End of Year Party

Where have the last eight months gone? It is crazy how it has flown by and I will soon be returning home to the UK. I’m feeling sad, although it will be good to be home, albeit not for long as I’m going to be working in a summer camp in England! Phew, I don’t stop.

This past weekend I went to Barcelona. My original plan was to visit a park with a labyrinth in it, I went with some other teaching assistants, however, due to metro stoppages and long distance walks, we decided to turn back to Plaça Catalunya where I met some other friends and we ended up going to a nice Irish bar.

I returned to Anglès at night, just in time for the Festa Final De Curs. This happens every year and it is a celebration. The dinner was held in the playground, but then it started pouring rain so everyone moved inside and had dinner in the classrooms. We had chicken, salad and then ice cream for dessert. After this, it was time to go to the old factory which is now used as an entertainment venue. There was a presentation about the 6th-grade class who were leaving primary school and moving on to high school. Although there were tears, I secretly think the teachers were happy they were leaving! Then the teachers were told to go up to the stage. I was sitting with my host parents watching the ceremony, but Alex pointed to his father and then pointed to me, as I was supposed to go up there. I went behind the stage and one by one, the students called the teachers out. One of my students called my name out and I received a scroll and a T-shirt. The t-shirt is in the first photo below and the translation says: ‘You have made us (teachers) sweat, but we will miss you.’ After this, it was time for the party and a one man band provided the entertainment. He spoke in Catalan, but I could understand what he was saying most of the time. It was good to see Alex and Julia having a good time. After the party finished Alex tried to show me a new dance move which I disastrously tried to copy. It was very funny and we returned home tired but in high spirits. After all, it was a ‘festa’. 

With my friends in Barcelona. L-R: Katharine, Delva and Becky

With the 'graduate'. The t-shirts I mentioned are pictured.

Alex took my phone and filled it with selfies! 

Of course, his dad wanted a selfie too!

Class of 2016!

Alex with his mum

Climb every mountain

Okay, well I didn't exactly climb a mountain. My host family took me there by car (lazy I know!), but it wasn't until quarter to five that we got out of the house. They wanted to take me up to the cross on the mountain which I can see from the house window. It was also a good for Toula the family's new puppy to get some exercise and run about in nature. The mountain is called Puigefrou and it overlooks the towns of La Cellera de Ter and Angles. From the top you can see other towns such as Amer and the city of Girona in the distance. The views were truly breathtaking and it was worth the bumpy ride to get up there (you can see the video on my blog's Facebook page).

When we left the mountain we headed to a part of the forest where people usually have barbecues in the summer and there was a small fountain with the freshest water I have ever drunk. Afterwards we headed to Vilanna, a little town just outside Angles, Sebastian the host grandfather knew places where we could pick special types of strawberries. We collected a lot and took them home to eat with yoghurts - delicious!!

I can't believe I'm coming to the end of my Spanish adventure. I will definitely return to visit this country in the future. Stay tuned for some more blog posts before I head back to my home country.

Until next time,

Rachel xxx

Temps de Flors

This week I’m back bringing some very bad news. On Thursday the 5th of May I received a Whatsapp message from my mum telling me that my granny was dying and that I had to come home for a week. I panicked and went back to my host family’s house, telling them the news. I then went to the school to ask permission to go home and then return a week later. I have just over a month until I finish up here, so as you can imagine it wasn’t the best time to come home. However this was family and it was important.

On Friday morning I woke up early and soon was in the car with Ines and Alex heading to Barcelona Airport. The traffic was horrendous and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to make it for my flight. Not to worry though as the traffic was soon over and the airport was in sight. Ines dropped me off just outside Terminal 1. After a swift goodbye I pulled my case along to the check in desk and dropped it off. It then slid along the conveyer belt where I would not see it again until I got to Aberdeen.

With a sigh of relief I made it through the awkward security line. When I finally got a seat I heard my phone buzzing and swiftly answered it. It was my mum on the other line breaking the news that my granny had died just before midnight on Thursday. My heart sank. I tried so hard to come home and see her one last time. It was too late. I choked up and tried my hardest to hold back the tears in a busy airport. Managing to withhold my emotions I bought some food and a drink of water for the plane. Soon it was time to board and as fast as you can say KLM (other airlines are available) I was on my first flight of the day.

When I arrived at Amsterdam Schiphol, my phone was flooded with condolences. It took time to process than when I got home I would never be able to talk to or see my granny again. Not in this lifetime anyway.

A few hours passed and then it was time to board for Aberdeen. I felt very happy as I heard familiar Scottish accents all around me. It’s very frightening being in a place where languages and accents are unfamiliar, as I’m sure people who have moved abroad are aware. An hour later and I touched down in Aberdeen, where I was greeted by my friend Reuben who works near the airport. My mum then came to collect me and we had a coffee, where she explained what had happened with granny.

It was a long week, as the funeral was not until the following Thursday (12th). I spent time with my dad’s brother, his wife and my five year old cousin Ellie. My grandad spent a few nights at our house until he was ready to adapt to living alone. The funeral service was lovely, it was handled with the utmost care and compassion. I then had to help bury my granny (it was the first time my sister and I had done this). I managed to do it, but it’s not something I would do again in a hurry. I’m still going through a grieving process, as it will take a while, but I’m comforted by the fact that I’ll see my granny again someday. Not in this life, but in the next.

I returned to Barcelona on Saturday and took the train to Sils, where Ines met me at the station. After having a meal at Bonmati, I was full and went to bed straight after as I had spent fifteen hours travelling on trains, planes and cars.

I had arrived just in time to see the last day of the Temps de Flors. The flower festival takes place every year at the beginning of May. The city of Girona is decorated with decadent flower displays and tourists from all over Spain and the world come to visit it. Ines and I visited the festival and it was packed! The narrow streets were full of people. However it was worth it and it was a reminder that even in times of sorrow and grieving you can see the beauty that life has to offer.

As usual I have attached photos with this blog. I hope you enjoy looking at these photos as I did taking them.

Until next time,

Rachel xx

Parent's visit to Catalonia, Spain

Sorry I haven’t updated for a while, life has got in the way and I’ve also been lazy! I thought I would tell you a little bit about my parents visit to Spain!

On the first week of April my mum sent me a Whatsapp message saying that they were thinking of visiting me the following week. I got very excited and told my host family that my parents were coming to visit. My host family kindly offered to let my parents stay with them. I told my parents and it was settled.

They arrived on Thursday 14^th  in the afternoon. Ines, Alex, Julia and I were in the car coming back from school and when we arrived at the house, my parents were there trying to park the car. Ines parked the car and I ran out and hugged my parents.  My parents had rented a car and because it was almost my dad’s birthday, they gave him a free upgrade to a Fiat 500 which had a sunroof. They were introduced to the other members of the family. Then we had lunch altogether.  After lunch Julia and Alex returned to school and my parents stood drinking their coffee on the veranda.  They enjoyed the spectacular views from the house and also from the terrace on the very top of the house.

After lunch, Mum and Dad slept as they had been up all night travelling to get here. Once Dad woke up we went for a walk around Anglès. Later Mum woke up and all the family had dinner together.

The next morning I had to go on a school trip to Manresa, where there was a gathering of FEDAC schools. FEDAC is the semi private schools in Catalonia and I work at the one in Anglès. It was a lovely hot day and my parents enjoyed exploring Girona, they said it was a very beautiful city.

The next day we drove to Sils and took the train to Barcelona. It was a very hot day so we looked like typical tourists in our shorts and t-shirts. An hour later and we arrived in Barcelona. Mum was feeling a bit tired so we took her for a coffee and then she soon perked up. After we had coffee we walked to Sagrada Familia and admired its beauty. The queues for the tour bus were huge at the Sagrada Familia, so instead we walked to a less busy neighbourhood and got on the bus there. It took us all around the sights of Barcelona while providing commentary about these different sights. Once we got off the tour bus we went for a light afternoon snack, before continuing to go on the bus again. The weather was great and I got slightly burned on my shoulder. We then went for dinner and had a delicious meal, before catching the last train back to Sils.

On Sunday, my parents wanted to take Ines and her husband out for a meal. Ines’ husband preferred to stay at home so Julia went with her grandmother instead. Ines drove us out to Lloret and Tossa de Mar. Next to Lloret de Mar is a beautiful place called Cala Banys and it reminds me of the Greek islands in the Mamma Mia film. It certainly was a magnificent sight to behold. After visiting this we went into Lloret and had lunch outside. It was a lovely treat for Ines and Julia. Then Ines drove us out to Tossa de Mar, which is an attractive seaside town with a stunning castle. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and returned home to change quickly and go to Calmariner, the local café where we all had tapas. We all had a good laugh and after Marta and Julia left, my parents and Marta’s husband Alejandro spoke to each other and told funny stories. It was soon time to go home and Dad drove us all back to the house. We had the sunroof down, as it was Spain, even at night the temperature wasn’t freezing. When my dad tried to drive uphill to the house the car started groaning. He soon realised that he was in the wrong gear! When he quickly changed to first gear, the smell of burning rubber hit our nostrils. Everyone laughed so much, but we couldn’t believe how fun that car ride was! It was another great day.

Monday was the last day before my parents returned home, so we aimed to make the most of it as much as possible. We drove to Espai Girones shopping centre in Salt where we purchased a few things and after that drove to Banyoles, where we had lunch at a restaurant overlooking the stunning mountains and lakes. When we had finished taking pictures we returned to the car and decided to take one last visit to Girona. There we had an ice cream. Mine was Ferrero Rocher and dark chocolate, which was really delicious! It was then time to return to Anglès where we had a delicious paella supper. The last night was really enjoyable, but there was a pang of sadness because I knew my parents would be leaving in the morning. I really enjoyed having my parents over to stay and meet the host family. I was sad when they left, but I knew it wouldn’t be long until I saw them again.

Enjoy the photos posted below. 

Until next time,

Rachel xxx

Setmana Santa

Hello everyone! I’m back this week with another blog post, this time about my Easter holiday. I know it’s been a few weeks since Easter, but I hadn’t got round to doing it yet. At Christmas time I went home but I decided to stay in Spain for Easter. Many people were either going home or travelling and I wanted to take the opportunity to do some exploring.

Plans changed since the English camp the week before totally wiped me out, so some days during the Setmana Santa (Holy Week in English) were spent at home sleeping and relaxing. On other days I went shopping in Girona and visited the seaside towns of Costa Brava.

On Good Friday, Ines and I drove to Girona and after parking our car, made our way to the centre of the town. In Spain there are a lot of towns which have traditional processions showing the story of the crucifixtion of Christ. Men and women dress up in pointed hats (called a capriote) and robes, while parading around the town carrying the cross of Christ  and different floats depicting Christ entering Jerusalem on a donkey all the way up to his burial in the tomb leading onto the resurrection.

Ines and I found a good spot to see the parade on La Rambla. It took a while to start, but finally the drums started and men dressed as Roman Soldiers marched down the street, followed by the men and women dressed in the robes. After the procession went by, Ines and I made our way through the narrow streets to the cathedral. We waited for a few minutes until we heard drums and staffs of the soldiers beating in rhythm. It was incredible sight to see. I felt sorry for the soldiers standing with their bare legs in the cold! Girona cathedral has ninety steps and it is usually tiring once you get up to the top, but probably not as tiring when you carry a big wooden cross!

The procession finally finished at midnight, where we were very tired but after having a coffee and hot chocolate, we then returned home, happy that I had experienced another tradition in Spain.

Photos are below. There will also be videos on the blog’s Facebook page. 

Until the next time!

Rachel xx

Camp

This week I had the opportunity to work as a monitor for Home to Home Total English school camp. What is a monitor I hear you ask? Well a monitor is someone who looks after children while they’re doing activities and to make the camp experience as fun as possible.

The camp lasted from Wednesday to Friday, however I had to be at the camp on Tuesday so we could settle in to the place and be prepared for the kids arriving the next day.  Ines my host grandmother drove me to the nearest train station in Sils and waited with me until the train for Barcelona arrived. Feeling nervous I boarded the train and set off for the camp. After arriving in Barcelona I had to take a bus to the company office which was based in Palau-Solita i Plegamans about 40 mins from the city centre. I expected  to meet other team members in Passeig de Gracia station but after scouring for wifi connection I phoned one of the team members and she told me that she would meet me near the train station around 3.30pm. I looked at the time on my phone and it was 1.40pm so I had just over two hours to kill. My stomach was rumbling so I decided it was time for food and there was a McDonald’s nearby. Yeah, I know what you’re saying. You’re in Barcelona and you’re having a McDonald’s. Why?

Well, for starters you don’t have to look like a sad person going into a restaurant alone (okay I know loads of people eat in restaurants alone, but I just don’t like to do it!) In McDonald’s it’s one of the places where you can eat alone and not worry about wishing there was someone you can talk to. I was absolutely dying for a Big Mac and I haven’t had one for a while, so I figured why not? Within half an hour I demolished my entire meal and soon headed out to find somewhere which had free wifi (as McDonalds didn’t have any). I then found an amazing bookshop called Casa Llibre, which not only sold Spanish books, but English, French and Italian ones as well. I had a little browse and checked my phone for wifi. It worked and I managed to Whatsapp the other team members about a meeting point near the Gaudi house which was across from where the bookshop was. At 3.30pm I made my way over to the meeting point and met up with the other team members. I met Carolina who was from Colombia, Donatela who was from Ecuador and Rory who was born in Barcelona to Irish and Scottish parents. After looking on Google maps we took a ten minute walk to the bus stop to Palau. There were other people who were on the bus going to the company office but to different camps and we had such a laugh, getting excited for the camps and discussing which age groups of kids were the worst behaved.

Arriving at Palau we met our coordinator Jordi, packed the van with the materials and our bags and made our way to Navés where the camp was. I met the other team members, Javiera from Chile, Cesca who lives near Barcelona and Ken from the Philippines. The journey was quite long so most of us were sleeping on the way there. Once we arrived we settled into our room where all of us slept in bunk beds. Normally I take the bottom bunk but as I was one of the last ones in the room I got the top bunk. Then  it was time for a short meeting so Jordi told us what was expected of us and what activities would be happening at the camp. After this it was time for dinner and then bed.

The next morning we had breakfast and then tried to decorate the place with pictures of England (which was the topic for the camp). We were soon finished and then it was the waiting game as the kids needed to arrive. It was agonising as we didn’t know what time they would arrive. Finally at 1 o’clock two coaches pulled up and the kids shuffled out waving excitedly. Soon the kids were settled into their rooms and it was time for lunch. The next few days were filled with activities such as a live version of the game Cluedo, where the children ran around finding out who the murderer was (SPOILER ALERT: It was the king in the London underground with the ninja star. I know, strange right?)  It started to snow before we went for dinner. Ken and Donatela were very excited as it was the first time they’d ever seen snow. The next morning when we went outside we looked at the woods and it was similar to that of a Christmas card.

We went trekking and told the kids to be careful as they were throwing snowballs. Due to the weather we changed the activities slightly. The weather wasn’t suitable for the original activities, so instead Jordi came up with an idea of having a snowman competition. It was so much fun to see the kids build their own snowman and in the end all the different teams won as Jordi couldn’t decide a winner. After that we had a detective workshop where the children got to trace their hands and put their fingers on inkpads and put fingerprints on their hand drawings. Using lemon juice, cotton buds and paper the children also got to write secret messages. When a candle was held up to the paper the secret message was revealed. Finally we had some free time to relax before dinner. In the room we had conversations about our romantic lives (mine is currently non-existent haha!) and what we were planning to wear to the disco as none of us really had any dress up clothes. The girls put on some make up but by the time I was ready to do mine, it was time for dinner and in the end I decided I didn’t need to wear any (it’s camp, so I’m lazy).

After dinner it was time for the disco. We joined the kids in the main building and they were all dressed up as different characters among them Minnie Mouse, Baloo from the Jungle Book, a policewoman and one boy who I thought was dressed up as Gru from Despicable Me told me he was dressed as a hipster (which was really interesting!) Soon the music started playing and we started dancing. The kids requested the song ‘Turn down for what’ by DJ Snake. The song is really annoying however when it starts playing you can’t help but dance to it. The song played five times and by the end it really irritated me. However the kids loved it and in the end the disco was for the kids. There were other songs played including ‘Picky’ which is a Spanish pop song and ‘Lean On’ by Major Lazer. It soon felt really hot and some of the kids were complaining about being thirsty. So I accompanied them to the dining room which we had to go outside for and I felt the sweet relief of cold air on my face.

They started playing ‘Uptown Funk’ by Bruno Mars when I returned to the disco. I imitated the moves from the music video and most of the kids were dancing with me and copying what I did. So it was a lot of fun. After the disco I was exhausted and we went straight to bed.

The next day was the last one. We only had four hours left of activities and we were going to make the most of it. This included a scavenger hunt where I had to read clues to my team about London. Once we found the pictures there were different challenges including the ‘Over and Under’ game (Google it) and all the team members threading a rope through the jumpers/shirts so that they were all attached in a circle. After this game it was time for our final activity: Treasure Hunt. I had a rush of adrenaline as my team and I run around finding and answering questions about England. Once we got all the questions we pieced together the clue and ran to where the treasure was. Our prize was a bag of lollipops and once it was finished we went to the dining room where we said thank you to the students for coming to the camp and having such a fun time with us.

After this we served the students lunch, so the teachers could have lunch at the same time as them. Then after lunch there were tearful goodbyes and once the coaches left it was time for us to have lunch. After enjoying our last meal at camp we took our luggage and packed it in the van which took us back to Palau. Then it was back to Barcelona city centre and for me on a train back to Girona – exhausted but so happy I took part in this incredible experience working with some great people.

Now it’s the Easter holidays so I can relax and enjoy some well deserved time off school! 

For more information check out Total English Home to Home on Facebook or their website http://www.hometohome.es/pages/totalenglish_ind (If you don't speak Spanish or Catalan you can use Google Translate, it gives you the jist of what it's about). 

TEFL Jobs Advice

Okay, so I was asked on the blog's Facebook page about any tips about how to get started in TEFL teaching. This is for those of you who are either thinking about, starting or have recently completed a TEFL course. As some of you know through a turn of events I have been fortunate enough to teach English in two different countries: Hungary and Spain. After graduating with a degree in media and having a hunger for learning about other countries cultures and languages, I decided the easiest way to do this would be to put my communication skills to good use. One thing which scared me about TEFL was that I would be living abroad alone. For a girl who had not lived outside of her native Scotland before was a terrifying thought. (Excuse the long story but I will get to the advice soon, I promise!)

Often in competitive job markets it's about who you know and not what you know. This isn't always the case in TEFL, although in my case my first job was exactly this. One of my closest friends was teaching in Hungary and after two years of being there, decided it was time to go home as she missed her family. The school would then have to look for a new TEFL teacher and she turned to me, as she knew I was completing my university degree and would look for employment after it. I also was  So, after a lot of thought and talking things over with my family I sent a letter of motivation to the school and I was accepted.

After the summer I was headed on a plane to a small town in northern Hungary to teach at a high school. It was difficult, but halfway through the job I  realised really enjoyed it and I was sad to leave because I had made so many connections there. I had secured summer employment as an EFL teacher with a summer camp company based in south east England.However,  I still felt that I wasn't ready to return to work permanently in the UK and had the means to live abroad for another year. I searched on the tefl.org website for jobs. I then came across a teaching assistant job in Spain, which is currently the one I'm working at. My official job title is Conversation Assistant, I live with a host family and experience a culture exchange. I also work at a nursery and primary school, where I organise games and activities to encourage children to speak English, assisting the English teacher in English and arts & crafts classes.

There are many different TEFL sites which have regular job postings. The one I used for the summer camps and Spain jobs is www.tefl.org.uk. This is the best one in my opinion, although there are other websites such as Tefl.com which are good too.

It's important to remember that jobs in Asia and the Middle East are better paid than jobs in Europe for example, but often these jobs can provide you with flight compensation, free accommodation or monthly living allowance. So while you may be earning less in Europe the company will provide you with certain benefits to make sure you have a comfortable lifestyle there. It's important to research the country before you consider applying or moving there, to know what the teaching salary is, how many hours a teacher works, visa requirements. While you can still TEFL without a university degree, you may be paid significantly less than those with one. Also countries such as China request their TEFL teachers have a university degree, even if it's not related to teaching.

Be wary of teaching jobs which requests their applicants to pay thousands of pounds as a start up fee. If you're not sure e-mail the company to ensure that there are no participation fees or how to apply. If schools ask you to send some money to them be wary as it may be a scam. Also ensure that you geta Skype interview with your future school to ensure that it is also not a scam. DO NOT send large fees abroad as your dream ESL job may just be imaginary. However do not worry because the legitimate jobs outnumber scams* and with a some research your new life will be just a few clicks (and a plane ticket) away...

*Information from www.gooverseas.com