaleza,
su cuerpo bucólico y desnudo
esculpido por espuma de mar
castigado estrellándose contra el vacío. Ella
no fue creada por el barro,
sino por sí misma.
Las ruinas se erosionan como la fe
mientras los rezos del viento ululan
el nombre extranjero de los vivos. EVERY ROAD WILL LEAD TO GALWAY
I would love to find the opportunity to stay in Galway indefinitely.
Until then, I will keep roaming between Madrid and wherever the wind takes me,
while remaining fully aware that, for me, every road will lead to Galway.
Laura Barba Muñoz