What I’ve learned while teaching English in Barcelona

I knew for many years that after college I would escape my American life in hopes of new adventures and experiences in Europe. Once my senior year of college creeped upon me, I decided on Spain as my new temporary stomping ground.

I had minored in Spanish and had a great deal of love for the country after several visits throughout the course of my college years, so it was an easy choice. I could immerse myself in a beautiful country, meet new people, and practice and learn a new language.

I chose to come to Spain through a company called Meddeas who hire native English speakers to come to Spain to teach English. It’s been the absolute best decision as I was lucky enough to be given a placement in one of my favorite cities in the world: Barcelona.

Situated in Catalonia in the northeast of the country, Barcelona is a Mediterranean hub of culture, food, fashion, architecture, and so much more. Every day I take a walk down the street and I am amazed by the beauty around me. It’s a truly remarkable place to live.

What have I been doing during my time in Barcelona?

During the week, I’ve been teaching English in the mornings at a preschool from 9-12 and then an after-school program with older students ranging from 4-14 years from 5:30-6:30. Every day, I arrive at my school ready to sing songs, play games, and do all sorts of activities and crafts with my adorable students.

When I’m not at school in the afternoons, I usually wander around this magnificent city where I tend to pop into a cozy café (which there in an endless number of) and work on assignments, writing articles, or just simply relax and enjoy the atmosphere. If not in a café, I’m heading to the sea, visiting parks, and shopping around. In the evenings, I’m meeting friends for after-work drinks in hip Barcelona bars and perhaps learning to salsa and bachata dance.

One of the greatest parts about living in a big and cosmopolitan city like Barcelona is the endless number of things you can do. Every day there is a new art event to attend and a different museum exhibition to explore. I’ve been able to take Spanish, ballet, bachata and salsa, yoga, and art classes while I’ve been living here, for example, and I’ve barely scratched the surface of the possibilities this city offer its people.

When the weekend hits, I might be exploring the nearby and beautiful Costa Brava, sipping wine in the wineries of Penedès, visiting nearby towns and cities, or simply enjoying la vida in Barcelona.

What have I gained from this experience so far?

I’ve gained a number of new skills, acquired new hobbies, been able to immerse myself into the Spanish language, and, of course, I’ve acquired a ton of new experiences and memories that I imagine I’ll carry with me my entire life.

I’ve realized just how strong I am.

I’ve studied and lived abroad before in the past, but not Spain. It has been a tremendous experience learning the ropes of how this country, and the city of Barcelona, function. I can get by living in a foreign country using THEIR language – okay not Catalan, but Spanish. I might make mistakes along the way, but as long as I’m learning, I’ll take making mistakes every day over not being brave enough to just spit out words.

Also, I got put in an interesting position with my placement in Meddeas as none of my coworkers spoke English, so from the jump, I’ve had to push myself to be understood and to understand. I’m impressed with how I’ve managed to express my personality, make jokes with my coworkers, and overall make it work! I wouldn’t trade my experience for being at a school with English speakers instead. No way. I feel very lucky for the skills I’ve gained from this push. Sure – ordering food in a café has become a piece of cake (quite literally), but those every day spontaneous conversations you have with your coworkers is where you really learn to challenge yourself.

I feel more confident in myself.

Of course, beginning to speak a new language gives you confidence, but I’ve gained more confidence from my actual time teaching. I, like many others on the program, had no prior teaching experience before coming to Spain.

I walked in on my first day and coworker said, “Canta!” I’m thinking. . . “Canta? Canta qué!?” I was meant to just start singing, in front of everyone, a song to preschool students. I imagine my voice cracking as I began to sing, “Twinkle, twinkle, little star. . .”

I’ve always been a shy singer, but that was then. Now I’m singing in the streets and I have no shame.

I’ve got a knack for this teaching thing. I enjoy it a lot more than I first thought I would. Coming up with new lessons and activities to play with the kids is a blast and I love seeing their faces when they’re having a fun time learning. The best part: the result. One of my three-year olds particularly amazes me. He is so confident and knows all the vocabulary I’ve taught him in English and he knows to switch to English words with me. Just recently, he has been starting to form sentences in English on his own. He says to me, “Iker, gray car!” He is saying that he has a gray car. “Christa’s car, what color?” Adorable! I also have a two-year old who can recite numbers, all the months of the year, and days of the week. She is barely two!

When I see the results of my lessons, it makes me melt. I’ve influenced these children so much in this past year and I just wish I could watch their progress for years to come.

The other best thing about teaching here: the love. I feel so loved by my preschoolers as well as the students in the evening class. To put it in perspective, my students in the evening class found out I was staying in the program for another year and they were in complete shock and jumped out of their seats and started hugging me and kissing my cheeks. They said it was the best thing that’s ever happened. WHAT!? My heart melted once again.

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All I can say is life is grand, and I feel really privileged. If you want something, you must go out there and get it. It won’t be handed to you. I came from a small town, low-income family, and now I’m traveling the world and becoming the best version of myself, learning that anything is possible. So yes, life is quite grand.