1st Week in Spain

 

            Time flies and a week has passed. This is an overwhelming week, full of surprise and shock, which eventually faded off, and it left with joy. 😁

            I think I didn't expect that the incompetency of speaking Spanish can cause such a huge disruption in my daily routine that is typically mundane. I have to admit, without those lovely people who speak Spanish, I wouldn't survive this long. 😂 Mireya and Bethan always come to my rescue!! 

          At first, I was a bit frustrated, when I can't speak Spanish and ask for help in certain ways. Despite putting lots of effort in hand gestures, there is no idea I can find out what others are saying, because they are speaking in Spanish, and none of the words sound comprehensible to me. 

        However, I think, everything depends on our attitude and perspective. 

        Being in a country where you have no idea about its language is a kind of challenge, and it is definitely pushing me out of my comfort zone. It is absolutely the reason why I joined this program at the first hand, so I shouldn't have doubt my decision. Just go with the flow and embrace it. 

    Right now, I truly enjoy my life. In school, I have been assigned to a mentor, along with an intern. My mentor, Nuria and the intern, Davin are lovely people, who make my transition into the school an easier one. They have answered my seemingly endless questions with patience and high willingness. I liked the way my mentor being open-minded and allow me to design any lessons on my own without being restricted to the coursebook or syllabus. She is always generous in sharing her concepts and ideas about teaching and education. 

    This week, I have an overview about the education in Spain, and why the students in Spain behave slightly different from students in other countries. My mentor and I have shared our different perspectives on our own culture and what are the obstacles of adopting the ideal approaches into the real classroom environment, where students' behaviour has turned out to be an issue. 

    After a week observing the class, I suddenly realised how different it is to teach real learners. 

    Anyway, I love Marista San Jose; sometimes teaching pedagogy is the culture, it is something that lasts for decades and because of the whole education system, it is worth trying to use the pedagogy taught and experiment, however, having an immediate positive impact is very unlikely. 

    What is more interesting, at school, there is a teacher, who loves to teach me Spanish vocabulario every time he sees me. He is so humorous and fun, as he keeps on pointing to every thing surrounding me. 😂 I REALLY ENJOY SEEING HIM... He kinds of making my day. 

Since then, I know silla, mesa😂

Overall, it has been a great week, apart from the part where I have to wake up at 6am every day. For me, it is kind of a pain, however, weekends have arrived! 

Also, my flatmates are lovely! I enjoy talking with them using my hands and legs at the same time, as sometimes words fail me. 😂