Why did you decide to volunteer with MyFamilyAbroad in Spain?
Will: I was looking for a chance to spend some time in Madrid and learn Spanish. After researching the options that were available, MyFamilyAbroad offered the best package for me. The fact that the MyFamilyAbroad team had personally met the host family was a huge positive as well as the fact that I could teach English without any previous experience or qualification. Having all accommodation and meals provided for the entire time I was there was an added bonus.
What made this experience unique and special?
Will: I had a brilliant relationship with both of my host families and my interests had been matched up perfectly with theirs. I am still in contact with them and one of the houses is now my “home in Madrid”. This is what made the experience unique.
I had initially gone out to Madrid to learn some Spanish and experience living there for a bit, but I hadn’t foreseen just how strong my relationship with the two families would become.
How has this experience impacted your future?
Will: This experience has cemented in my mind the fact that I would like to live in Madrid in the future as I really felt like a Madrid citizen while I was there, and I can’t wait to go back. I will continue to learn Spanish in London and I am also considering going back to teach English.
Whatever I end up doing, my definite aim is to live in Madrid some time in my life. I doubt I would have come to this conclusion had it not been for my fantastic experience while I was out there, so I couldn’t recommend the MyFamilyAbroad programme more.
Morning: I attended Spanish lessons every weekday in the centre of Madrid. I left the house just as the family were waking up and caught the train into Madrid. Sometimes I got a lift from my host father if he was driving into work in the morning, which gave me a good chance to talk to him about a wide variety of subjects. I had four hours of lessons each day and I got to meet all sorts of different people there, some of whom I am still in regular contact with. The lessons themselves were excellent – I went from knowing about twenty Spanish words to being able to have conversations with people in the street during my time there.
Afternoon: I got back from my Spanish lessons at about 3pm and the family had lunch waiting for my return. I then had a couple of hours to myself before the children got back from school, which I would usually spend on the internet; doing my Spanish homework, or watching the television. I gave the children their English lessons once they were home. They always wanted to play either Monopoly or football, and I was happy to play any games with them as long as they were engaged and practising their English. These were my official volunteering hours and although they could sometimes drag on a bit, I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the children – especially when they were keen for me to help them with their English.
Evening: I was happy to spend many of my evenings with my host family, and we spent a lot of time doing activities together. On some evenings, I would go back into Madrid to watch a football match or go out with friends. There was a 24-hour bus service back to the house, so I didn’t need to worry about getting stranded. As a massive football fan, I was delighted at the number of football matches that I could watch while I was there – everything from Real Madrid v Barcelona to CD Guadalajara v Barcelona B. During my final week, a few friends and I became regulars at a couple of bars in the centre of the city, and it was a fantastic experience of Spanish culture.
Highlights: There were so many different highlights from my trip that it’s very difficult to pick out a single one. The highlights with my second family were when the children would independently come up to me outside of our actual lessons and start a conversation in English. This made me realize how keen they were to learn English and how appreciative they were of my volunteering.
There were a lot of highlights in terms of the overall trip, but I think it can be summed up by the fact that I immersed myself in Spanish culture and really felt like I had been living there a while. The people were very friendly, there was plenty to do, and the weather was amazing!