Saoirse from Ireland. I’m more comfortable now with the thought of teaching abroad and arriving in a foreign school. This experience was a stepping stone into TEFL.

Saoirse 

Irish

Berga

My experience starting in the school was great. I was placed in the secondary school which is quite a lot smaller than the primary so it was easy to find my way round. Secondary school in Catalunya is only until 16 so I only had 8 different classes which was nice because I felt like I could get to know/remember students easily. The first few days were just settling in but instantly I felt comfortable around the teachers/school.

All the teachers I was involved in the classroom always asked what I wanted to do whether it was take groups, do presentations, games etc. and they made the whole experience very smooth.

 I was a little bit more intimidated at first about the thought of older kids but I quickly realized how much secondary school suits me and what I had planned for activities. I am very glad for the experience because now I know which I prefer. The students were always happy to see me and to be taken out for speaking activities. I played card games/basketball with them at lunchtime, I think this really helped to get on their good side ha ha. The kids will tell you jokes in English that don’t really make any sense but I promise it will be one of the funniest things ever. Having some humor, playing sports and even making handshakes will create good rapport and I think they will be more willing to engage with you.

I feel very lucky with my host family

I’m more comfortable now with the thought of teaching abroad and arriving in a foreign school. This experience was a stepping stone into TEFL. It was my first experience teaching so I think I developed confidence, knowing what to do and activities. Coming to Catalunya I had no idea what a TEFL classroom would look like.

My Favorite coffeeshop is La Magrana located in central Berga. They have a whipped iced coffee called a frappe and I think I have one every 2 days lol. definitely try!! My favorite bar/restaurant was Corpus. Lovely for a Vermouth on weekends and classic tapas/Catalan food in the evening. El Kom is a busier bar for the weekends. Another recommendation is Dickins, a nice place that gets the evening sun for coffee/beer.

I also recommend climbing up Queralt Mountain. There are a few routes you can take and all are nice. I got the opportunity to jump off the mountain (paragliding) and 100% recommend it if you like adrenaline.

If you are lucky enough like me to be in Berga for the major festival Patum (end of June) then you are in for an absolute exhibit of Catalan Culture, community and pride. Invest yourself in it and listen to how excited people get.

I wish I spent more time practicing some Catalan before I left, because even though you are here to speak English, I think it’s really nice to introduce yourself to the teachers/host family friends/ grandparents in Catalan. Practice how to say your name and where you’re from and maybe some basic phrases like good morning, how are you etc. etc. It will be a little confusing at first but in a few weeks, you will be able to understand more of the conversations around you. Although you are here to speak you will actually do a lot of listening.

Also, people love to practice English but it can be daunting for them to come to you so I recommend making the first move in asking questions etc. You will also learn so many names and it will take a few weeks to remember. Learn the teachers first and the rest will follow.

The students love to speak English and I found the majority of them engaging and keen to try. My groups were put into groups by levels and for some groups I could spend the whole day chatting away and other groups it was very basic speaking like what’s your favorite food/color etc. Teenagers like to debate so I recommend to discuss unpopular opinions etc. story cubes are a life saver and I definitely think it’s worth getting some, I was lucky my school had a few sets I could use. The kids roll the dice and have to make up a story depending on the pictures shown. They get very creative and can be very funny. It’s also a great way to learn new vocabulary. I always walked around school with story cubes in my back pocket as well as charade flash cards and a packet of normal playing cards. I did a few presentations as well, one about my home in Ireland another about New Zealand. I enjoyed doing the presentations and I would do a little quiz after.

Communication is how it will work, sit down to discuss weekend plans e

The best moment for me was my first day of school, not for the typical reasons. I was sitting eating lunch and the teachers were talking to me “we don’t have lights here in school” so we ate our lunch in the half dark staff room. I thought oh that’s strange but maybe it’s normal, I had been warned of culture shock. I left school and was walking home then I noticed all the shops were pitch black but had people inside shopping?  Also, everyone on the street was in groups talking, pointing and whispering… I thought they had probably heard about the new English speaker who had just arrived in town. Anyways I got home and it turns out it was the day of the nationwide power cut throughout Europe. The evening followed with all the neighbors bringing the chairs and tables out onto the street, whatever food you had at home on the table. Mostly wine, bread and tomatoes. Nobody knew what was going on but it was an excuse to get together. It was my favorite moment because I got an insight into the community/country I was about to start living in. I got to meet my neighbors and it was my first sit down dinner with my host family. Everybody was passing me food and wine. The lights came on around 10pm and we all started clapping but continued to sit outside together.

My favorite moments in school were the first few weeks, settling in and making a routine. My tutor Alba was awesome and I really enjoyed and talking with her

Berga is just below a mountain. I loved to hike/explore up there after school and I really enjoyed being outdoors so much. I was placed with another speaker and we got on well and would often hang out. It was really nice to get to know her and to have someone I could speak English with.

The host family invited me to climb Puigmal (mountain in the Pyrenees) . It was a hard hike but it was so rewarding and I enjoyed spending time with them. The little girl of my host family is 3 years old so only knew a few English words but most mornings she would ask me to do her hair with braids for school and that was super cute. I spent some time in Barcelona with the other Voluntary Speakers and it was nice to share experiences and explore Barcelona.  La Sagrada Familia is incredible and it’s definitely worth a visit. Girona was also a highlight, little streets, great ice cream and bars. Figueres (30 mins by train from Girona) , home of Salvatore Dali museum which has most of his original art was another highlight.

The more simple ones though were just having a laugh with the kids and teachers, playing with the host family kids in the evening time, people translating their conversations for me to be included.  It’s really special time and ended up going so fast.