I knew that I wanted to come to Spain as soon as I saw this opportunity. There were many moving parts that contributed to my decision, and I am so thankful that I chose Spain. The food, the people, the culture, and the language are just a few things that have made this experience as wonderful as it has been. I am thankful for every single day that I have been here, and we have had many highlights throughout this trip. We have been able to travel, easily, all throughout Spain, fully immerse ourselves in the cultural activities and lifestyle of Spain, and stay fully occupied with tons of things to do in Madrid. It is never a dull moment, and the people I am here in Spain with have made everything that much better.
Why knowing Spanish is great (but not necessary)!
I had been speaking Spanish since I was 5, so I knew this could be an amazing opportunity professionally as well as personally. Being able to speak the native language of Spain has been really useful at times, however I will say, it is not at all necessary. The majority of the people on TAB this year, in Spain, do not speak Spanish, and although everyone agrees it would be nice at times, it doesn’t hold anyone back from doing anything. All train systems, grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, travel companies, etc., have people who are able to speak to us in English, and if not, all computer systems can be changed into any language. It was a big relief for everyone to see how accessible this country is for non-Spanish speakers, and how welcoming Spanish native speakers have been to us.
This also includes the school we are at. Everyone at the school speaks English, including the students of course, which has allowed us all to see the specialization we want in either English or Spanish. The kids and staff are excellent at English I might also add. I will also say, that if you do want to learn Spanish, being full emersed in this city has allowed everyone to learn lots of Spanish. I think learning basic phrases such as “Gracias”, “Por favor”, “Cuanto cuesta”, “Donde esta”, etc., are extremely helpful and beneficial. With that being said, the majority of all people here love to see that we are all trying to learn the ways of Spain, and everyone has been extremely helpful with this goal. Afterall, the purpose is to really acknowledge and embrace the ways of living here, and an easy way to do this is to collectively learn any little bits of the language.
Spain is fun (and safe)!
I has always heard Madrid was a wonderful and exciting city, but it has exceeded all of my expectations. There is always something to do around here, and it is so lively. This includes, but is not limited to, going to have cheap Tapas at any time of day/night, having picnics at one of the many parks here, visiting museums or palaces, hoping on a train to another city close by, shopping, or wandering around the beautiful streets of Madrid. And the best part about all of these things, is that you will always feel safe. I did a walking tour my first week being in Madrid and my tour guide was so happy to share with the group how safe Madrid, Spain is. You could be out at 3pm or 3am and nobody is going to bother you, approach you, or make you feel uncomfortable. The metro is also extremely safe at any point, and one of the best ways to get around the city. My tour guide said the only thing you have to watch out for are scammers who try to take your money or pick pocket your belongings. However, with us being so aware of this, we have had 0 issues or scares.
Teaching has taught us lots (and given us amazing relationships)!
Like anyone, we were all extremely nervous to start student teaching at a new school, with a new partner teacher. How is the teaching going to be different? What is the school atmosphere going to be? Will the students like me? Will my partner teacher and I get along? We all had a whirlwind of emotions before entering the school, which were all seen to within the first 2 weeks. One of the first things that calmed us all down, and made us less nervous, were the staff at the school. We were welcomed into the school with open arms, and we all felt like an equal by the first day. All of us have built amazing relationships with our partner teacher(s), and they have all been so supportive of letting us try lessons, jump right in with the students, and have also just given us amazing advice on teaching and living in Spain. The community of students and teachers at SEK Castillo, the school we are at, has been so overwhelmingly amazing.
We are also learning so much from this experience professionally. SEK Castillo is also an IB school, so the curriculum for IB is the same in Canada. It has been very interesting to see how similar it is at times, as well as different. The school is extremely memorable for many reasons, but logistically speaking it has also taught us a lot about classroom management, student-teacher relationships, and how to think on your feet. Teaching at a private school was new for me, and many others, but when you get down to the nitty-gritty of it all, it shares many similarities to public school and public schools in Canada. However, when there are unfamiliar territories, the support we have all received from our school has been amazing, and we have never felt out of place or truly lost.
We are not ready to go home (because Spain feels like our home now)!
We have officially been in Spain for more days than we have left, and I am already not looking forward to leaving. We are only at the schools 2 times a week, and the impact we are making in our classrooms and at our school is starting to show. I also can already predict it is going to be difficult saying goodbye to our classrooms and partner teachers, as the relationships we have been building are so strong. With only 3 weeks, and 2 weekends left to go, we are soaking up every minute here in Madrid and doing all of the things on our list of Madrid activities. Bring on the paella, walks throughout Retiro park, giggles in our classrooms, and lots of time all of us TABers together.
