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My experience was very positive. My colleagues were very friendly and open. It was great to exchange thoughts about culture and agriculture. We mainly shared cultural insights because they are not very involved in agriculture. However, it was interesting to learn about their daily life, their university, and where they come from.

It was a truly enriching experience, both academically and personally, as it allowed us to practice languages, learn about each other’s cultures, and improve our communication skills in a very practical way.

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Cultural and language exchange: In the first session, we introduced ourselves and talked about our degrees, universities, and everyday topics like food, weather, student life, and local traditions. For example, we discussed what time we usually eat, how we spend our free time, whether they would like to visit Spain, what we know about Ireland, and what they know about Spain.

I found it most difficult to talk about agriculture, since they didn’t know much about the topic.

Job interview simulation: In the second session, we did a role-play of a job interview in both Spanish and English. We took turns acting as interviewers and interviewees, practicing formal vocabulary and useful interview structures.

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One of the main topics we talked about was how we spend our free time. In Madrid, thanks to the good weather most of the year, it's very common to spend time outdoors with friends. People often go for a walk, sit on a terrace, have a drink or enjoy an ice cream, especially in spring and summer. The streets and parks are usually full of life.

In contrast, in Ireland the weather is usually colder and rainier, so it's more difficult to spend time outside. Because of that, people often stay indoors, or they go to the pub, which is a very important social space in Irish culture. It’s not just for drinking. It’s a place to meet friends, listen to music, and relax after a long day.

It was interesting to see how climate influences social habits in each country. Even though the environments are different, we all enjoy spending time with our friends and taking breaks from studying, just in different ways.

My Spanish classmate and I shared some ideas about what they can do when they come to Spain, since many of them are interested in visiting or studying here in the future.

They also told us about the places they have already visited in Spain and shared their experiences, which gave us a chance to talk about different cities, regions, and cultural highlights. They almost have been in more places than me!

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They celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a much more meaningful way than I expected.

One of the most interesting parts of the exchange was discovering both the similarities and differences between Spanish and Irish cultures.

Similarities

Student life: We both shared concerns about academic pressure, managing time, and thinking about future career opportunities.

Interest in sustainability: Both Irish and Spanish students showed think the same about sustainability, that we need to produce in a sustainable way, manage residuos.

Importance of social life: In both cultures, spending time with friends and family is essential, and we talked a lot about how we spend our free time. We were agree of enjoying spending time outside or with friends.

Differences

Traditions and holidays: We talked about typical celebrations. While Spaniards have well-known festivals like Semana Santa or La Feria, Irish students shared details about St. Patrick’s Day, which they celebrate with cultural pride and lots of community events, not just the parties we often imagine.

Weather and daily routines: Unsurprisingly, the Irish weather was a big topic! They were surprised by how late we eat dinner in Spain, while we found it curious that they usually eat dinner around 6 or 7 p.m. and go to bed earlier.

Communication styles: Spanish students tend to speak more informally and use gestures a lot, while Irish students were more polite and formal in their communication. For example we talk about what we do when we meet someone, we share that is very usual in Spain to give two kisses in the cheek and they just keep distance and say hi. But to the close friends it is usual in both countries to give a hug.

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I think both sides were very professional during the interview. Our answers were clear, concise, and well-structured. We tried to simulate a real job interview by using formal language and maintaining a respectful and focused tone.

The questions and answers mainly revolved around general information such as language skills, previous job experiences, academic background, and personal strengths.

We also talked about our future career goals and how we could contribute to the companies or organizations we were “applying” to.

Although it was a simulated situation, it felt realistic and gave us a great opportunity to practice thinking quickly and communicating confidently in both Spanish and English. Overall, it was a very useful exercise that helped us improve our formal speaking skills and get more comfortable with professional interviews.

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This project helped me:

Improve my speaking skills in both English and formal Spanish.

Lose the fear of speaking with native speakers.

Develop intercultural awareness and empathy.

Understand the importance of clear communication in international settings—something crucial for our future careers.

I felt quite comfortable from the beginning. The atmosphere was respectful and collaborative. It was also fun and gave me a break from traditional academic tasks.

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I think it may be easier to find time for the exchange when there are only two people involved.

During the job interview, it would have been helpful to have more specific information, for example, choosing a particular job on each side. This could have made the role-play more realistic. Since the Irish students didn’t know much about agricultural engineering, having a more defined context could have made it easier for both sides to prepare and ask more relevant questions.