Erasmus+ Leaders in Language October 2022

Happy Halloween everyone! I'm writing this with a big smile on my face! I have finally submitted my PGCE application!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhh this is so scary. What if I don't get the place I want? What if I submitted it too late? I am overthinking everything.  I have been taking this experience day by day, one step at a time. I have never had the time to just sit down and think about everything. We are all in a foreign county, alone, teaching. Thinking about it, how amazing are we?! We have all had the guts to trust UKLC and Erasmus to take care of us (and for this to not be a scam 😂). We stand up in front of a class every day and they trust us to teach them. Don't get me wrong, I love this experience but it's just kicking in how scary this all is. Being an adult. And how ironic, I am thinking about it all on Halloween 😱 Anyway, I hope you are all doing great! I am going to have a slight mental breakdown about all of this 😂 Lots of love, Phoebe xxx

A lot of people told me that people in Spain don't celebrate Halloween, which is NOT true. Lots of shops and restaurants are selling or decorated with Halloween stuff. I even saw some students wearing costumes on my way to school. Unlike the students I saw on the street, students in my school were not allowed to dressed up for Halloween. However, we did play games related to it.  To provide a chance for students to practise their English (even just a phrase/sentence) and make it more festive, I bought some sweets to school and asked teachers to promote that if they can say "trick or treat" to me in English, I will give them sweets. It went very well and I have never felt so beloved by and popular among students before. I went in the school five minutes before the first lesson started, tuns of kids rushed to me and loads of hands were at my face (in fact, it was a bit chaotic and most of the probably got more than one). After 10 minutes or so, 99 small packs of sweets were...

We probably all know, Spanish kids are a bit difficult to control. I've found myself getting incredibly frustrated and stressed in classes - they're not doing the work, so why am I even here?  But then I've been thinking to myself these past few days: every opportunity for impatience is also an opportunity to practice patience. The problem, therefore, becomes a way to improve my own teaching practice. Instead of flying off the handle with a class, I've been working to find strategies to try and get them to concentrate - at the end of the day, they're just kids, the reason I'm there is to try and get them to learn. I can do more to make things better.  So, don't get stressed. It's pointless. You can only go at the speed of your slowest student. We're all just out here trying to get better, doing the best we can. Have a class weekend everyone, and if you have Monday and Tuesday off, then I hope you have a nice chance to recharge your batteries.  Peace ...

So much has happened over the past week or so I am not sure where to begin . Last week was a bit of a blur. My school is massive with very large class sizes, so I had a lot of teachers and students to meet straight away. Monday was all over the place I wasn’t sure who my mentor was or what I was doing, kept getting lost in the school, I still don’t know where the teachers loos are! I teach 5 - 18 year olds which was a lot to get my head around at first, so picked Emiles brains for ideas and strategies to cut down my planning time while he was still in Leon. Tuesday I was straight in teaching primary, two teachers literally just want me to speak for an hour to the class, I have been told to speak more Total Teacher Talk Time! The students are all super inquisitive with tons of questions for me, I was even asked “if I could have lunch with any historical figure from the past who would it be”?! Caught me of guard as the previous question had been "what is your favourite colour...

Considering this time last week I was crying every 5 minutes (lol), I’m genuinely baffled that I’ve taught 11 lessons this week?! Like, what?? I’m feeling so much happier. It’s clicked how truly special this experience is and I know I need to make the most of every moment - I’ve already worked out that I only have 5 teaching days left!!! 🤯 I have some right little characters in the classes, they certainly make for interesting lessons. Although, to be honest, I find it difficult to determine whether students are badly behaved and disruptive, or just incredibly loud in everything they do. I think there’s a fine line in that respect. But the sense of achievement when the disruptive or disengaged students participate and enjoy themselves during the lesson is something that continues to motivate me to produce fun and active lessons - Bad Bunny has cropped up a lot this week. I am, however, struggling a little with the vocational studies students. They’re 17-18 and have come to Esclavas fro...

Last week was incredible - I was on such a high from an exciting week at school, followed by the funniest weekend with my lovely Le ón chicas. Then it all went downhill........ So I woke up on Monday feeling pretty under the weather, I can normally handle my coughs and colds, but this one has just knocked me out. If you know me I NEVER nap, but I've had a siesta (glorified nap) every day this week!!!! WHAAAAt, very unlike me, I've clearly immersed myself in the Spanish culture a bit too much - just call me Emilia!! Anyway so I've been in a bit of a foul mood this week, I'm a right grumpy gal when I'm tired and I just don't function well at all, I'm basically a toddler. I'm also with primary school children this week. I never thought I'd say this but at the start of this week I really missed teaching my teens!  The primary teacher I'm with is rather chaotic, unlike my teacher last week who was just so chilled. But the chaotic teacher has grown on ...

Had a bit of a stinker yesterday. The kids were wild: misbehaving, chatting, losing concentration... One kid even stood up when I was talking, walked over to his mate and started chatting ??? Trying to teach them was like trying to corral a pack of wild horses. It didn't go well, it was more like fighting rather than teaching.  I had a chat with my fellow teacher, Alberto (who is so so nice, btw) and he gave me some tips on classroom management. One of the most important things he said to me was: "remember, you're the teacher, you're here to do a job, you came from the UK to do this. Be confident and don't be scared to tell them this".  Today, I did exactly that. I was a lot more authoritative, staring people down when they misbehaved, asking for silence in the class, going up to those who misbehaved and telling them off. I felt like a bit of a stickler teacher, like the ones I hated in high school, but I was walking the fine line between discipline and rappor...

There is something about the bitter León winds greeting my face every morning and the way the hopeful lights of distant villages disappear in the all-consuming fog. 🌁 Not only does the morning fog engulf the mountainous villages but my soul too. 'Why?' I hear you question.. ⛰️ Yesterday, I taught for the day and I finally felt a sense of purpose. I taught my year 6 class about British music and I played them a variety of songs! They have no idea who Harry Styles is let alone The Beatles! 😅 I was thrown at the deep end because I was with a substitute teacher who speaks no English, but it was okay! I understand her Spanish and she understood my Span-Italian 🇮🇹🇪🇸☺️ Then, my mentor wanted me to teach the Food & Recipes lesson I did last week for a different year 4 class. I was put on the spot because the projector wasn't working!! So, I had to improvise and we passed my toy octopus around for a warm-up exercise. When the music stopped, the student with the toy had to ...

 Who Is My Mum: this was a game (task?) handed to us from Emile whilst we were at Kingswood, which I decided to use last Friday with my Year 3 class at Colegio San Jose. It's a hugely mixed ability class with varying attention spans..... some of them I think could be measured in mere nanoseconds, so there's no room for dilly dallying when stood in front of them. Teenagers of 14/15 years take no prisoners, so I was keen to get started.  They worked in 3 groups, trying to decide, from a montage of family pix, which one was my mum. Anybody over 25 must seem pretty ancient to them: half the class had my slightly older cousin down as my mum (she'll be pleased!) but they had quite a jolly time commenting on those I love. Fast forward to week 2. At the last minute, I decided that task I had prepped for Year 2 for first thing this morning was probably not going to work; on reflection the vocab around the instructions was too difficult, so I decided to can it, simplify it and roll i...

No comfort blanket first week observing for me! First lesson was it 🤣  I think that’s the best way. For me, anyway. Absolutely love my school - San Jaime Apostol - it’s a big, noisy co-Ed Catholic High School just a few minutes walk away from the apartment. The staff and the students have given me the warmest welcome - better than I could have imagined, and I feel blessed 🙏🏼  I’ve got an extremely experienced teacher, with 39 years’ experience under her belt, as my Mentor. She has taught generations of locals, proudly including our very own Laura, and her family. My teaching schedule is a dream - 8am to 1:30pm - leaving plenty of time to prep lesson activities and enjoy a bit of downtime, and I have a thoughtful cross-section of all ages from year 1 to Baccalaureate level across curriculum English textbook lead lessons, and free practice CCOA (Communication & listening) lessons in which I feel I can add the most value. English is a compulsory subject. However, it still ...

As you know, I am teaching kids, aged 3-11. I sing songs and act out different kind of animals almost every day. I have been thinking of buying a teddy to help drawing students' attention and use it as an example in the class. Therefore, when I went out with my Léon girls, I had always kept an eye on the display window to see if there's any cute one.  Last weekend, a rainy day as usual, we walked pass a shop where a lot of toys and dolls were displayed. Of course we went in, looking for a teddy. My companion acted out the feelings and sounds/voice of different teddies and tried to persuade me to buy them. However, instead of getting a teddy, I laid eyes on the only elephant in the shop. "Oh now you want an elephant! 🌚" said the naked teddy.  I am never an elephant lover, let along buying an elephant toy. Nevertheless, I bought it. We gave him a British name, Elliot (btw I am going to give him a Scottish surname, any suggestions are welcome).  Anyway, I brought him to...

  Week one complete! I still can’t believe it. It has gone so fast. So many emotions felt and so many memories made already. Every one of my classes has been perfect. The children are the sweetest and kindest, and they love asking me questions. One class really didn’t want me to leave, and two students wouldn’t let go of my arm haha. My favourite moment is when one girl keeps saying “Phoebe, I love” which melts my heart every time she says it <3. The teachers have been so helpful, advising me what lessons/ activities to do which will benefit the students more.  We had our first 'night out' on Friday too. I honestly couldn't have imagined a better group of friends to go out with. We danced the night away, headbanging to all sorts of music 😂 (which left me and Ella with the worst neck pain for a couple days). We met lots of people that night, including Spanish (Michael) Jackson who danced with us. Definitely one of the best nights of my life.  I have my observation...

One of my classes is a 1st Bach (17 yo) class. I thought this class would be great but it was very different from what I expected.  I was surprised when some of the students in the class would keep outtalking the teacher and me throughout the whole lesson. I mean the rest of the class was fine actually, but a few particular just did something normally considered unacceptable like a girl on purpose blowing her nose and making weird noises for 10 min non-stop, another guy running around with his shoes off. I realised just a few students can really change the dynamics of the classroom. The teacher helped me get through the lesson and gave me advice and more info about the class after the class ended. I really thanked him a lot. With more understanding of the class and those few students, I hope next time I can give a better lesson.  But I also have good things to share~ Some of our Moncada gang went to Gandia last weekend to visit our Gandian gals. We went to the beach and had a ...

Hola! 😄🇪🇸 I bet you are wondering what happened with my Mentor on Friday?  Well, I am going to start off talking about my observation. I taught a Year 4 class about cooking verbs and how to structure a recipe! For the controlled task, I got them to verbally discuss the incorrect recipe that I followed to make 'Tortillas de Patatas'. The class giggled when I said that I put lots of sugar and chocolate in my tortillas! 😀🍫 I loved how passionate they were about telling me the correct way of making Tortillas de Patatas 🥰 Although, I think I am tired of them now and even eggs for every time I say 'Yo soy vegetariano', no doubt, a tortilla would arrive! 😆🥚I also taught my class about British foods too, which was fun 🇬🇧Their English is very limited but nevertheless, they always show effort in their classes! Anyway back to my mentor, it was difficult to know whether she was pleased or not, she was staring at me expressionless 😶. However, in our next lesson with our Y...

  Before I begin talking about my first week of teaching, I wanna say I feel like I'm back to studying in high school! <3   I bought a uniform of the school and I wore it teaching today. Afterwards, I did my own studies - Spanish and Japanese in the school library. Wearing the high school uniform studying reminded me of the time I was studying English, IGCSEs, and A-levels in Macau.  The first week of school was great. Although my mentor Salut was ill the first 3 days, another English teacher Alberto was very kind to me and gave me a lot of information about the school and gave me a lot of advice. I really liked the atmosphere of this school. Every staff has been so helpful and friendly. Every teacher in the English team has been very kind to me and Mitch. I couldn't ask for a better school to have my English teaching placement. I am grateful that I have the chance to teach 14-17 years old students in general. And the fact that I have a number of oral / speaking c...

The first week has gone?! And here comes our first weekend in Léon! I am so excited. I had my first observation today. My teacher was very nice and he really liked my lesson, especially using snowman rather than hangman. And stickers really works! The kids love it, even for the grade 4. But remember to give it to the whole class if possible. I was planning to give to the winners only and the others were a bit sad so I ended up giving to the whole class.  Spending time with the little ones, aged 3-5, is fun but it is also tiring. I sang Baby Sharks 🦈, old MacDonald had a farm 👨‍🌾 and twinkle twinkle little star ⭐️ for three times yesterday. Oh, I also acted as crocodile, rabbit, butterfly, sheep and other animals 🐊🐍🐓🐑🦋🐮🐴 . If you have never been to a farm, I can at least give you an "audio tour". I am planning to sing the wheel on the bus next week, so an "audio bus tour" 🚌 can be arranged later on. XD  BTW, we tried a traditional pastry thing called buñue...

Week 1 is done, and it has flown by. I can't stop thinking about the limited time we have left. This fleeting feeling is confounded by the fact that the past week has been absolutely incredible. The classes have been excellent, the students charming and the tutors welcoming and knowledgeable. I don't want it to end. I want more and more.  Time seems to be slipping away like the Valencian sand through my fingers. I try to clutch it tightly but it still keeps falling....... How do we fight against the sands of time? For me, awareness is the goal above all else. To be present and aware in the chaos around me so I can experience it as fully as possible and remember it.  Off to Gandía for the weekend to catch up with the cru down there. Let's do it. I hope all you Leonites have a good weekend. Sending big love through the mountains.  Keep it rock and roll all you fellow teachers!!!!!!!! - Mitch 

Happy Friday! What a week!!!  I have honestly loved it so much, I feel very content atm and I love the level of responsibly I'm getting in the classroom. I had my observation today and it went really well so that's a relief!  This week I've been with secondary and sixth form students, next week I'm going to primary school. I'm pleased I get to experience teaching both young and old because I've got no idea which I will actually prefer. Right now, I am actually loving teaching the older students, they're talkative, funny and love asking questions! I'm a bit shocked that I actually enjoy teaching them so much, before Le ó n t he thought of teaching teenagers would have made me want to vomit lol 😂  Anyway, I'll let you all know which I prefer next week. I'm soooooo excited for our adventures this weekend, I can't wait to explore more of  Le ó n with my fab five chicas - this experience wouldn't be the same without them. If you're readin...

  After conversations with Fran, Caro, Gemma, my family, my flatmates, and my mentor (kind off, its too soon to put a label on it 🤭 ), I feel a lot less overwhelmed!   I finally feel like I have a sense of direction, my mentor (again, kind off) has set me off which a bunch of materials for the next topic, which is Myths and Legends 🧝‍♀️🧙‍♀️ ! I finally have a role in the classroom; helping out with any questions the kiddies have, correcting work, playing kahoots, its going okay! I just wish I wasn’t so stressed about the fact their English lessons are entirely Spanish, but I guess that’s more of a challenge! The weekend couldn’t have come any sooner! €1.50 tapas last night was fab and Gandia town is gorgeous in the evening!  Very excited to spend most of the weekend with the other Valencians, (Gandian’s and Moncada lot unite!) eating tapas in the square, afternoons on the beach, sangria on the terrace 🤩 .  I hope you Leonites are doing well, lots of love to yo...

Week one = done and dusted.😅 It’s been an interesting one for sure. Up until 3 pm yesterday, I felt so unprepared, overwhelmed and uncertain. As much as my mentors are friendly, I really have to dig my nails in to get any information about what the students are learning, and even then the information I receive is limited. I’m grateful that they are (or seem, at least) receptive to some new ideas and allow me free rein to do as I please. But….they expect this of me 4 hours before the lesson… Clearly, I need to work on more effective communication. I’ve felt quite awkward in some of the classes as there are a few volatile and verbally abusive students who have terrible relationships with their teachers. One of my mentors and another teacher spent the first 15 minutes of the lesson discussing something about a prospective Erasmus programme - it was met with neurotic screams and quite aggressive body language.  Not going to lie, at this point I thought “what the fig am I doing here??”...

Gandia is grand gorgeous and simply great. 'Tis a love at first sight.  I got my first coffee after four days.  After getting caffeinated I realised the cafe was about to close. It was 2 o'clock on a quiet Sunday afternoon. The rest of the quiet Sunday afternoon was all about settling in. ....  (Here skipping 800 words).... ..... Sayonara for now

The title was saved in the draft a week ago at Kingswood.  A week later, I am blogging from grandeur Gandia. More on GG later. For now, let me clear the blog debt by paying tribute to kinaesthetic Kingswood. I will keep it short because my proportionally small hippocampus is running out of space for memory over 7 days old. A few keywords and highlights  Climbing and panoramic view at top Chestnut tree  Cadet and pompous march Bananagate Fire-alarm ... ...

Hola! So how has my first week in León been so far? 🇪🇸 In general, León is a culturally beautiful city to live in and I am constantly in awe of its gothic cathedral that I walk past everyday to my school. I love living in León with my Leónite girls, they are super fun to live with. We lift each other's spirits and laugh about something different everyday. 😄 From trying to select our food in Spanish whilst giggling at the confused yet crazy waiters to running back to our residence in a thunderstorm- every day is an adventure with them! 🥰⛈️ What else do I love about León? I like how I start at 8.50 and finish at 2pm, which means that I can plan all afternoon and rest or explore at night 🌉 🌙 I can't wait to explore León further in the next upcoming days - I am counting down until the weekend! 😄 Being truthful, I knew I would not struggle with homesickness. For me, it is attempting to teach the  classes of my mentor/ teacher, who robs every chance of mine to teach. To begin ...

 16th - 19th Oct 2022 Before I begin, I have to say this was me in Kingswood in Kent (with Duffy's song Distant Dreamer  Photo taken by C1-Spanish-speaking Nadja  After 3 days of learning in Kingwoods, saying bye to the Leonite gals, that god darn fire alarm 4 hours before we got set to leave, overnight coach journey to the airport and me afterwards throwing up in the airport toilet, we finally set off to Spain!  We were welcomed by Laura and her husband. The weather in Valencia was so nice, so different from how it was in Kent.  After Michell, Fran and I checked in and settled down in our accommodation in Moncada, the next day we went to see the school we are going to teach in for the coming month. The staff are all very friendly and I hope I can make some amazing memories here!  

I've got to say, day 3, and I'm feeling completely overwhelmed...  I'm not sure what I expected but I don't think this is it. The school I am at is a little unorganised, I am yet to get a mentor, and 99% of a lesson is in Spanish. The kids are great, so curious and lovely, but the little to no level of English won't allow me to have a basic conversation with them :( I'm very homesick as well, missing my family a lot, but Liv is in a similar boat so I don't feel completely alone :) But the biggest trouble is my feet!!! They are the size of balloons making it so hard to walk on! Plus I have so many bites on me I'm beginning to look like a Dalmatian, there will be nothing left of me for the insects to bite by the end of this trip!! So not the best start, but its only day 3, it can only go up from here...right? - hasta pronto, zaynab xox

 Had my first 'proper' day at school today..... and it was amazing!! Kengseng and I are in a massive high school with class sizes around 30ish, so we've been instructed to just observe this week, but today I was actually doing some teaching to ages 12-14! Now, it was a bit chaotic. I didn't know the lesson materials beforehand, nor the students, nor the lesson plan. So, when the teacher, Marta, asked me to deliver some of the lesson, I was a bit taken aback, but I got stuck right in regardless. And this brings me to the title of the blog. In the words of Oasis (who would make terrible teachers, btw), "you gotta roll with it". I embraced the chaos and just went with it, delivering the lesson and going with the flow. Before long I had them doing TPR and elicitating some great answers. Engagement levels were high, which is the most important thing. The kids loved it and the teacher thought I did great - massive confidence boost!! Spanish kids also love a bit of b...

Two days in… Oh my  god. I don’t know whether to laugh, cry or celebrate - It’s been extremely overwhelming. Yesterday, I was so unbelievably nervous, palms sweating and dreading the day. I didn’t really have anything to worry about, my mentors, Marisa and Oscar are so helpful and kind, and the kids are hilarious!!! They love learning English - although spent far too much time asking me about football and Bad Bunny…(and how much they HATE France)??  Today was a different story altogether. 7 lessons in a row with three teachers - one of whom was ridiculously chaotic and clearly thought I had telepathic skills?? In quite a lot of the classes, the kids told me they liked English but thought their lessons were boring, which saddened me :( So I asked them what their interests were and said I’d incorporate them into the lessons I’d be teaching, hopefully I'll be able to wake them up :)  The Gandía crew are off to la playa this evening for some r&r and a nice meal out! Time ...

 Sunbeams bounce off the roof tiles, all shades of ochre, terracotta and slate; then a pop of azure from a Gothic church dome: such is the beauty of the skittish, unpredictable skyline of Moncada. And this is my view, from the fourth floor of the Colegio San Jose - a school with many stairs.  From virtually no teaching to being immersed into the heart of a busy school has been an eye-opener. But thanks to the warmth, guidance and humour from Maribel, my mentor, it has been fairly pain free. So far. I'm acutely aware that this is merely day 2, and I'm grateful for having a little time to settle in, get to know the students, and observe how a highly experienced English teacher in Spain delivers the curriculum. Long may the good vibes continue. 

Aaaaaaaaah I am so happy!! I have had the best day. Yesterday I was honestly ready to come home, but today I feel like 4 weeks isn't long enough here 😂 I taught my first class, it was a tiny group of 12 year olds. Their English was low-level so I was basically just teaching them the time, but it was soooooo fun!!!! They were so enthusiastic, happy, chatty and funny. I think we spent the majority of the lesson laughing, they were fab! I'm carrying on with the lesson tomorrow and we're going to do some verbs - I'm actually so excited. It appears I don't get that nervous anymore!? If you'd have told me that when I was doing my CELTA I'd have laughed in your face! Anyway, just wanted to update you all because I was a right negative Nancy yesterday, but I'm a positive Polly now xxxx - Emily in León  P.S. (yes I'm copying 'Emily in Paris' - thank you Phoebe for picking up on that yesterday ;) ) Adiós xxxx

It was a busy and a bit of a chaotic day.  Two PE lessons in the morning, one pre-school English (which I had no idea, I walked into the classroom and off I went! I was asked to read them a story. BTW it was the only English story book that that teacher has lol), four English lessons with Grade 2 and 4. As each of class was only half an hour, I was busy running to one classroom to another classroom, up and down. All of the teachers were busy teaching and running up and down too, haha. They are all very nice and friendly. They took me from classroom to classroom as if I were a kid going to their school for the very first day. (well, it was my first day indeed :P) Couldn't image I would be so exhausted after half day of school. I can already feel that the month will be passing quickly.  We saw a rainbow in the afternoon and a thunderstorm (with hail) at night. They were both amazing (of course, so did the companions). It was just like our lives, full of surprise and there is alw...

 Day one.... how can I describe the feeling of completing it? Some relief, some anxiety and veryyyyy tiring! Haha. It wasn't really a long day, but the one hour less sleep and the general chaotic/ loud atmosphere of a primary school really takes a toll on you. I absolutely love it here in Le ón, especially my school (even though it is a 40-minute walk or a 30-minute bus ride). I was greeted by a lovely music teacher called Cristina. She made me feel so welcome in the class and school, just like all the other teachers I had today did. Miguel (the sweetest person ever) even saved my life today! I'm still not used to the cars coming from opposite directions 😟 and then after he saved me from a car nearly turning me into a pancake, he bought me a coffee! I feel like the luckiest person ever writing this blog now. The food here is great but my knowledge of the Spanish language is very low, so tonight when the whole group was tired, getting our first dinner at the accommodation wa...

To start with... Leon is THE most beautiful city!!! I mean, why does nobody in England rave about this place?! Everything about it is muy muy bonito, I looove the buildings, the atmosphere, the people and the food already. I'm going to make all my friends and family visit this place at some point in their lives, it's just amazing! Anyway, so today was my first day at school (lol) and the only word I have to describe it is overwhelming. I thought I was teaching primary school children, turns out this week I'm teaching secondary and A-Level. Since I hadn't quite hyped myself up for this, I did panic a little (a lot) and I really just wanted to run away into the Asturias mountains. However, it was actually okay... The teacher I'm with this week is absolutely lovely, and all the staff in my school are so kind and welcoming so I was instantly put at ease! I even got invited out for coffee with two of them on my break, it was fab! I'm still getting traumatic flashbac...

  What an eventful day and evening Saturday has been. Feeling a little sad as we are split into our groups for first aid and sports leaders training, I will miss the Valencians! Strange to make such a connection with all these new people in such a short time. Keith and Ella kept us busy though, first aid was certainly informative and Ella brought out all our competitive sides. I really didn't think I would enjoy the sports leaders if I'm honest but it was such good fun and took me out of my comfort zone. So after a busy day I slipped into a coma like state only to be awoken by the fire alarm! No emergency luckily but a rude awakening none the less, I soon went back to sleep as the day had been so busy only to be woken at 5am by a Sea cadet knocking on our door, oh well time to get up anyway. I am currently writing this while on the plane, not quite sure what to feel as we step into the unknown. I am looking foward to meeting Spanish Fran and my mentor tomorrow and to be able...

Wow, the day has finally arrived to depart for León, (Yes, I am "loca" for writing this blog at 7.45am!). Just outside our accommodation, I found £3 on the ground, which already started my Spanish adventure on a positive 🥰 Whilst I am writing this, I can't help but think about the Valencians, they hit the road before us and are now on their plane to Valencia 🇪🇸✈️ Before I know it, it will be my turn! The countless hours studying for my TEFL certificate and the two weeks of intense training are finally going to be put into practice, in my own classroom! ☺️ After two weeks of strong support and encouragement like 'You've got this Shan!', from my closest friends and the amazing people I met in 4 days, my anxieties still continue to flood through my veins. How did my UKLC friends I met in the summer do this? With anything in life, there is fear and apprehension. Fear over the unknown in Spain, a country that I've never visited before 🇪🇸 What does León loo...

 12-15th Oct 2022 First of all I have to say I am forever grateful to have the chance to join this programme. Many many thanks for this opportunity~ After around a week of online zoom sessions, we all the trainee teachers finally got to meet each other in person. I think everyone can agree that everyone is so different in terms of personality than on zoom. We've got sassy queens, super nice gals, very quiet but super kind mates and many more! I am happy that we got this chance to stay together for a few days before we set off to Spain. It's important for us to get to know each other and build up the rapport we need for the month-long trip. At least in my case, I'm happy to get to spend some time with Mitchell who is going to teach in the same school as I do~  We went wall climbing the first day! first trying~ Mitch & Naj at the pub Can't wait for the real deal in Valencia!!! Here's a pic of all of us at Kingswood!

So, this is it. Three months after my CELTA certificate dropped through the letter box, I'm less than 12 hours away from starting my placement with Erasmus in Valencia. In real Spanish school. How on earth did I get here?! Right now, I'm at the end of 3 days training in Ashford, along with 17 other newbies, and tomorrow we will all be in Spain. We have all bonded brilliantly, our days jam packed with first aid training, sports leadership, lesson planning and classroom management: long days rewarded with a night out last night.  Tonight feels a bit like the calm before the storm: some of us are going to land in Valencia; others will fly to Leon and the farewells are heartfelt: we've been together around 100 hours but it feels much longer.  So, for all the would-be TESOL teachers, however near - or far - you are in your language teaching journey, this could be you.  I'll update from Spain tomorrow. 

How did this all happen? After a long & slow lockdown, I was certain to embrace the great outdoors. Little did I know, that my intent to cross the threshold of my front door would see marrying up all my passions of learning, teaching, travel and languages into a suitcase and agreeing to move in with a group of total strangers for a month to work.... In another country! Si, me voy a Espa ñ a!... (Yes, I'm going to Spain)! Sounds like a crazy thing to do, but I'm all signed up and not turning back, as I know this will be one of the most remarkable highlights of my life.   So, after a week of zoom training calls with the team, getting my luggage packed & weighted, hugging my loved ones farewell😍, I caught a train from London Bridge to Ashford, Kent, where I come face to face with the awesome people off my computer screen, and with whom I am sharing the this mind boggling adventure. (Sound to say, within a few short hours of hellos, we were scaling new heights literally i...

In Kingswood: I couldn't believe that I got up at 6:50am and went for breakfast. As a night owl and a person who normally has brunch instead of breakfast, this was impressive! Anyway, it is good to develop a routine before going to Spain.  The first training day was packed but I did learn a lot from it, e.g., classroom management, games, things about children. It made me reflect on myself, when I was a teenager, for example, what I liked/didn't like, what was my mind set, and what were the principles behind. It was helpful and inspiring.  The session that I enjoyed the most was the Espanish Fun. The way that Fran and Emile was literally FUN. I had never learned a language without using L1 or English. It was very interesting and successful. I hope and would like to do it in the future.  BTW, the food here has prepared us for Spain too. Just keep your expectation low, you may be impressed! 

Oh boy, what a wild couple of days! Tuesday evening I was lying awake in bed feeling overwhelmed, nervous and underprepared for the next month - although I think that's natural?! Never in a million years did I think there'd be an instant connection and sense of ease with everyone.  Already, the sessions with Fran and Emile have been so interesting and incredibly helpful- they've certainly filled me with more confidence in my abilities! Very much looking forward to the last few days spent with everyone before splitting off and going our separate ways. But I'm unbelievably excited to start the adventure in Spain with a group of very special individuals <3 Edit: the food here is definitely NOT digestible. :(

 If I, 12 hours ago, could see me now, she'd be surprised. I was sat at the train station, with puffy eyes from the night before over the fact that I will be leaving my boyfriend for 4 weeks. I was genuinely thinking, "You can't do this, go back home".  3 trains, a 5-hour journey, and hours of fun later... how wrong was I? I have already met so many lovely people, who have just made me realise that this is going to be the best experience of my life. I cannot wait for the next 4 weeks. Yes, I'll have bad days. But they will too. We are all 'in the same boat' as my mother would say haha.  After a long day travelling and overthinking, I can breathe...... with a Yorkshire Tea ;) Everything is looking up! 💗