Jornal da SEDA Academy edição de Setembro/2012

1. SEDA students have
Olympic fun in London
T
he Olympic Games in London
last month attracted millions of
people and among them were
dozens of SEDA students who took advan-
tage of Dublin’s proximity to the host city
and travelled to Britain to see the Games.
For most of the students it was an exciting
holiday, but at least one had a very different
experience – Denis Miranda took the time
out of his studies at SEDA to work at the
Olympics as a cameraman.
Denis was employed in the crew of TV
Record – a Brazilian TV network which
had exclusive rights to broadcast this year’s
Games. The SEDA student covered train-
ing sessions of Brazil’s national team in the
Crystal Palace and also witnessed the visit of
Dilma Rousseff, the President of Brazil, to
London.
“I had worked with Record before I came
to Ireland, and they asked me to join their
crew in London,” Denis said. “I think they
picked me because of my English skills. My
course in SEDA helped me a lot. I could eas-
ily communicate with everyone in London
and I was one of the few people in my TV
crew who spoke English well so I often acted
as an interpreter for the rest of the guys”.
“A big party”
But for most SEDA students the Olym-
pics was a fun-filled holiday. Among the
many students who enjoyed the games was
Rafael Fradique.
“The trip to the Olympics was amazing,
though quite tiring because we travelled
a lot between the different cities,” he told
SEDA News. “Me and my friends only went
to football matches, although I wish I had
seen other sports like swimming and athlet-
ics”.
Rafael said he travelled along with three
more SEDA students and another friend.
They visited Manchester, Cardiff and also
watched a game of football at London’s
Wembley stadium.
Continued on page 4
Issue 10, September 2012. Copyright: Skills & Enterprise Development Academy
Teacher Rosa’s class in Dublin Castle. Check out more pictures sent in by SEDA students on pages 10-11.
OLYMPICS
How did Ireland
fare at the London
Olympics?
Page 2
LIVING
Don’t get fleeced:
scams and how to
avoid them
Page 7
FESTIVALS
Oktoberfest, Arthur’s
Day, Culture Night,
GAA final and more!
Pages 8 & 9
EVENTS
SEDA students turn
into frightening
zombies!
Page 3
STAFF
Meet SEDA’s
multilingual genius -
teacher Jane Brennan
Page 5
Dozens of SEDA students travelled to Britain last month to enjoy the London Olympics. Some
of them have shared their stories with SEDA News.

2. 2 NEWS
Welcome to the September issue of SEDA
News!
This month marks the end of summer in
Ireland, so get ready for longer nights and cold-
er weather. But then if you’ve experienced Irish
summer, chances are, you won’t even notice
much of a difference, at least not for a while. It
may be November or December before you’ll
start feeling seriously colder, so there’s no need
to worry just yet!
Our main story is last month’s London
Olympics, or more precisely SEDA students’
adventures there. Many of our readers enjoyed
the Games, but a special thanks goes out to Ra-
fael Fradique, Carlos Akiyama and Denis Mi-
randa who shared their stories and photos.
Also last month a number of SEDA stu-
dents were spotted walking around the cen-
tre of Dublin covered in blood and with their
entrails sticking out, acting like a bunch of
zombies. Now this wouldn’t be a story at all if
it happened on a Tuesday night or Wednesday
morning, right after last orders in Dicey’s, but,
funny enough, they were doing it on a sunny
Saturday afternoon... We couldn’t let this one
pass and covered the “zombie apocalypse” – a
big cheers to Carolina Danieletto who supplied
the gory photos!
In this month’s paper we also interview the
ever-smiling SEDA teacher Jane Brennan. Have
you ever wondered why Jane smiles so much? It
could be because she knows so many languages
– ten and counting! Check out the article about
SEDA’s multilingual genius on page 5.
As part of our series on SEDA students
from different countries and backgrounds we
interview one of the school’s mature students,
68-year-old Luis Fernando Salazar. Luis only
stayed in SEDA for a month, but is fondly re-
membered by students and staff alike. It is hard
to believe that the trip to Ireland was Luis’ first
time away from home in nearly 20 years. He
told SEDA News that he greatly enjoyed this
experience, especially learning together with so
many young people.
Another story we cover this month is the
nasty business of scams which many foreign
students in Ireland fall victims to. In this issue
you can read about fake job offers and fake (or
stolen) bank cheques which some SEDA stu-
dents have got in their post. More scams will be
exposed next month.
As usual on pages 8 and 9 we have the low
down on all the interesting shows and events
(mostly beer festivals) that are happening in
Dublin this month and next. And on page 12
you’ll get another dose of essential Irish slang
that will get you talking like a native. And if
you’re feeling competitive then you can try and
answer questions on Irish food and drink on
the same page. The winner will get a cool prize!
I wish you a very pleasant read and, re-
member, if you have any photos, food recipes,
essays, ideas, comments or criticism you can
always get in touch on news@seda.ie.
SEDA News editor
Viktor Posudnevsky
A word from
the editor
SEDA News, copyright: Skills & Enterprise Development Academy (SEDA). EDITOR AND LAYOUT: Viktor Posudnevsky.
FINAL REVIEW: Carol Cregg. CIRCULATION: 1000 copies. ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL: news@seda.ie
Newvisaforstudentswho
cametoIrelandbefore2005
Non-EU students who have been living
and studying in Ireland since before 2005
can now get a special extension visa for up
to 2 years. The new rule was announced
by Ireland’s Naturalisation and Immigra-
tion Service (INIS) last month. According
to regulations adopted by INIS in January
2011, non-EU students can only stay in Ire-
land for a maximum of 7 years if they are
doing a degree course and 3 years if they are
learning English. But INIS has made special
provisions for those who exceeded the 7
year timeframe on the date of introduction.
To be eligible for the special extension
visa the student has to show that they reg-
istered their residence and began studies
in Ireland on or before 31 December 2004.
The student must also prove that he or she
lived in Ireland continuously since 2005
and show one P60 certificate that has been
acquired within the previous three years.
Those granted the Student Probationary Ex-
tension will get a stamp 2 and their status
will continue to be that of a student. But the
following residency conditions will apply to
the probationary period:
• The eligible student will not be required
to be registered or enrolled in an academic
course of study.
• The eligible student will be permitted
to work for a maximum period of 40 hours
per week without being required to hold a
work permit.
• The eligible student will be required to
maintain private medical insurance.
• The eligible student will be required to
reside in the State without drawing on pub-
licly funded social assistance programmes
(e.g. supplementary welfare allowances,
medical card, jobseeker supports etc.)
• The eligible student will not be permit-
ted to apply for reunification with family
members who are resident outside the State.
• The eligible student must be of good
character and must demonstrate that they
are law abiding.
At the conclusion of the two year pro-
bationary period the eligible students can
apply for a Stamp 4 permission to reside in
Ireland. Questions on the Student Proba-
tionary Extension can be addressed by e-
mail to 2004timedoutstudent@justice.ie.
Ireland’s Olympic team won five medals
at last month’s Olympic Games in London,
four of them in boxing.
The country’s biggest triumph came
when 26-year-old boxer Katie Taylor from
Bray, co Wicklow, beat her opponent, the
Russian Sofia Ochigava, to gain a gold
medal. Irish boxer John Joe Nevin won
silver, while boxers Paddy Barnes and Mi-
chael Colgan got bronze. Another
bronze medal was achieved by the
Irish equestrian Cian O’Connor in
showjumping.
The Irish Paralympic team
did even better than the country’s
Olympians, winning eight gold,
three silver and three bronze med-
als. This year’s Paralympic squad
became the most successful Irish
Paralympic team in the last 25
years, with cyclist Mark Rohan
winning the gold medal twice.
Ireland has participated in
every single paralympics since the
first one in Rome in 1960. Its most
successful year was 1984 when the
team brought home an impressive
66 medals.
Irish athletes win five medals
at London Olympics
UlsterBanktopay
€25forcustomers’
troubles
Ulster Bank has announced a compensa-
tion scheme for its customers who were af-
fected by a month-long IT crash during the
summer.
Because of the technical difficulties at the
bank some 600 000 clients could not access
their accounts online or use the ATM and
had to queue outside bank branches. The
bank has vowed to compensate them for the
inconvenience by a scheme which consists of:
• A €25 payout to personal current
account holders forced to use branch bank-
ing more often than normal during the crash;
• Ulster Bank vowed to waive fees,
charges and surcharge interest for three
months;
• It will also cover out-of-pocket ex-
penses incurred during the period, topped
up by 20pc extra (but the maximum top-up
is €120);
• Savers will get some extra interest
on their deposits.
But the offer was criticized by many cli-
ents, consumer groups and even politicians.
Labour Party senator Lorraine Higgins said
the compensation scheme was “insulting and
derisory”.

3. 3
NEWS
3,800 people from 115 countries were
granted Irish citizenship during a special
ceremony at the Dublin Convention Centre
on August 30. Because of the large number
of “new Irish” the ceremony had to be held
in three separate time slots. The participants
had to pledge their loyalty to the Irish State
after which they were given their certificates
of naturalisation. Ireland’s Minister for Justice
Alan Shatter presided over the ceremony and
welcomed the new citizens to “the Irish fam-
ily”.
Pieces of flesh sticking out, gaping wounds,
sliced eyeballs and blood everywhere... Around
10 000 people dressed as zombies walked from
St Stephen’s Green Park to Temple Bar in Dub-
lin last month, and some of these living dead
were SEDA students! You can try and recog-
nize someone you know in the pictures sent to
us by Carolina Danieletto who was also a zom-
bie on the day.
The Dublin Zombie Walk is an annual
flashmob-style event which attempts to raise
money for charity. The Walk was announced
on Facebook and this year it was held on Au-
gust 4. The day was warm and sunny and a
good crowd turned up for the parade. Organis-
ers say they started the Walks in order to at-
tract young people and get them fundraising,
but the event is now popular with people of
all ages – there was even a 70-year-old zombie
taking part! Many people also brought their
kids and even pets along. The parade was fol-
lowed by a team of cleaners who tidied up
the streets and mopped up the blood left by
the zombies.
The event was hugely popular, with thou-
sands of photos uploaded on Facebook and
virtually all of Ireland’s media covering it.
There was an after party in The Button Fac-
tory and all the zombies had a great time.
The parade also raised money for the Irish
Cancer Society and Barnardos. It is only the
second time the zombie parade was held in
Dublin, but the earliest Zombie Walk ever
took place in 2001 in Sacramento, California.
If you missed the event last month don’t
worry as Halloween is just around the corner
(it is celebrated on October 31) and there will
be plenty of zombies, ghosts, witches, vam-
pires and other frightening creatures walking
around the streets of Dublin fairly soon!
The living dead are coming to get you!
Blood-soaked SEDA students took part in the Dublin
Zombie Walk last month
3800 people get
Irish citizenship
Gas and
electricity
prices on the rise
Bills for electricity and gas are set to rise
as Ireland’s energy regulator approved new
hikes in tariffs. The Commission for Energy
Regulation granted Bord Gais, the country’s
biggest gas provider, permission to raise pric-
es by 8.5%. The new rates will be implement-
ed next month and will be the third price rise
for residential gas customers in a year. Bord
Gais says it had to raise rates for households
because of the increase in wholesale gas pric-
es. Ireland imports 99% of its gas from the
UK. Electricity will also get more expensive
as ESB/Electric Ireland, the biggest electric-
ity provider in Ireland, has announced an
increase of 5.9%. The new rates will also be
implemented from next month. Other gas
and electricity providers, such as Airtricity or
Flogas, are expected to follow suit soon.
Zombie
apocalypse
hits Dublin!
Almost 4000 are
homeless
in Ireland
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary called
a 35-year-old mother-of-two an “idiot”
after the woman complained that she had
to pay the Irish airline 300 euro for print-
ing her family’s boarding passes. Suzy
McLeod from Britain paid the charge for
herself, her husband and their two chil-
dren after she had failed to print their
boarding passes. The woman later made
a complaint on Ryanair’s Facebook page:
“When flying from Alicante to Bristol yes-
terday, I had previously checked in on-line
but because I hadn’t printed out the Board-
ing Passes, Ryanair charged me €60 per per-
son!!! Meaning I had to pay €300 for them to
print out a piece of paper! Please ‘like’ if you
think that’s unfair.” The post got over half a
million “likes” in just two weeks. But com-
menting on McLeod’s complaint at a press
conference Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary
said: “Mother pays £200 for being an idiot
and failing to comply with her agreement
at the time of booking... Thank you Mrs
McLeod but it was your f***-up”. Ryanair’s
terms and conditions, to which every cus-
tomer has to agree before booking a flight,
state that there is a penalty charge of 60 euro
if the passenger does not print their own
boarding pass.
Ryanair boss calls passenger an “idiot”
Almost 4000 people were homeless in Ire-
land and 59 men and women were sleeping
in the streets when the last Census was car-
ried out in 2011. The Census also found that
503 children under the age of 18 were with-
out a permanent home on the night. Four out
of ten homeless people were in emergency
shelters, with nearly 1,000 in long-term ac-
commodation. Others were in transitional or
mixed accommodation. Almost three-quar-
ters were male and more than 60pc were in
the Dublin region.
This zombie came all the way from Alcatraz
All the pictures were taken by Carolina Danieletto. Check out more
photos on page 11.

4. 4 NEWS
Jobs and careers events
in Dublin this month
Two career and employment fairs will
take place in Dublin at the end of Septem-
ber. Career Zoo is coming to The Conven-
tion Centre (Docklands, Dublin 1) on Sat-
urday, 22nd September (10 am to 6 pm)
and Jobs Expo will take place in Croke Park
Stadium (The Hogan Suite) on Friday and
Saturday, September 28 and 29. Admission
to both events is free, but online registration
is required on www.careerzoo.ie and www.
jobsexpo.ie.
Career Zoo, a regular event in Dublin, is
one of Ireland’s biggest fairs for profession-
als and graduates looking to advance their
careers. Visitors will be able to speak to lead-
ing employers who are hiring for jobs in Ire-
land now, talk to course providers and find
out about various upskilling and conversion
programmes. There will also be information
on starting your own business in Ireland as
well as career workshops and seminars.
Visitors to the Jobs Expo will get the op-
portunity to meet employers recruiting for
roles both in Ireland and abroad (the Work
Abroad Village). There will also be emigra-
tion and visa advice providers, start your
own business experts, free CV, careers and
interview skills guidance at the event’s Ca-
reer Clinic as
well as post-
graduate and
professional
qualification
providers and
a host of semi-
nars.
SEDA students have Olympic fun in London
From this month course books for all
levels are available in SEDA. Students have
the option of either buying or renting the
books for the duration of their course. Rent-
ing a book costs just five euro, and the stu-
dent can have the book for as long as they
like. But those wishing to rent are also re-
quired to pay a deposit of 25 euro. The de-
posit will be given back once the book is re-
turned to the school (provided the book is in
good condition). Books are available to buy
or rent from the reception.
“Since January this year we have been
trying to implement a system of mandatory
books for every student,” said SEDA’s direc-
tor of studies Carol Cregg.
“It’s better for students as it is very easy
to lose photocopies, while the book stays
with you for the duration of the course and
you can take it home with you when you fin-
ish your studies”.
“It is also better for the environment as
less paper and ink is wasted on photocop-
ies. In order to make the system work better
we now have books available in SEDA, and if
you cannot afford to pay for a book then you
can rent one. Great news!”
Now you can buy or rent
your books in SEDA
From page 1
“The atmosphere at the venues was
awesome, like a big party,” Rafael contin-
ued. “Everybody was celebrating, doing
the “wave” even if their team was losing.
Outside the venues it was even better. Af-
ter the matches, there would always be a
big celebration with music. The games were
very well-organized and safe. The British
definitely know how to hold a big event.
The queues weren’t too long and all the staff
were very friendly. Even the London Un-
derground, which was supposed to be over-
loaded, didn’t have long delays. In the streets
we could see policemen everywhere and the
volunteers were very helpful”.
Bumping into Sir Bobby Charlton
But Rafael’s most lasting memory was
a chance encounter with the legendary
English footballer Sir Bobby Charlton: “In
Manchester while everybody was celebrat-
ing after the match, I saw Sir Alex Ferguson,
Manchester United manager, and Sir Bobby
Charlton, the legendary England and Man-
chester United player, leaving the stadium
surrounded by security. They passed right
in front of me and I almost bumped with Sir
Bobby Charlton. I am a Manchester United
fan, and it was completely out of this world!
I’ll never forget it!”
Amazing organisation
Carlos Akiyama is another SEDA stu-
dent who had a great time at the Games.
Carlos’ cousin lives in London and when he
was planning his trip he found out that three
of his friends would be in Britain during the
Games. “I got to London by ferry and train
and succeeded in getting tickets to see two
competitions: Greco-Roman
wrestling, and women’s foot-
ball, which was taking place
in Coventry,” Carlos said. “The
organisation of the Olympics
was amazing, with so many
people welcoming visitors and
showing them around. I was
also impressed with po-
lice officers who were
very friendly and gladly
posed for pictures. I
was really happy to have
visited the Games and
I brought back many
photos and even more
wonderful memories of
the British capital”.
Work experience
But another SEDA
student Denis Miranda
didn’t have much time
to see the actual Games
as he worked as a camer-
aman for the Brazilian TV network Record.
Denis said he was based in the Crystal Pal-
ace where his country’s national team was
training.
“If somebody got injured or if something
else happened I had to be there to film it,”
Denis said. “So I couldn’t leave to see the
games, but I got to shoot interviews with the
greatest Brazilian athletes.. I also got to work
with some of my country’s most famous TV
presenters. It was a great experience and it
will look amazing on my CV”.
Denis said he now plans to apply for
camera jobs at the 2014 football World Cup
which will take place in his native Brazil.
With his English skills and experience of
working in London behind his belt, getting
a job at the World Cup shouldn’t be a dif-
ficult task!
Carlos Akiyama is making friends with London po-
licemen (and women) outside an Olympic venue
Rafael Fradique got to see a game of football in Man-
chester and even bumped into Sir Bobby Charlton!
Denis Miranda (right) worked as a cameraman for
BrazilianTV during the Games
SEDA students at the Olympic Games in London

5. 5
SEDA STAFF
Where are you from and how did you
start working in SEDA?
I am from North Dublin, Dublin 5, and
I started working in SEDA last February, so
I’ve worked here for 18 months already –
time flies when you’re having fun! Before I
came to SEDA I had been teaching French
privately for about 5 or 6 years, preparing
Leaving Cert students who wanted help with
their exams. After that I did a course to be
an English teacher and started here. At the
moment I teach beginners, elementary, pre-
intermediate and intermediate levels.
Did you live in France to learn French?
Yes, I did. I lived in the South of France
for a while which was lovely. I also have a
BA in French from Trinity College Dublin.
After getting my degree I went straight into
Masters in Trinity again and I studied Me-
dieval Languages. I did Old English, Latin,
Old French, Middle English, Middle French
and really loved it!
I’m actually going back for another Mas-
ter’s next year! This time I will study Applied
Linguistics. I am doing this course because
I eventually want to write language books.
My life plan is to write the next big English
or French language course book for schools
– that’s what I want to do!
What do you like about working in
SEDA?
The best thing is the people I meet every
day. The students are fantastic and it’s such a
fun place to work in! Everyone’s always real-
ly happy and friendly. All the teachers work
really hard and everybody works together.
I’m a big people person and I’m happy that
I get to meet people from all over the world.
Actually after talking to some Brazilian stu-
dents I have started studying Portuguese.
I’m a beginner, but I can already understand
a lot!
What other languages do you speak?
I speak English and French fluently and
as I said I’m a beginner in Portuguese. I also
have a bit of German and recently I got a di-
ploma in Irish sign language for deaf people.
Hopefully in future I may do some inter-
preting work with the deaf. I’m also learning
Russian at the moment.
I can read most European languages and
understand them, but I can’t speak them
all. I have a thing about languages and am
a little bit obsessed with them! I know, I’m a
massive nerd!
Did you travel much to learn all these
languages?
I haven’t travelled to as many European
countries as I would like. But I’ve been to
America a few times because my sister lives
there. I’ve been to France more times than
I can count – it’s my favourite place in the
world! I’d love to live in France my whole
life, especially in Paris, which is an amazing
city.
What do
you like to do
when you’re
not working or
learning lan-
guages?
I love to cook and I love to bake! I spend
almost every weekend baking breads, cook-
ies, fudge and other stuff. And I try to cook a
proper dinner every day. I’m a vegetarian, so
it’s a bit difficult: I can’t just buy something
in a takeaway, I usually have to make dinner
myself. But it’s great fun and one of my fa-
vourite things to do. I’m also obsessed with
cooking programmes on TV.
What’s your favourite food?
I love Mexican food. I really like food
that is really spicy!
What kind of music are you into?
I love classic rock and folk music like
Neil Young – he’s my favourite. I went to
Bruce Springsteen’s concert in Dublin re-
cently which was amazing! He’s my idol.
Which places in Dublin would you rec-
ommend students to visit?
A lovely place to go is Clontarf – it’s in
Dublin 3 and you can get the DART there.
There is a lovely seafront, there are also
many restaurants and shops, and it’s a beau
tiful walk. But I think one of the nicest plac-
es in the world is Howth because of the gor-
geous scenery, seals in the harbour and so
on. It’s really cold though, so I would advise
to wear warm clothes! I honestly think the
Irish Sea is one of the most beautiful sights
in the world.
What about France? Which cities and
places would you recommend to visit there?
If you have the time go to the South of
France! It’s just 3 hours on the train from
Paris – very easy to get to. You can go to
cities like Avignon or Nice. I lived in Aix-
en-Provence near Marseille, which is also a
lovely place to visit. All the Provencal cities
are so beautiful! The people are very friend-
ly, but they generally don’t speak anything
but French. So I would advise to have at
least a few words in French before you go to
the South of France. It’s great to visit in the
summer, but it gets very very hot – about 40
degrees! So the lovely time to go would be
September and October. You would get the
nicest weather.
Get to know Jane:
SEDA’s multilingual
phenomenon
Ten and counting! Seriously, that is how many languages JANE
BRENNAN can understand. The friendly teacher tells SEDA News she
is obsessed with linguistics and plans to write the next big English (or
French) course book for schools.
When she’s not learning languages or teaching at SEDA Jane
Brennan loves to cook, bake and travel.

6. 6
Tell me a bit about yourself. What do
you do in Brazil?
I am from Sao Paulo and I am an engi-
neer. I graduated as a metallurgical engineer,
but I have worked for insurance companies
all my life. At the moment I am retired, but
I still do some work for a large international
company. My job is to visit the ships that
dock in Santos, a big port in the state of Sao
Paulo, and examine the machinery that was
damaged at sea. I have a son who is also an
engineer and a daughter who is a lawyer. She
works for the largest bank in Brazil.
Why do you need English?
I have to speak English in order to com-
municate with the crew on the ships that I
visit. I learned English on my own in Brazil
and I have a huge vocabulary because I read
English books since I was a teenager. But I
find it very hard to speak in English. That is
why I decided to do a course in Ireland.
What did you think of your course in
SEDA?
I was very happy with the course and I
really enjoyed the company of young people.
For an older person like me it’s very good
to sit in class with young people and to hear
about their problems, find out what they
think about various things. It’s very inter-
esting! From now on I intend to take more
trips and visit other places. Last time I went
abroad was 19 years ago!
How did your family react when you
told them you were going away to learn
English?
When I told my daughter that I was go-
ing to Ireland to learn English she didn’t
believe me! She said: I will only believe it
when you actually go there. That is because I
didn’t travel for a long
time. I used to stay on
my couch all the time
watching TV. I rarely
left the house, so my
family found it hard
to believe I was seri-
ous about going to
Ireland.
What did you do
outside of classes?
Every weekend I visited different places
in Ireland and Europe. I went to France and
England, visited London. Since I was a teen-
ager my dream was to see the British Mu-
seum and I am happy I finally fulfilled it.
What did you think about Ireland?
I loved Ireland! I feel that Irish people
are more kind and attentive than the Eng-
lish. The English are way more reserved. I
was also surprised by the good will that the
Irish people have to help foreigners.
What are your plans for the future?
I want to continue improving my Eng-
lish, but I would like to go to another coun-
try – maybe Britain or USA. It’s been 19
years since I went to USA. I want to visit
New York and San Francisco again. I know
a language school in San Francisco and I’m
planning to spend a month there. It’s never
too late to learn English!
It’s never too late to learn,
says 68-year-old
SEDA student Luis
Luis Fernando Salazar (68) and his friend Maria da Graca Balsanti Camargo
(62) came to Ireland from Brazil to do a course in English. Luis is a retired en-
gineer and the journey to Dublin was his first foreign trip in almost 20 years.
He tells SEDA News about his experience and the enjoyment of studying with
younger course mates.
YOUR STORY
Our student writing competition continues!
Young at heart: Luis and Maria in Dublin
SEDA News publishes some of the entries we got
for our student writing competition. The competi-
tion is now in its final round! To enter just write
about your first impressions of Ireland and send
you text to news@seda.ie.

7. 7
LIVING IN IRELAND
Many scammers offer
fake jobs to students in an
attempt to obtain money
from them. This summer
SEDA student Mayara
Montanari uploaded her
CV on a website for au
pair opportunities and
soon got an e-mail from
a London-based couple
who introduced them-
selves as Dr Justin and
Amanda Adams. The e-
mail read: “My wife and
I work with the World
Health Organization. We
are posted over here from
the USA after series of
training. We are originally
from Queensland, Aus-
tralia. I am a Medical Doctor by profession
and my wife one of the Executive secretary
[sic] of the World Health Organization”.
“The Adams family” said they liked Ma-
yara’s CV and offered her a monthly salary
of 1,800 GBP and 200 GBP a week on top
of that as pocket money to look after their
two children. She would also be provided
with live-in accommodation, a laptop com-
puter and internet connection, the e-mail
said. In return she would have to work just
30 hours a week. Mayara was thrilled with
the proposal and replied to the e-mail, say-
ing she would be happy to move to Lon-
don. The next day she got another e-mail
from the family which read:
“Dear Mayara,
Hope you are doing great today. We are
so happy to read from you again. I trust you
don’t know how much your mail means to
our family. We shall be looking forward to
welcome you to your new home... We love
you and will do anything within our reach
to make sure that you come and work for
our family. Feel free to call me on the num-
ber below anytime okay [sic].
Have a blissful day over there”.
The e-mail contained a British phone
number which Mayara could ring in case
she wanted to speak to the family in per-
son. But the e-mail also said that Mayara
would have to pay for her flight and travel
expenses. “Dr Justin Adams” wrote that the
payment would have to be made directly
to the UK Home Office which would then
process the girl’s travel documents and
visa. He asked Mayara to contact the Office
by sending an e-mail to: ukba-homeoffice-
gov.uk@london.com.
At this stage the SEDA student began
to have doubts about the job and sought
advice. She spoke to Tiago Mascarenhas
at SEDA student support. “You could see
straight away that it was a scam,” Tiago told
SEDA News. “The offer was too good to
be true and the e-mail and phone number
were obviously fake”.
According to him, the number was not
a proper British phone number, but instead
a “redirect” number, which would redirect
all calls to Nigeria, where the scammer was
obviously based. The e-mail of the “UK
Home Office” was also fake as it was reg-
istered on the free webmail server london.
com. All the real Home Office e-mails end
with @homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk.
“We get many reports from our stu-
dents about scams like this one,” said Tiago
Mascarenhas. “We advise them not to enter
into correspondence with these people and
delete their e-mails”.
Fake job offer scams are exposed
on many websites, one of them is www.
scamwarners.com.
Don’t get fleeced!
There are many scams that target foreign students in Ireland and SEDA News explains some of the most common ones. In this
issue we will talk about fake job offers and stolen cheques, while more scams will be exposed in next month’s newspaper.
Irish breakfast
Ingredients:
6 thick slices bacon
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 eggs
2 small tomatoes, sliced
1 1/2 cups whole mushrooms
4 slices prepared soda bread
Directions:
Lay the bacon slices in a single layer in a large
frying pan. Fry over medium heat until they be-
gin to get tinged with brown. Fry on both sides.
Remove from pan, but save grease.
Melt butter in pan. Crack eggs into pan, being
careful not to break yolks. Place tomato slices,
mushrooms, and bread in pan. Fry gently, stir-
ring mushrooms and tomatoes occasionally.
Keep everything separate. Turn bread over to
brown on both sides.
When egg whites are set, but yolks are still
runny, divide everything between two plates and
serve immediately.
Share your recipes! E-mail: news@seda.ie
Fraudsters often send fake or stolen
bank cheques to unsuspecting students
The €5 recipe
Every month SEDA News brings you recipes of tasty dishes
which you can cook for as little as 5 euro (or even less!)
Scams and how
to avoid them
A type of scam that often affects foreign
students in Ireland involves fake or stolen
bank cheques. Students get an envelope
which contains a signed cheque, sometimes
for several thousand euro, and a letter offer-
ing them a job as an au-pair or a housekeep-
er. The letter says the student can cash the
cheque at a bank and keep part of the mon-
ey for themselves as an “advance payment”.
The student then has to meet the sender and
give them the rest of the money, after which
they can start the job.
But this unusual way of offering some-
one a job is just another scam, says SEDA
student support worker Netania Gomes.
“I’ve dealt with several stories like this in-
volving cheque for two or three thousand
euro,” said Netania. “One of our students
thought he was smart so he decided to cash
the cheque and keep all the money to him-
self. But the next day the bank called him
and said his account was frozen until he
paid the money back. The reason was that
the cheque was not valid”.
All the cheques sent out to students in
this fashion are fake or stolen. The bank
clerk may not see it the minute the cheque
is lodged, but soon enough this becomes ap-
parent and the bank goes after the person
who cashed the cheque.
The scammers cannot cash the cheques
themselves for fear of being caught so they
use unsuspecting students to do it for them.
“It may seem like a crazy scheme to make
money, but it probably worked a few times
if they’re still doing it,” said Netania Gomes.
According to her, several students brought
such cheques to SEDA after getting them in
the post, and the school handed the cheques
over to gardai.
The Adams family seeks an au pair Cash a cheque and get your share...
before the bank gets you
Want to work as an au-pair in London earning £1800 a
month plus £200 a week as pocket money? Be careful –
it’s a scam!

8. 8
SHOWS & GIGS
LEONARD COHEN
September 11, September 12, Sep-
tember 14
Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin 8
THE DOORS ALIVE
The Academy, 57 Middle Abbey
Street, Dublin 1
Friday 14 September
The Doors Alive are widely regarded as
the closest representation of the leg-
endary 1960’s rock gods The Doors in
the world today. Tickets: €15.
LADY GAGA
Saturday, 15 Sep
Aviva Stadium
Lady Gaga will perform her concert
programme The Born This Way Ball. The
Darkness and Lady Starlight will open
the show.
Tickets from €54.65 to €96.00.
WALKING WITH DINOSAURS - THE
ARENA SPECTACULAR
The O2, Dublin
September 16 – September 23
Watch the story of the dinosaurs’ 200
million year domination unfold as you
see them walk, hear them roar and
come face to face as they fight for sur-
vival and supremacy.
The Chippendales
Olympia Theatre
19 – 22 September
The biggest girls night out ever is com-
ing to Dublin. Tickets€27 / €28.
LIONEL RICHIE
Monday, 24 Sep
The O2
Lionel Richie returns to Europe this au-
tumn with his first European tour dates
since 2009, and nearly 25 years since his
first solo shows took place.
CHRIS ISAAK
Olympia Theatre (Dame Street, Dub-
lin 2)
Tuesday 02 October
American rock musician will play in
Dublin’s Olympia theatre in support of
his latest album Beyond the Sun. Tick-
ets: €44.05.
CHERYL
The O2, Dublin
Thursday October 4th.
Ex-Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole will
present songs from her new album.
Tickets are priced from €39.05 including
booking fee.
GOING OUT
Tickets to all these shows are available
from Ticketmaster outlets.
To book by phone call: 0818 719 300
Online booking: www.ticketmaster.ie
The authentic Oktoberfest takes place in
Munich, Germany every year for two weeks
in September and October. The tradition
started in 1810. Nowadays some 5 million
people come to the German city to celebrate,
consuming about twice as much litres of
beer. But the festival is famous all over the
world, with many cities holding smaller ver-
sions of it. Dublin is no exception and this
year the city will celebrate the festival twice!
The events are being organized by rival Ger-
man breweries – Paulaner and Erdinger.
The Paulaner version will take place from
September 13 to September 16 from 5 pm
until midnight (the closing time is 10 pm on
Sunday) inside the historic Round Room of
the Mansion House, which is the residence
of the Lord-Mayor of Dublin. Organisers
say the Round Room – a large room where
Ireland’s independence was first proclaimed
– will be transformed into an authentic Ba-
varian beer hall. There will be bartenders
and barmaids in traditional German dress as
well as some real Bavarian music and food.
Should be fun!
The other festival is being organized by
Erdinger, also a famous German beer-maker,
and will take place inside the George’s Dock
from September 20 until October 7. All the
main action will be happening inside a beer
tent, modelled
after the famous
O k t o b e r f e s t
beer tents, but
much smaller
(the original
tents in Munich
can hold up to
10 000 people!)
Erdinger will
bring all the
bartenders and
bar maids from
Germany and they will be wearing tradi-
tional Bavarian clothes. Around the tent
there will be stalls selling authentic German
food, such as sausages, meat, pastries and
delicacies like Käsespätzle (cheese noodles)
or Brathendl (roast chicken). All in all there
will be over 30 German speciality food pro-
ducers and traders. A traditional German
band Die Alpen-show will play music and
provide entertainment during the festival.
The Erdinger Oktoberfest will be open
from noon until 12-30 am from Monday to
Saturday, but will close early on Sundays – at
8 pm. The capacity in George’s Dock is limit-
ed to about 1500 people, so on busy days you
may have to wait until some people leave the
festival before you are allowed to get in.
Find out more on: www.oktoberfest-
dublin.de (Erdinger version) and www.
oktoberfestdublin.com (Paulaner).
Forget Munich,
in Dublin you
can celebrate
the Oktoberfest
twice!
Although some tourists may think that
Arthur’s Day is a long standing Irish tradi-
tion, the festival is actually a very recent
invention of Diageo, the multinational com-
pany that owns Guinness.
The original Arthur’s Day was held in
2009 to celebrate 250 years since Arthur
Guinness signed the lease to the building
that is now Guinness brewery. Now Arthur’s
Day is celebrated every year on the last
Thursday of September.
The celebration involves
raising a pint of Guinness
“to Arthur” at exactly 17:59
(5:59 pm) to mark the sign-
ing of the lease on the Guin-
ness brewery building in the
year 1759. Diageo also brings
world famous musicians over
and organises live shows.
This year the line up includes
Example, Tinie Tempah, El-
lie Goulding, Mika, Fatboy
Slim, Texas and Amy Mac-
Donald among many others.
Over 500
music events
will take
place in all
of Ireland’s
32 counties.
This year
instead of do-
ing a single
show in a big concert hall like the O2 or
Vicar Street, the musicians will perform in
smaller venues – local pubs. All the concerts
will be free! The pubs will be chosen by vote:
every person can support their favourite lo-
cal pub on www.guinness.com (until Sep-
tember 16) and the bars that get most votes
will host the shows. So if you want Exam-
ple, Tinie Tempah or another international
superstar to perform in the Barn House or
indeed Lowes get voting...
The day of drinking Guinness
Oktoberfest beer festival:
There will be two Oktoberfests
in Dublin this month – both
modelled after the original
beer festival in Munich, Ger-
many.
Thursday, September 27th is Arthur’s Day which honours Arthur Guinness,
the man who founded Guinness brewery in Dublin.
If you like beer definitely check out the Paulaner Dublin Oktoberfest (Mansion
House, Dawson St, Dublin 2, September 13-16) and the Erdinger Oktoberfest
(George’s Dock, IFSC, Dublin 1, September 20 – October 7). Free entry!
September 27 - lovely day
for a Guinness indeed!
British rapper Example. Want him to perform in
The Barn House or Lowes? Then get voting...

9. 9
LATIN AMERICAN
CULTURAL FESTIVAL
28 - 30 September 2012
Location: Kilkee
What does Che
Guevara have in com-
mon with the small
town of Kilkee in the
West of Ireland? It
turns out that in 1961
the Cuban revolution-
ary visited Kilkee: the
weather made him stop there while he was
on his way from Havana to Prague. Che and
his entourage spent one night in Kilkee’s
Marine Hotel where he met the Irish artist
Jim Fitzpatrick. Impressed by the encoun-
ter, Fitzpatrick painted the famous por-
trait of the Latin American freedom fighter
which you can now see on T-shirts, badges,
bags and other products. But Che Guevara’s
connections with Ireland do not end here
– his great grandfather was Irish and the
Cuban’s complete name should read Che
Guevara Lynch! In order to honour all these
historic links with Che Guevara the town of
Kilkee will host the Che do Bheatha Latin-
American Cultural Festival which will also
celebrate Latin-American music, poetry,
dance, film and food.
DUBLIN THEATRE FESTIVAL
27 September - 14 October 2012
Location: Various venues in Dublin City
Dublin Theatre
Festival is Europe’s
oldest specialist thea-
tre festival - running
since 1957. This year
the festival will include many different pro-
gramme strands which incorporate every-
thing from music to dance and from cutting
edge theatre to the biggest shows on Broad-
way. Check out the programme on :
www.dublintheatrefestival.com
GALWAY INTERNATIONAL OYSTER
AND SEAFOOD FESTIVAL
28 - 30 September 2012
Location: Galway City
Each Septem-
ber Galway City
comes alive with
seafood and oys-
ters as it celebrates
the Galway Inter-
national Oyster and Seafood Festival. Some
of the festivals’ events are: a seafood trail
taking in Galway’s finest restaurants, a Taste
of the Sea/Blas na Mara event showcasing
Galway’s seafood heroes, the National Oys-
ter Opening Competition and the food vil-
lage at the festival marquee. There will be
live bands all weekend and visitors can go
on tours of Galway oyster beds and heritage
workshops. The festival will conclude with
a parade through the streets of Galway. To
find out more log on to:
www.galwayoysterfest.com
SHOWS & GIGS
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
The O2 Arena, Dublin
12 October
The legendary rock opera written by
Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber
comes to Dublin.
JENNIFER LOPEZ
The O2 Arena, Dublin
Friday, 19 October
Superstar Jennifer Lopez will play her
first ever show in Ireland as part of her
‘Dance Again’world tour.
Tickets from 54.65 euro.
NICKI MINAJ
The O2 Arena, Dublin
Monday, 5 November
The author of hit single “Starships” will
present songs from her new album
“Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded”. Tickets
€49.65 / €54.6
ANDREA BOCELLI
The O2
Tuesday, 06 November
The world’s most popular tenor will per-
form with orchestra and choir at the O2
in Dublin. Tickets from €55 to €155.
WWE RAW WORLD TOUR
The O2, Dublin
Thursday, November 8th.
Some of the wrestling superstars com-
ing to Dublin: John Cena, CM Punk,
Chris Jericho, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler,
R-Truth, Zack Ryder, Kofi Kingston, Kelly
Kelly, Beth Phoenix and many more!
Tickets from €33.50 to €76.00.
ANTHRAX
The Academy, Middle Abbey St.
Friday 16th November
The American thrash metal band which
was founded in 1981 and gained a cult
following along with Metallica, Mega-
deth and Slayer, is coming to Dublin’s
Academy. Tickets from €25.
ASLAN
Vicar Street (Dublin 8)
December 27th
The Irish band Aslan are celebrating 30
years together this year and they will
play material from their new album as
well as old hits such as Crazy World.
Tickets from 25 euro.
THE DUBLINERS
Vicar Street (Dublin 8)
December 29th and December 30th
The legendary Irish folk band will play
two dates in Dublin’s Vicar Street just
before the New Year’s Eve. This year
marks The Dubliner’s 50th anniversary.
Tickets from €39.50.
GOING OUT
GAA final: Mayo vs Donegal
Ireland vs
Germany
Next month football fans will be able to
see one of the world’s strongest teams in
action in Dublin’s Aviva stadium. Ger-
many will play against Ireland in a World
Cup 2014 qualifying match on October 12.
Germany is the toughest team in Ireland’s
group which also includes Sweden, Aus-
tria, Faroe Islands and Kazakhstan. Tickets
for the Ireland-Germany match (October
12, Aviva stadium) are available from
www.ticketmaster.ie and from Ticketmas-
ter outlets. Prices start from 35 euro.
On Friday September 21st for one night only you can visit
most museums, galleries, churches and historic sites in Ire-
land for free!
Tickets to all these shows are available
from Ticketmaster outlets.
To book by phone call: 0818 719 300
Online booking: www.ticketmaster.ie
Every September marks the end of All
Ireland senior gaelic football and hurl-
ing championships. The games, which are
overseen by the Gaelic Athletic Association
(GAA), are the two most popular sports in
Ireland and the final matches, which
take place in Dublin’s Croke Park,
attract huge attention. Forget about
getting a ticket to see the finals from
the stadium as the 80,000-seater
Croke Park is guaranteed to be com-
pletely full. But you can watch the
game pretty much anywhere – the
atmosphere will be brilliant in any
pub with a TV set.
This year the gaelic football fi-
nal will play out between Donegal
and Mayo. Both teams will be hungry
for victory: it has been 60 years since Mayo
went through to the finals and 20 years since
Donegal reached this level of the competi-
tion. The game should be really exciting to
watch!
This year Culture Night will take place in
34 towns, cities, counties and islands around
Ireland. On September 21 museums, galler-
ies, churches, historic houses, artists’ studios
and cultural centres will open their doors
late into the evening welcoming people of
all ages to taste and sample their cultural de-
lights for free. So if you ever wanted to visit
Dublin’s Christ Church cathedral, see the
Book of Kells in Trinity College and have a
look inside the Jameson distillery you
can do all that in one evening and
it will cost nothing! The same goes
for cultural attractions in other cit-
ies such as Galway, Belfast and Cork
where you can see the famous Cork City
Gaol and Cork Butter Exchange for free
on September 21. Be advised however that
Culture Night attracts thousands of people
every year so it is best to plan your pro-
gramme in advance. Information about all
the cultural attractions that will be open to
the public as well as all the special events in
the various cities can be found on:
www.culturenight.ie
If you’re interested in Ireland’s national sports (which also hap-
pen to be the most popular on the island) don’t miss out gaelic
football senior final on September 23.
A one-night stand
with culture
Other Events
SeeTheBookofKells,StPatrick’sCathedraland
JamesondistilleryforfreeonSeptember21!
The Sam Maguire Cup is gaelic football’s
highest trophy

10. 10
Been to an
interesting place
or a new
country?
Send your photos to:
news@seda.ie
PHOTO ALBUM
Genesis Guzman and her husband Alberto Suarez in the West of Ireland
Margaret and Judy’s class in Dublin Castle
SEDA students having fun after class
Carlos Akiyama (right) and a friend at the London Olympics
Genesis Guzman and husband Alberto Suarez were the lucky
winners of 2 tickets to see Red Bull Cliff Diving competition on
the Aran Islands last month
Linda Matos and a friend are celebrating after making it safely over
Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge in Northern Ireland
SEDA students throw a house party

11. 11
PHOTO ALBUM
Brazilian zombies in Temple Bar! This picture was taken at
Dublin Zombie Walk 2012 by Carolina Danieletto.
Mmmm... Brains! Picture was taken at Dublin
Zombie Walk 2012 by Carolina Danieletto.
Baby zombie. This picture was taken at Dublin Zombie Walk 2012 by Carolina Danieletto.
The living dead on Grafton Street. This picture was taken by Carolina Danieletto.
SEDA’sVenezuelan students partying
Rafael Muniz Teixeira in Paris
Goodbye Vivian!
Congratulations Natalia Alfonso Ancelmo!
SEDA students make friends with gardai

12. 12
Here are the answers to last month’s quiz:
1. It rained all day
2. Brush your teeth after every meal
3. A leap year has 366 days
4. Don’t let the cat out of the bag
5. Turn off the lights
6. It’s too dark
7. She really sounds like Mum
8. He should be proud of himself
9. I have been waiting for a cab
10. Her twins were born last month
11. No matter what he says
12. My mother’s mother is my grand-
mother
13. Even though I went to bed late I
could not sleep
14. There are ten students in my class
15. Would you like some coffee?
Your man OR your woman – any man or woman that you are talking about
When an Irishman says “your man” (or woman) about someone he doesn’t mean to say that this person is “yours” or is in any way close to you. It is just an Irish phrase that can
refer to any man or woman that is being talked about:
Your man over there has a nice hat.
What did your woman say?
My car broke down. Why don’t you bring it to your man in the garage?
Your one OR your wan – any female that is being talked about
I was talking to your one when Joe arrived. Your wan over there is good-looking, isn’t she?
Gobshite – a person who talks a lot of nonsense (i.e. “shite” (shit) coming out of their “gob” (mouth)) or a stupid and contemptible person.
That politician is a loud mouthed gobshite! Stop acting like a gobshite!
Gombeen (OR gombeen man) – a mean, underhand and corrupt person; also: moron, eejit.
Historically “gombeen” referred to money lenders during the Irish Famine who exploited the starving people by selling much-needed food on credit at extortionate rates.
I’m not going to vote for that politician – he’s some gombeen man.
IRELAND & THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Our next quiz is about Irish traditional
food and drink – see if you can find the
right answers! As ever, send in your an-
swers to news@seda.ie and you could win
a prize!
1. Which of the following is NOT a tradi-
tional Irish food?
a) Coddle
b) Colcannon
c) Perogi
2. A particularly delicious speciality of the
northwest of Ireland is boxty. But what is
it?
a) A potato pancake
b) Bread made from nettles
c) An apple pie
3. Which of these is NOT a traditional fill-
ing for a pie in Ireland?
a) Apples
b) Rhubarb
c) Peaches
4. Which of these drinks is NOT a stout?
a) Guinness
b) Beamish
c) Murphy’s
d) Kilkenny
5. Which of these foods is NOT traditional
to eat at Hallowe’en?
a) Colcannon
b) Barm Brack
c) Bacon
6. What is sometimes hidden inside a
Barm Brack?
a) A ring
b) Some cloth
c) A coin
d) All of the above
7. A hot whiskey is a traditional winter
drink in Ireland. Which of these things do
you NOT put into your hot whiskey?
a) Cloves
b) Lemon
c) Sugar
d) Cream
8. What should you say to your friends be-
fore you have a drink in a pub in Dublin?
a) Cheers!
b) Good luck!
c) Sláinte!
d) You can say any of these things
Send your answers to
news@seda.ie and you can
win a prize!
The Irish food and drink quiz
The Craic-tionary
SEDA News guide to Irish slang words and expressions
In this section we will attempt to make your life in Ireland easier by explaining some of the most common Irish slang words and expressions.