With the lesson observation over, I'm feeling a lot more relaxed and enjoying my final few days here.

It's lunchtime so I'm sat outside on the beach, the sun is shining, there are dogs running about, some people swimming and a man even scuba diving! I wonder if he's spotted any fish yet.

This morning, I had my last English class with 4EPB and 7 students usually leave to have a speaking class with another teacher but none of them wanted to go! I felt so loved and even more so when they handed me the cards they had made for me. One girl had even used her mother's perfume to spray on it to make it smell nice.

Feliz San Valentín 💗

You Donkey.

•              Si sabrá mas el discipulo? (Might not the pupil know more?)

I saw this etching on Saturday, its by the famous Spanish artist Fransisco De Goya. The thought "Might not the pupil know more?" has stayed with me this week. When your trying to navigate 25 pupils, you can easily become overwhelmed and totally forget to appreciate the strange, beautifully expressive qualities of each child. You gotta ground your feet, keep your cool and enjoy the lessons your giving each other. What's it all about if not?

Some key lessons I'm learning:

1) Make it kinaesthetic. They need to move, so harvest that energy. 
2) Experiment with nomination techniques- give them alphabet letters and number cards. Keep them on their toes. 
3) Learn their names quickly. (I didn't and it would have made life so much sweeter)
4) Speak less. Gesture more! 
5) Don't explain....SHOW 

P.S. This experience has opened an exciting door for me. I will return to Spain in March and work with Language Kingdom as an activities leader in language immersion camps. That means teaching English via games and activities and spending springtime outside walking, surfing and chasing children. Enough said.

P.P.S I'm a big fan of donkeys, there affectionate and resilient. I reckon teachers could learn a thing or two from donkeys. 

La Burra es mi maestra.

2 days left...

Guys, I'm gonna be honest with you all.
When they told us back in UK at the prep week that "it's going to pass really fast", my left eyebrow was kind of brushing the ceiling.
I was thinking "How can 4 weeks pass fast?, God...if things go wrong, it will last forever!"
Well, when things go wrong, that's a great lesson to learn from ;)
So, if I could tell my previous self something, I would tell myself:
"Relax, time flows differently in Spain, and at the end of it all, you'll really miss it.."

The final week

I feel so sad that this whole experience is nearly over. This week, in particular, I have finally felt relaxed teaching. I haven't stressed myself out over planning each lesson in every detail, but allowed myself to see how the lesson is going and adapt some activities when needed. This is something I never thought I would achieve during CELTA as I have always been a big planner!

Another big positive this week has been the sun - we have really been able to see the best of A Coruna over the weekend. Its such a lively and friendly city, but without the overcrowding and high prices. This afternoon, Chloe and I had lunch and planned lessons together on the beach which made it not really feel like work.

Overall it has been a challenging but positive experience and I could definitely see myself coming back to A Coruna.

Before we leave we have lots of plans, mainly to enjoy tapas and Estrella.

Adios! 

Halfway through the final week

Buenas tardes!
I'm trying to mentally prepare for a lesson observation tomorrow with a secondary class, but I feel quite nervous about it all. I had a few last lessons with some students today and it'll be strange not to see their faces everyday. I'd grown quite accostumed to it (and them).

Here's a photo of the view from 4EPA this morning (before the children arrived of course). I think I'll miss this view.

Good luck to everyone with their observations this week!

I am quite sad to leave this place. It feels like I have just began to get to know it, the people and school. It is much more fun to teach when you know your class (and also more effective since they will be more receptive and you more engaged). The students can get a bit noisy occasionally (haha) and I still need to get better at managing it but they're a lovely bunch truly. A lot of them love me and I like being loved XD and I love them. Staying here has been a romance that has its inevitable end and it's painful to admit that. I will probably have to leave, unless I stay in a weird twist of fate. There's always the future I suppose... Anyway, good stuff and take your day as they come and all that.

Time flies - much like anything not tied down does in Moncada winds

These 3 weeks have gone by way fast. My time in here in Moncada + Valencia has been largely positive, whether it be punctuated by 20+*c heat or gale force winds, there has always been something interesting to see or do.

Highlights include:

-the impressive river bed park (ft. bulbous bottomed trees)

-the very sci-fi museums/centres at the south-east end of said park

-the natural history museum

-the fine art museum (ft. goofy renaissance era art)

-getting lost in the old town/northern part of Valencia 

-La Vitti for good live music but not for their watered down tinto!

-Cafe Berlin for good music and cheapish drinks

-La Fabrica de Hielo, where we inexplicably saw a very good mariachi band   

-La Paca, a quaint and cosy bar selling great tapas 

School wise, I've used silly voices, tried and failed to correctly pronounce any students' names, built LEGO-esque models that demonstrate simple infra-red technology, accepted half chewed sweets from 2 year olds, bumped into half of my students out of school (in this tiny, tiny town) and am currently working on a lesson that pulls from a dubious Welsh myth, that I may have entirely fabricated myself to work with the target language.  

(formatting photos on here is hell so here is a quick compilation)

(clockwise from top left - thicc trees, big legs, excellent painting of a historical event, the 'Hemisfèric', the park next to the science museum)

Taking some time to reflect

As we're entering the final week, I'm taking some time to reflect on all the new experiences and varying emotions I've felt throughout my time here. 

As someone who wasn't totally sure she wanted to enter into teaching and who used to feel such stage fright and trembling nerves when speaking to a group of strangers, I've enjoyed this experience. I may have felt nervous about some of the things I was teaching but didn't feel at all nervous in front of the children, which surprised me.

I won't say that this has been a huge turning point for me and that I've suddenly found a love for teaching or a concrete career path that I want to pursue forever. But I will say that I now know that it's something that isn't completely out of my reach or abilities. More than anything, for me, I'd have to say that this experience has been about confidence building and I've enjoyed getting a bit more creative with the children. I hope they've enjoyed it too.

On another note, I went for a potter around town yesterday and found some wonderful independent bookshops and ecological shops. I bought a soap for my mum that smells divine (orange, argan oil, lavender and something else that I can't remember) and a book for me. I'm looking forward to giving it to her next week.

Here are a couple of photos I took yesterday.

The Grammar Gameshow - BBC Learning.
Am I the only one who didn't know about this? ( actually I know I'm not as my flat mates hadn't heard of it either!). I used it to consolidate learning around Reported Speech (episode 23) and the students (and the teacher) loved it. I followed it up by creating a TV studio in the classroom and devised numerous roles. I gave the 'naughtiest' student (i.e. Very Bright but Easily Bored) the job of Studio Manager - his role was audience control and also holding up the 'Cheer', 'Clap' and 'Boo' signs.  One of the shy kids was The Scorer, 3 others were the Participants and 12 members of the 'audience' asked the questions. It went down really well and I'd feel confident to use it again. Hope I can come up with something as creative for my observed lesson next Friday (yikes!).

Can't believe we are going into our last week - it's too short! At least 2 more months!!!!
Good luck everyone for next week.

Hola. It is thursday today and tomorrow is friday..Really looking forward to the last weekend >.<
I have started two new projects with two diffrent classes that I´m really excited for. I hope they finish it before I leave.
The boys kept complaining about how boring arts and crafts is so I decided on this...
1st project is a board game they will be designing. Since the boys like sports and football so much they will be doing a board game related to that. The other groups are doing music, religion, sports, science and maths. They would rather mix it up the questions.
2nd project is a theatre play. They will design their own theatres and write their own scripts. Once they have finished, they will present the play infront of the whole class.
excited on what they will come up.

Went for a walk with one of the teachers, showing me around the area. It was really fun.
Going out with some Spanish friends I met this weekend- EXCITED <3

Done writing for now... ADIOS x

Medio Camino

Just after the halfway point now and it's definitely been a bit of a whirlwind. Some lovely moments and some more trying times too, but overall it's been an incredibly worthwhile experience already. With such a busy few weeks both in Chester and in Spain maybe I shouldn't have been surprised that this weekend my body just needed some down time. On the positive side it gave me the chance to reflect on the experience so far:

I think I've been incredibly lucky to be in a lovely school that has a truly community feel. My mentor and all the other teachers have been so friendly. It only makes me wish I had brushed up a bit more on my Spanish before I got here so I could get a bit more involved. The students are always interested in what you're doing so you don't get much downtime in school though!

I've also had some great times with the other UKLCers out here. We live slightly north of Valencia so it's always nice to venture into the city and meet up with the other half of our cohort. We've discovered some delicious food, great drinks and escaped from a post-apocalyptic future together! Me & Marina also got to go and watch a football match at the Mestella which was great fun.

Now I'm going to try to regroup and make the most of the time we have left here.

Hope all is well with the A Corunians!

Some days are better than others

After the loveliest weekend exploring art galleries and filling our tummies with tapas and laughter I must say this week has been a bit difficult so far. But hey, it's only Tuesday so there's still plenty of time for it to improve! 

I've had a couple of lessons with the ESO students (those who shalt not be named) where they are really loud and noisy and I've struggled to get their attention. It's mainly just shouting over each other or speaking when one person is sharing an answer or presenting an idea they've worked on. Any tips??

I think I'm also a bit anxious to be doing some more grammar based lessons because I want it to be fun and find things like countable and uncountable nouns tricky to explain.

On the upside, the weather is warmer and it hasn't rained for a few days! 

Un saludo desde A Coruña :)

La Paz

It all makes much more sense 2 weeks in. You understand the rhythms of your days. Decisions come easier. And the bonds between you and the school develop. Given the opportunity I would happily sign up to stay here for many more months. 

Week 2 at Salesianos was special for many reasons. Celebration were being held for 'la dia del Paz' (the day of peace). I attended a ceremony with cherubs lighting candles, paper doves and dancing. Thursday and Friday were the anniversary of Don Juan Bosque the patron saint of the school. To mark this occasion, we created 100s of tradition hats to wear at mass and munched on donuts and thick hot chocolate. The year 6's heard party games for the rest of the primary students. It was pure sugar fuelled mania. 

Half way through...already!

I can't believe we are half way through our time in A Coruna already. It feels like I blinked and missed 2 weeks.

The start of last week was kind of chaotic...my tutor at school tore his Achilles tendon. So, my timetable changed around a lot and I am now teaching some Bachillerato classes as well as 1 ESO, which are very different challenges! Anyway, I got into the swing of things and everything is still going well.

Our school celebrated 'Juan Bosco' day on Friday, which meant no lessons but lots of activities. It started with mass (which I decided to skip), followed by hot chocolate and donuts for everyone (which I was 100% there for) and then games and activities for the rest of the day! The kids absolutely loved it. I stayed until lunch to see what was going on and then our main tutor at school (Merce) took Chloe and I out for tapas and wine. The tapas was amazing and Merce was so generous and paid for everything. It still amazes me how kind and generous everyone here is.

This weekend has also been really fun...we had a tour of the city on Sunday and for the first time in 2 weeks it actually didn't rain and we had sun! I loved seeing all of the cities main attractions and learning stuff about its history.

Now I am into my third week it is taking me a lot less time to plan lessons. I am more confident to try new things...and adapt them to work better for next time. 

Until next time...

End of the second week!

Guys, I don't know about you but we had the classes decorated with movie posters, props and all kinds of really fun themes!
We had movie viewings, we had popcorn, improvised sets and lots and lots of photos!
Last class I was in had a sad movie playing and it left almost all of the kids in tears, and I saw the kids who weren't crying trying to hug and comfort the kids who were crying.
it broke my heart, guys....it was really beautiful.
We can all learn things from our students!

Peace out!

Crazy and beautiful!

There's nothing quite like it....Facing your fears, that is.


Walking into a classroom filled with teenagers, you start to remember all the weird and boring stuff your teachers used to do, and you keep saying to yourself "this time it's gonna be different, I'm gonna be different! I'm gonna be the cool teacher, I'm gonna play great games, I'm gonna be that teacher that's gonna keep the students at the edge of their seats!"
So you start smiling, you get confident, you stroll around the board with a weird smile on your face and then you look at the schedule and see.....you're the technology teacher!
You're the guy who has to make formulas fun!
You're the guy who has to creatively teach them about maths, engineering and lots....and lots....of formulas.

Heart's pumping...Palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy, something about spaghetti....


You know the drill, right?

But I survived, two classes of technology, one after another.

Who knew I could find and teach similarities between football and electricity? (hint: the electron's the ball)
They didn't know that was possible, the resident teacher didn't expect it, the students were surprised (well...probably confused too, but, I'll just focus on the surprise part for now)
That moment when you goo too deep in the football metaphor and you look at the resident teacher for help and he looks confused back at you......Priceless!


Listen, what I'm blabbing on about is this: I made it, I survived it and I lost a fear on the way. If I can do it, EVERYONE can do it!


Peace out!

Holaa Beautiesz <3

This week has been a bit of a nightmare. spent half of the week in bed sick with a temperature, sore throat and an ear ache. Staying at the hotel was sooooooooooo boring and I was missing my cute lil students :( but I´m getting a lil better WOOOOOP. Went into school today (Friday). Shoved tissue in my ear to help with all the noise ( we know how cute and loud those spanish children are :P)  The weather is absoloutly horrible today OMG. It´s raining and I do not have the right shoes..... going to go home with wet feet YUKK. Got a lesson in an hour so I´m free to ramble on for abit :P

I found an exciting Music lesson about SuperHeroes that I´m really looking forward to teach in an hour.
I hope the children are excited as I am hehe
Heres the link

https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/songs/amazing-superheroes
The song and the activity worksheet with it

The children at the school all had a project to do this week. Each class has a movie and they have decorated their walls and doors. My favourite is Harry Potter.... OMG HE IS SO SO CUTE. I absoloutly love cute things ^.^ So when I call you cute ;) know that I like you <3

LOOK AT HOW CUTE HE IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As we're coming to the end of our second week teaching, I thought I'd upload some of my pictures so far. I'm teaching at Esclavas (It means slaves in case you were wondering, not sure what that makes me), which can be seen in the last photo, it's the yellow building to the right of the stadium. Pretty cool location! I've loved walking along the prom every day.

I remember when we were doing our training and Chloe told us that the kids would love us, we were all a bit skeptical of this and I definitely remember thinking - but how do you know? They might not. Turns out Chloe was right, they adore us and the feeling is mutual. At the beginning of my stay here I preferred teaching primary but as it's progressed, I've got to admit that I'm kind of enjoying secondary a lot more than I thought I would. I've managed to remember a few names which goes a long way with the children (if I had a bar of chocolate for each Carlota I'd met, I'd be very content and probably quite fat).

¡Hasta la próxima!

Exploring Valencia

As we come to the middle of the second week in Valencia, I can safely say I am loving my time here! The first couple of days at the school were quite overwhelming however I feel I've settled in now. All the teachers are so friendly and VERY overworked so are grateful for my helping hand. All my nerves I initially had about teaching have vanished and I am happily and confidently able to create fun and interactive lessons with my students. I'm planning at lesson at the moment for a Bachiller oral class which is the equivalence to ALEVELs in England. I've chosen the debate topic 'Does social media cause more harm than good ?' which I'm very excited to teach.

Valencia is such a beautiful city and there is so much of it I still haven't seen. On every street there's at least a dozen eateries that are so cheap! I could definitely see myself living here.

The 'Beep' Game and 'Phrasal Verbs in a Hat'

So I'm been teaching 20 mins slots in most lessons up to yesterday which was my first hour-long lesson with 4b which, lucky for me was on Phrasal Verbs - quite fun to teach! I started with 'Simon Says' which definitely lifted the energy in the classroom! (Excuse the over-use of exclamation marks but my life seems made up of them! - see what I mean? ). The 'Beep' game was a little trickier but luckily I got to adjust it when I repeated the lesson with 4a an hour later. 'Phrasal Verbs in a Hat' was simple, all the ones covered were put in a hat, each group pulled out 4 and had 10 minutes to write a news report (the topic for that unit), each story was then read out - some great and wacky ones! Btw Emil, 'The Sneeze' is working like a dream :), so Ta for that.

Must post some photos next time of Valencia - Old Town and Beach especially - gorgeous!

Mid point of week 2

After an amazing weekend in Valencia catching up with my Dad and exploring the city I must admit I was a little sad to return to Moncada. As someone who has grown up used to cities, living in a small town is a hard adjustment. There just isn't much life or buzz on these streets.

That being said walking into school now is rather like what I imagine the famous life is. Kids calling your name every few seconds, high fives, hugs, being spoken at in fast Spanish (which half the time I get the gist of or I smile and nod anyway and the the kids are happy!)

I'm fond of my classes although am finding it harder to click with my teens. The experience with little kids has been lovely because they're just full of love and enthusiasm whereas teens you have to work for it. I have a new sympathy for all of my secondary school teachers (If any of you are reading this - I'm sorry!)

I've been volunteering at Schola too after school usually Mondays and Wednesdays, which means I get to have a catch up with Peggy too! I enjoy the atmosphere here and the extra experience I'm gaining.

Peaceeeeeee!

First week
Going to school and teaching is absolutely great. I'm learning so much already. I love my students and the teachers who work there.
The food is delicious. But I really dont know how people here can eat at 9pm. It's so late and I'm afraid of gaining so much weight by the end of my trip here. Oh the worries. I went to the beach on Saturday with 2 cuties and ended up meeting these lovely hot Spanish men. Had a good chat and will be meeting again sometime this week.
Sunday went to Santiago ^.^ it's so beautiful. The view is stunning and EVERYTHING is made out of rock. AMAZING!!
Met this 20 year old cute waiter who kept giving me free food. 2 aubergine soups and an omelette hmmm.... absolutely yummy. Anyway enjoy the pics and adios

One week down...

I have now been in A Coruña for just over a week and it is safe to say it has been one of the most overwhelming weeks, full of ups and downs.

From the first day at Colexio Salesiano our mentors and all the other teachers have made us feel SO welcome. They are extremely supportive and available all the time to ask questions or get advice from.

The first lesson I taught was on Wednesday and was, to be honest, a bit of a disaster. But, after a few tears, a pep talk from Emile, and some tough love from my tutor, I went and taught the same lesson again the next day and it worked x100 better with a younger group.
From there, it has all been uphill. I'm really looking forward to experimenting with some of my lessons and trying to veer away from the coursebook as much as possible - as I feel I have used it as a bit of a safety net so far.

The biggest lesson I have learned from my first week teaching children is: however many activities you would plan for teaching adults, double it. Not only do they get bored (and start speaking in Spanish) if the activity goes on too long, but they just seem to get through all the activities a lot quicker than I expected...and I learned the hard way that running out of activities is the worst case scenario.

Anyway, I am going into week 2 feeling a lot more confident and prepared for the week ahead!

First Week in A Corunna

It's been a non stop whirlwind week from the introduction to the timetables and teachers to the day out in santiago, it is all cylinders go. The people and the children are lively and friendly, if you haven't got the energy it will come! So far I have told the students some things about Scotland and tried to remember their names, like eric said the kids shouting your name is a great thing. Adjusting to the spanish schedule has been tricky as anticipated and some of the kids have been stricken with colds but it should make you all the stronger.

The Spirit of Experimentation.

Salesiano is a hive of activity and celebration, which we have been welcomed into with such warmth and enthusiasm. 

Merce my mentor here, is an energetic and passionate teacher, with 14 years of experience at this school. Each day she encourages me, and helps me understand my new surroundings. She often reminds me that we are all here to learn from one another...student to teacher, teacher to student and teacher to teacher. I am trying to carry this sentiment with me...observing and absorbing, but not just repeating what I see. 

This month is all about the spirit of experimentation. As a new teacher you can feel insecure. You may want to copy what you see, to be on the safe side. Or you may hold back from trying new,  untested and high energy activities, for fear of loss of control and combustion. I am trying to challenge these tendencies and see this as the ultimate opportunity to test-drive my half grown ideas. So far its paying off. 

This week I have entered my students into "The Worlds Worst Cake Competition 2019", they have strutted down the catwalk in my clothes, designed Super-Banana heroes that can peel their own skin and made Cubist faces in cardboard.

Its been fun.
Lets do it again sometime. 

The people in A Coruna are lovely and the atmosphere is very calm. The people here are some of the nicest that I met. Some of the scenery is beautiful like the beach and center. The weather has not been Hawai-an but it is not bad and has its own charm (I suppose). The first week has been hectic and it still is, getting used to the timetable, classes and teaching. However, the cons are not particularly bad since the feeling of being here - the previously mentioned atmosphere, people, the bars where various types crowd in the evening to have a drink or watch a football match is quite unique. I know Chloe mentioned how lovely the people are here and I see what she means now. It also feels great when the kids/students shout your name in school corridors as if you were a rockstar.

Alive and well in Valencia

Where does the time go? Between teaching and having fun there doesn't seem to be a lot left for communicating - complaints from my Family 'Mum, Gran, what's happening?'. Well 'what's happening is A Lot! I've been very, very fortunate with my placement at Familia Sagrado - Blanca, my mentor and the teacher I spend most time with couldn't be nicer - so supportive, warm and firiendly. In the classes (16 out of the 20) there is Blanca, Elaina - a trainee teacher and me. She has divided the classes into 3 groups with 3 X 20 mins. slots which are rotating so for every class I have been preparing 20 min. lessons, this has been a nice gentle lead-in to me teaching 2 X 1 hour classes on Tuesday next. Yikes!! Will let you know how they go.

Otherwise and also very fortunate with my flat mates, just a shame all 7 of us here in Valencia couldn't be living together. We've had our first Night out on the Town which was a 'lorra, lorra, fun!' (say no more) and I just Loved the Escape Room experience on Friday.

All in all things are pretty good, though I still get nervous before teaching, especially during preparation when my brain seems to freeze for long periods, I know all will be well and soon as I actually begin - in my mind anyway, haha! Let's see how the observed lessons go though... Best to you all, d. :)

One week down

1/4 weeks down and it's been an interesting one so far. Everyone seems to be getting on well with their students - it's so nice that they all greet you by name when they bump into you on the stairs or in the corridor. Spanish secondary school students are quite loud in their classes so it can be challenging to get their attention at times. I've really enjoyed teaching primary schoolchildren because everything is still so new and cool to them and they really are curious about absolutely everything. It's wonderfully refreshing.

This weekend, we went to Santiago de Compostela by bus (about an hour away) and were blessed with blue skies and sunshine. Looking forward to what next week brings!

First week at St Juan, Jesuitas Valencia.

The first week in Valencia has flown by! St Juan, Jesuitas is a big school with over 2000 pupils, and would be imposing if not for the friendly and welcoming staff and pupils. I have taught a number of lessons, assisted the staff and made friends in a short period of time. The workload is reasonable and there is time to prepare. For the most part I have been working within the syllabus as the students are preparing for upcoming exams and there is a requirement to cover the relevant material. However there is room for creativity and applying CELTA and UKLC techniques to liven things up.
 Outside of teaching we have enjoyed  a team-building activity in the form of an escape room experience which was great fun. Valencia itself  is an amazing city; we are 20 minutes walk from the beach and the food,culture and weather is fabulous.
 I am looking forward to developing my teaching practice and exploring this amazing city during the coming weeks.

Chester to Valencia/Moncada

After a whirlwind week of training and copious amounts of food in Chester we arrived on Saturday night into Valencia. All a little disorientated it took the Sunday to get acclimatised to Moncada (a process that, in truth, is still ongoing).

 Before we knew it Monday was upon us. Nervous, excited and with a belly full of bread I made my way to my school (a mercifully short 10 minute walk from the apartment). Despite circling the building to find the correct entrance I arrived with plenty of time and was met by our UKLC coordinators and the representatives from SCHOLA (Andrea x 2). It was a lovely way to be introduced to the school and my incredible, and very energetic, tutor/mentor. I must say I really appreciated the introduction and support that gave me on my first day. I shouldn't have been as apprehensive because my tutor is genuinely one of the friendliest and most welcoming people I have ever met.

Similar to Chester this first week in Moncada as been a bit of blur trying desperate to take on a lot of new information and situations, however I do feel I have started to find my feet now. Despite some communication breakdowns and lack of clarity of my expectations within my role at the school I'm starting to feel more settled and think I have started to earn the trust of my tutor and have been slowly given more responsibility. Though it does seem you have to be clear, firm and sometimes direct to get to that stage, something which can be daunting when you are taking on so much newness.

All in all despite some ups, downs, worries and confusion I am started to feel more settled at the school and outside of it too. It has been great and I would highly recommend seeing the city, taking in the beauty and also just trying to have some fun if nothing else to stop your mind from being flooded with teacheriness. Something my tutor has insisted upon! #loveyouMaribel #Moncadalife #blessed #hashtag

Oh also it was cold as hell for the first few days, which I did not pack for! Luckily things have started to warm up now.

The training and first week in Moncada

The past couple of weeks have been a bit of a blur, however I feel like I left London 100 years ago. The training was very intense but it was great to get to know each other and get back into CELTA/teaching stuff. After not having done much since I went back to full time work waiting to start the ERASMUS project. The dorm bed was probably one of the most uncomfortable I have ever endured but 3 square meals a day was a real luxury.

First week in Moncada has had its ups and downs. I think I'm trying to adjust to a slower pace of life as I'm definitely used to the noise and feel of a city, so this is quite different for me. The school I'm placed in is loud and vibrant. The smaller children in particular seem to have really taken to me and I to them. I've received one picture and a handmade rainbow and more hugs than I can count (I'm sure a virus is to kick in anyway as there are so many going around) I've spent about 3 nights doing extra hours in the Schola for more experience and do enjoy the smaller groups to teach.

 I'm definitely looking forward to my weekend off as I'm feeling really worn down just from all the early mornings and long days. It's a good kind of tired though. I'm really hoping something great comes from all of this job wise, whether I would stay in Spain or not I don't know. I am keen to learn Spanish still but I think a bigger city would be more ideal for me. I also am missing London even though all I do is talk smack about it. Considering the weather there though I think I'll stay here for now. Saying that though our flat is pretty arctic, Spanish architecture is not made to keep the heat in.

Adíossssssss!

First Day

It begins. My initially, bubbling stomach of nerves was swiftly settled by the unexpected arrival of a Wisconsin giant/fellow teacher and the overwhelmingly welcoming nature of the other staff at the school. Due my absolute inability to pronounce my own name naturally I'm going by Oliver for now. After introduction were done I sat in on 3 English classes and 1 relaxing art class to gauge the teaching styles, the English levels of the students and general lesson feel.

I'm now watching a tiny rooftop-dog prance about whilst I make a shopping list think up some interesting things to share with the students about Wales.

Chester training week

The training week in Chester has been intense but enjoyable. I have loved meeting everyone from UKLC and experiencing their different teaching styles and approaches.
The lessons have definitely given me loads of ideas and things to consider ahead A Coruña.
In particular, it has been really useful getting some techniques/adaptations for teachingyounger learners and having the chance to put these into practise on the final day.My favourite part of the training week, however, has got to be the first aid session with Keith,who (in the nicest way possible) was mad.

I have also loved meeting all the other trainees. It has been really reassuring to speak topeople with very similar experiences and realise - ‘we’re all in the same boat’.I just wish we could all go to the same place! Although I have gone through many cyclesof being nervous and excited so far, I am now just mainly excited to go to the school and get started.

Hasta luego!

I arrived tired and a little apprehensive in Chester for the start of the training week. From the offset the team of highly qualified and experienced tutors made me feel welcome and helped build my confidence through a well designed training program. The best way that I can describe the experience is as an expansion of CELTA exploring  practical techniques for teaching younger learners, but without all the stress. Although the training hours are long there has been time to explore the charming city of Chester and if you are at sessions at the river side campus; I would recommend  walking along the riverside and old city walls. There has also been opportunities to socialize and bond as a group through pub visits and fun activities. The week has flown by and surpassed my expectations. Tomorrow we fly to Valencia and the adventure continues!

The first week of the course has seen us inundated with teaching tips and tricks, all of which I've done my best to absorb for future use. Although there's been a lot of input, the teaching has been really varied and interactive, which has made the sessions enjoyable. It's a huge relief to get to know some the other people on the project, and talk about our fears and expectations. It's also a relief to find out the schools we're going to and get our timetables, although it all seems a bit terrifyingly real now! Living in Chester University accommodation has also been a lot of fun, and allowed me to fully take on the 'student role'. The mixture of excitement and apprehension was very reminiscent of Fresher's week. Overall this week has been great, it has refreshed what I learnt on my TEFL course and has given me loads of inspiration for class planning. I can't wait to get to Valencia and see the city, and put what I've learned into practice.