Jess comes to Madrid | Placement update

So...

I'm currently 8 months (Oh how time flies!) into my placement here in Madrid and I now have just under two months to go. Days seem to be coming and going quicker than I expected but I really am trying to make the most of it before it ends. 

My students bring a smile to my face each and every day and I'm so proud of all them for learning so much English in the time that I have been here and how much their English has improved. I love them all so much and I hope we can make more memories together in the next two months I have left here! I never knew that these kids would make an impact on my life so much -- 

Right now, the topic in class is "Where we are in Place and Time". Recently, they've making collecting pictures of natural landscapes and making group posters with fellow classmates and in the end, they'll present their poster to the rest of the class. 

Jess comes to M A D R I D 

My good friend from University who is doing her placement in Germany came to visit me on 16.04. She only came for one night/two days but it was still a lot of fun. Jess and I are both members of Aston University's badminton club and we will also be flat mates in our final year of Uni. 

Madrid greeted Jess with pretty crap weather...heavy rain pretty much all day. I think there was about 30 minutes of no rain in total! And that is not exaggerated... Our weekend consisted of lots of 'sight-seeing' and yummy food. We had a very oriental weekend! ^__^ ...we also wanted to try this dim sum restaurant out but it was closed :( 

Jess eating the classic churros con chocolate !

And of course I had to take her to try the infamous llaollao

Our weekend went like this... 

On 16.04, I picked Jess up from the airport and we took the metro to our hotel in Argüelles. After our rocky check-in, we freshened up and then headed into central Madrid for some late lunch. We went to Udon...an oriental restaurant in the heart of Madrid; Sol. I've been wanting to try the restaurant out for a while now and I was finally able to do so! 

After filling our tummies, we went to see the Royal Palace of Madrid and also Temple de Debod. Despite the crap weather, we tried to do as much as we could! In the evening, we went to Gayagum for some delicious Korean food! :)

             

On Jess' last day, the sun came out...surprise! The sun was out and the temperature was warm - perfect! So where else to go than Retiro park?! We did some 'rowing' in the big lake before we headed for the airport.

Thank you so much for visiting me whilst also on your year abroad, Jess! I hope you enjoyed your short but sweet time in Madrid... and we shall meet again back in Birmingham when we're both back from placement. 

Tiffany 

Time flies when you're having fun | My first wedding abroad !

Second semester -- 

Second semester had flown by ever so quickly - it felt like I'd just came back from my Christmas vacation and I was already packing to go to my next vacation! I guess now that I'm used to living and working here, time goes by very fast because I'm always occupied. I've been pretty busy with University work as well as placement to be honest. Aside from working Monday to Friday at SEK, I now tutor three students every Saturday for two hours - I give them extra English lessons out of class so they don't fall behind! And I can already see so much progress :)

Work at placement is going well. I'm always very busy with coming up with new ideas to teach the kids new concepts and I'd like to think they are enjoying the work that I produce for them. My students speak more and more English to me each day and that alone makes me very happy. Compared to the start of placement, where none of them had the confidence to speak English to now, almost the entire class giving it a good go! Everyday is rewarding for me, personally. Seeing my students learn and grow as a person is amazing.

I'm hoping to visit a few more cities before I finish my placement; the likes of Salamanca etc. But these will have to be done around my University work schedule as I have a research project due in for May! ^^' so far, Sam (my roommate Samra) and I have booked a trip to Alicante for the end of May which will be hopefully be the perfect ending to our journey in Madrid. I'm really looking forward to it as the weather will be nice and warm! Right now, it's still cold(ish) and windy... not as bad as England though!

My first wedding abroad -- 

So, on Monday, 14th March 2016, I took the plane from Madrid Airport to Málaga Airport. Why? Because I was off to attend my cousin's wedding! The build up to this wedding for me personally was very exciting. I knew I was going to see all of my family and also in SPAIN. How often does this happen? Not very! At least not for me... Anyway, I took four days off work to attend Jenny and Leon's wedding in Benalmadena. The wedding was one of the most special occasions I have ever witnessed - every moment of it brought a tear to my eye. The hotel that we stayed in was just opposite a beach and had breath-taking views from the rooms. I joined my cousins in a suite room and could not have been more impressed! I'm going to let the pictures do the talking from here...

'Barcelona' table.

Bride and groom with the bridesmaids. 

The beautiful bride and groom - Jenny and Leon.

The days spent in Málaga with my family were superb and I wish we it didn't have to end but my next trip was to England for 10 days to spend the rest of my Easter holidays there. I managed to spend time with my friends and family, which is all I wanted! The one thing I missed the most is the food...home comforts! My 10 days went by ever so quickly and now I'm back in Madrid for the last stretch of my 10 month placement. I have around two and a half months left here as a teaching assistant and I'm ready to make the most of it and enjoy every moment that I can. I'm so grateful for the recent events I have been able to participate in ~ here's to many more memories to come!

- Tiffany

Goodbye, 2015... Hello, 2016!

To all my readers, 

I would like to wish you a very healthy and Happy New Year! 

Every individual has their own stories, their own backgrounds and struggles. Let's leave all the negativity behind and strive into the new year with a positive mindset. I wish every single person much joy and happiness as possible in 2016 and remember, never give up. Your dream is your dream and know that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. 

Spend time with your loved ones and never take their love for granted ~ 

I hope you have enjoyed my posts up until now and I will continue to produce even better ones for you to enjoy. 

Happy New Year, again!

- Tiffany 

A Day In A Life Of A Placement Student

The word "placement" may seem daunting to some yet exciting to others. What's great is that Undergraduate students are offered two opportunities in which you have to fight for (just like you would when you apply for a job) - a study and/or a work placement. The beauty of having choices and options is that you get to find something that is suitable to you, something that you enjoy doing and perhaps wish to pursue as your future job. Some students prefer to work, some prefer to study, some want to do both.

And me? I chose to work. 

I've been working as a Grade 1 Primary (5-6 y/o) TA (teaching assistant) for over three months now here in Madrid and I'd like to give a closer insight on A Day In A Life of a Placement Student! 

08:30am-09:10am

Wake up call and get ready for work. 

09:15-11:am ; first period

I arrive at work for 09:15am and begin working. 

After greeting other teachers and my students, I assign a 'captain of the books'. The students read English books every morning, either individually or in pairs and I sit with as many of them as I can to listen to them read and to offer support. From the first day I started, I've been able to see each student's capability in reading, writing, speaking in English. To this day, three months on, I can see much improvement by majority of my students. Hearing my students speak, read and write more and more English to me everyday is beyond rewarding. 

11:00am-11:30am ; break time

Break time is when I get to grab a snack and drink from the staffroom and hangout with the other GAP students here. Sometimes I work my break and carry on with any videos or worksheets I have to work on. 

Every Wednesday, I have duty. I am on playground duty during break time and second break too. I watch over the students along with another teacher and deal with any problems or conflicts that occur on the playground - which is usually the case of one student not wanting to play with the other. 

11:30am-12:30pm ; second period

12:30pm-14:00pm ; lunch break 

Usually, at 12:30pm, I take the class over to the dining hall and make sure they all sit down and eat their lunch. 

From 12:30-13:00pm, I pour the students' drinks, I make sure they are eating their lunch (some kids are very picky) and I help them with their change over. Honestly, it is a little tiring running up and down the tables making sure everyone is OK and hearing my name get called constantly gives me a headache (the students have to get permission to change their dish). 

13:00pm-14:00pm is my lunch. I eat at 13:00pm and I usually go back to my room after I've eaten to relax. Living just 5 minutes away from your workplace is very convenient. 

Every Thursday, I teach English to two primary students during my lunch break - one aged 8 and one aged 11.
14:00pm-16:00pm ; third period

In this period, the students sometimes have other subjects such as music, art, swimming.  

16:00pm-16:30pm ; final break 

The students get a further half an hour break at 4pm because their school day begins at 09:15am and ends at 5:15pm. This is quite an unusual time period for a normal school day but I guess it's because SEK is a private school! The students get a snack which is normally a sandwich, chocolate or fruit. 

16:30pm-17:00pm ; last period 

The last half hour is normally tidy up time where the class ends and there's a small re-cap on what has been learnt throughout the day. The students take quite a while to tidy up after themselves so that pretty much takes up the entire half hour! 

17:00pm-17:30pm ; bus route 

On Mondays, I finish work at 5:30pm because I take the kids to ruta (bus route) after school ends and my job is to keep an eye out on them whilst they get picked up by their specific teachers. The system is strange but it works. 

20:00pm ; dinner 

I have dinner with my colleagues (other GAP students) at the school dining hall everyday. All meals are provided - breakfast, lunch, dinner. This gets a little repetitive so sometimes I go out to the city or a nearby town to eat. 

Most days I finish at 16:00/16:30pm but on Mondays I finish at 17:30pm. To keep myself occupied, I have taken up tennis lessons at the University next door to work. I go to tennis class every Tuesday and Thursday at 18:30pm-19:30pm. On the weekends, I travel out to Madrid or try and make a day trip to another city. 

Any type of placement is not a restriction - especially if you are doing it abroad. It's really important to do as much as you can whilst you're out there; meet new people and travel to new places. 

- Tiffany 

Doing a placement abroad or any placement is a huge challenge. You must be brave and have a lot of courage to complete it. It's a new and different experience that takes time getting used to. Yes, it is tons of fun and offers you so much...but there are also minor struggles such as being homesick. Living in another country and getting used to its culture plays a big part. You must be open to trying new things.