Yeah, I also think that her English is very good, without any hard Russian accent I wonder for how long time she's been learning this language.
I don't think she said that with NO enthusiasm at all, of course she wasn't like "oh my God, I can't believe I'm here" or sth like that. Maybe modelling never been her dream or maybe she never considered being a model. And you Betty-fashion is your passion, and I see, you would like to model if you were just a bit taller. Maybe Irina is like down to Earth. I don't mean Betty that you aren't, I just mean, maybe when Irina was proposed to start, her parents just told her "ok, if you want to try, then it's ok, but remember that it would be just an episode in your life and you still have to learn in school". And I think it's even more cool, that she is #15 model at models.com, and still has a life of a normal girl. Maybe Irina appreciated it all, but just doesn't show it. And I don't think that money are the most important for her.... I mean.... if she would come from totally poor family, she probably would left school.