Klaire from Canada. It was so nice to form a unique and hopefully forever bond with my host family. I also never expected teaching English to teach me so much about kids and the learning process

Klaire

Canadian

Tarrega

Everyone in the school- staff, students, and even parents- was warm and welcoming. I developed a good relationship with the teachers that I am involved closely with. Even bonding with them outside of school hours. I was helping with primary students, and mainly, my “task” was being with 4-6 students at a time in the hallway. Depending on the age and what unit they were studying, I would help them with some sort of pre-planned activity that involved practicing speaking English. A few times I got to come up with my own activities, making games or Kahoots. The teachers were always open to suggestions, feedback, etc. If you want to assist more, you just need to take the initiative. The students were always saying hello to me in the hallways or even in the streets outside of school hours. Hugs and personalized gifts were common as well.

At first, the language barrier was extremely challenging as the host mom speaks little to no English and the host daughter is the same. The host dad speaks English, but it was also challenging to understand him sometimes. With lots of effort, time, and charades, we got to an understanding. My host family was extremely accommodating. When I got sick, they bought me medicine and made sure I was okay. They were lenient with me wanting to go out and explore the town at night or go on weekend getaways sometimes. We didn’t get to do activities during the week as their schedules were very busy, but on weekends, sometimes we would go explore other small villages nearby, teaching me about the culture and history. Overall, they made me feel very at home.

Overall, a wholesome experience. It was so nice to form a unique and hopefully forever bond with my host family. I also never expected teaching English to teach me so much about kids and the learning process. It did take me by surprise just how small the town is, but it made me explore other towns nearby more, which I am grateful for. Another thing that took me by surprise was the lack of public transportation, making it a bit difficult to get around since I don’t have a EU driver’s license. I had to rely on BlaBla Car or my host family.

I would have liked to have done more activities after school on weeknights as weekends get booked up quickly. Also a warning ahead of time of the difficulty of being able to get around due to lack in transportation. Highly suggest BlaBla car!!

Try to speak with all of the teachers whenever you can, even if their English is not great or they are shy. A lot of them are very kind and will ask you to do things outside of school if the bond develops. Visit Salou, a nice beach town full of young people, as well as LLedia, a bit of a bigger town, good museum and shops. Kiriku bar is a lively bar and across from it is the bus station and an event space that holds parties on some Saturdays. Nostalgics and Limo were my favourite restaurants. Pub La Via is great for a night out, with good music. Sant Jordi is a great, well-equipped gym.

Take initiative with planning activities. Make an effort to talk to the staff at lunch or in the hallways. When entering/exiting a room, always say hi/bye out of respect. Participate as much as you can in their culture, and when they invite you to do/try/learn things, step out of your comfort zone and try it.

Try to communicate with them about everything to make sure nothing gets misunderstood, as there is not only a language barrier but also a cultural barrier. Pay attention to their behaviours and how they do things, and try to respect that and do the same. Be cautious not to leave lights on in rooms that aren’t being used, turning wifi off on phone, ask when a good time is to do laundry as its more expensive during the day, asking how you can help with dinner, cleaning, etc. Being together for meals is important. Think of fun games you can play with them from home. Or anything else that you can bring from home to teach them, books, food, etc.

One of the highlights for me was the Carnival. At school, the week building up was so much fun as there was a planned funky item of clothing to wear each day of the week. On the Friday, the teachers got together and we all dressed up in the same costume and made a dance to perform in front of the whole school. Each class participated and it was so much fun seeing everyone’s costumes and performances. On the weekend, there was a parade that I was also involved in with the school. Prior to the parade, on the weekends, we would all get together and make our costumes, so it was so rewarding to see everyone’s costumes at the end. Walking in the parade was so much fun because everyone in the town came out to participate and watch. Less specifically, the bond I formed with the little girl is something I will cherish and never forget.

I have no regrets about joining this program, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is open-minded and up for the challenge of learning to live with a host family and learn their language and culture. I would say that it is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you to not only teach English but also learn first-hand what it is like to experience an entirely new culture.