Three Months in a Dream

From the time I was accepted as a three month volunteer in Castilla y Leon, I have felt supported by the US mainland staff. My questions were answered quickly, and the pre departure modules were informative. (I did need a quick tutorial on how to post answers in Canvas or whatever the platform was). Once at the Madrid airport, we met our leaders in Spain and felt we had someone to call locally should a problem occur. I appreciated the help with getting the Spanish SIM card the first night and cultural sensitivity training at the orientation.

My family is wonderful, and the school´s children and faculty are fantastic. The weather here is much warmer than in my home state of Missouri. I did not expect that. I am in a primary school and see each class in grades one through six each week (12 sessions). When I am not teaching, I am immersed in a Spanish class. Although Spanish speaking was not a requirement, I would feel more confident if I had a basic Spanish course under my belt. It would be easier to communicate with all the teachers at the school, not just the English teachers. I am expected to speak English at school and at home, so there is not much time to practice. Maybe CIEE would put suggest a basic Spanish book on the internet if needed. I could not find one that was colorful and self explanatory.

We all have at least three days to travel a week, and some have four. The bus and train systems are very efficient in Spain, and Laura compiled a list of everyone´s email and phone for group communication.

Overall, my expectations have been exceeded. This whole trip seems like a dream even after a month.

This is a chance of a lifetime. Grab it and go!