Page 18 - Salesian Bulletin 2016 [01] January-March

R“Quiet and nature’s beauty help
August and
found himself
for the first time
in a new country,
with a new cul-
ture and found
the language
hard to understand, even though he had studied English in school as people here speak faster and with different accents.
new kind of sport, proper to Ireland. Rafael’s girlfriend Maxi flew over from Chemnitz for a visit. They stayed in a hostel in Limerick and toured King John’s Castle, Thomond Park Rugby Stadium, as well as the Cliffs of Moher, and included a sur- prise one-day visit to Dublin where they met up with a friend from home who is studying there. They also took in the local sights of Pallaskenry, Ringmoylan Pier and the River Shannon before Maxi took the return Ryanair flight from
me reflect...”
afael Seidel (right) is 20-years- old and spending a year with the Salesians in Pallaskenry,
Co. Limerick, taking a break after Gymnasium (the most advanced of the three types of German secondary schools) to reflect and decide what way he wants to go in life while helping others to grow as well. In this way, he can, he says, “kill two birds with the one stone!”
He finds the Pallaskenry commu- nity pleasant and very accepting. He is happy to be sharing his experience with another young man, Salesian Bro. Damian from Poland who is spending a year’s practical training in Ireland. Rafael sees this is impor- tant for Damian and himself, as they do a lot together and he has been introduced to the local area and Limerick city. On a visit to the local barber, Rafael told of his interest in football, and was immediately invit- ed to join the local soccer team. He loves cycling and travels the 45 min- utes to Askeaton pool for a swim. He has become a part of the locality.
Shannon to Berlin.
He keeps in touch with his parents
From Chemnitz (Saxony), Rafael is youngest in his family. His father Tobias is a heating and air condi- tioning engineer, while his mother Monika is a social worker with Caritas and leads a team that are on call 24/7 providing emergency care for families in stressful situations. His sister Anna (24) works in Saxony's Department of Internal Affairs. His brother Jakob (22) is a third year mechanical engineering student in university. Rafael is unde- cided whether to be a teacher (his work in Pallaskenry is testing his skills in working with young peo- ple), or follow his interest in cars by studying engineering like his broth- er, or go into finance and banking.
Working in the secondary college, Rafael helps out, particularly with PE, sports and students with special needs; he plays cards in the French room, and teachs new games. He ran several successful orienteering days for the students. He also helps run the tuck shop for the Agricultural college (right). He plays the guitar and loves sports, and now has his own hurley, interested to learn this
on Skype, his grandparents by email and his siblings through Facebook. He is enjoying his time in Ireland. He thinks his situation might not suit someone who would want the buzz of city life, but he finds Pallaskenry an ideal place where his break from studies, the natural beauty of the area, the homely vil- lage, meeting the local people and his team mates, the silence and Salesian community meditation and prayer – all provide him with the opportunity to hear himself, reflect, ask God to show him the way and lead him to a decision about his way ahead in life. n
Like Jakob who took a year out, spending four months in Valdocco (Turin) and four months in Valencia (Spain), and learning Italian and Spanish, Rafael decided to improve his English, and so got in touch with the Salesians in his local town of Chemnitz and they put him in con- tact with Ireland. He arrived 28
18 SDB