My incredible year as an Auxiliar at Salvador Allende

It is now June 4^th, 5 days after my last day of teaching English at a primary school in Spain, yet here I am, back at school to see everyone because I have come to love being here so much. The year has been incredible. For me, it was not only an experience in teaching, it was a life experience that gave me so much to learn from and lessons to take home with me for the rest of my life.

At the beginning, it was all about getting use to life in Spain, and getting familiar with the school and what was expected of me here. A lot of effort was put in by the bilingual team to make me feel welcome, but most of all to ensure that strong organisation existed between us all. Our weekly Monday meetings were invaluable during my time here, as they allowed us all to be clear about in what ways I was to be of use in the school. Making my life in Spain comfortable was also important during this phase, and I found that making myself feel comfortable and useful at the school helped with this enormously. Once I felt useful and appreciated by students and staff, my mind could begin to relax into my new Spanish life.

Gradually, as the school year progressed, I developed my skills in communicating and in teaching. There was never a point at which I felt I was out of my depth, or that too much was expected of me. As I became more competent, I was able to take on more responsibility and contribute my efforts with more confidence. The teachers around me were fantastic with allowing me to express my creativity and teaching ideas with the students, and were always supportive of my work and very accommodating with my limitations and concerns.

As we spent more and more time together, in class and in the break time, I got to know the kids, and this made coming to school so much fun! And all of a sudden, work was no longer work. School was fun, because I was free to contribute in ways that I was comfortable with, and I was welcomed and loved by the kids in each class. For me this really made a difference in my happiness throughout my experience in Spain, because without family and friends from home, you need another source of love and another place to call home. Having positive and enjoyable relationships with the teachers was also hugely important for me, and with them I have made life long friends.

As Spring came to Andalucia, life in Spain became a little bit like paradise. Here I was, going to ´work´ 12 hours a week at a job I loved, living in a beautiful part of Spain with more beaches on offer than you can imagine, and watching the sunrise every morning from my high apartment over the port of Malaga. I had been travelling a lot to other European countries, but on the weekends I had free in Malaga I would spend them mostly exploring nearby beach villages, eating ´berenjenas con miel´ at the absolutely delicious restaurants in El Palo, or running through the mountains with my fitness buddy.

 

But May finally arrived, and I couldn´t believe how fast the year had gone. I really felt like a part of the school now, like maybe I could actually be a teacher one day! My last presentation I did for the kids was one on my city Melbourne, because at the time many of the classes were studying ´Cities and Towns´, so what better way to relate the topic to reality. It was also a very appropriate way for me to get accustomed to the reality of going back home, which I was looking forward to. It was sad to arrive at the end of the school year, but I felt that it had been the perfect amount of time to gain what I needed from the experience, and I was ready to begin my next phase of my life. In my last week at school, I was very happy because I got to spend the last of each class doing something compeletely of my own chosing: YOGA! So, in strange poses on the floor, with our shoes off, all groaning in pain, the students and I stretched and breathed our way to the end of our time together.

During my experience as an auxiliar de conversación, I have developed my skills, my personality, and my knowledge of the world and people in some truly amazing ways that I will take with me for the rest of my life. Thank you Spain, and thanks for having me Salvador Allende!