Big Ranch Eggs

The foam of my Estrella Galicia settles as Obi describes his favourite concept checking question of the day. This was the to confirm the meaning of the verb "dump" (only the environmental and relationship meanings, thankfully). As I write, eight of us are sitting out the front of Cafe Lola, Matogrande, A Coruña, enjoying the final blessings of Helios for the day. Some are enjoying the local favourite, Estrella Galicia, a deliciously smooth yet crisp Spanish lager. Some have opted for something a little closer to home, tea. Despite the mixed preference of refreshments, all present are wearing contented smiles. We are day 3 into our first week in A Coruña on our voluntary teaching placement with UKLC. Already, many of us have had interesting experiences with our various schools, our residence, local establishments and the local people. So far, I have personally only seen a child crying once each day; thankfully these tears were unrelated to my presence.

Obelisk on the promenade of A Coruña

Most of the people I am sitting with have only just met one another within the past week, but there is quite a palpable sense of camaraderie amongst us. I would put this down to the fact that we have already been through a significant amount as a group. It all began in Chester, for me, after 3 separate train journeys, one of them being cancelled. It was here that I met my fellow Erasmusers, a veritable mixing pot of people from different places and different histories. Some were just starting out their post-school life in their first occupation, others were throwing caution to the wind, so to speak, and embarking on a brand new adventure after the termination of a successful career in a completely different field. Though the many differences between each member of the group were very clear, there was something stronger that connected us all and reduced our differences into mere insignificance. This was an undeniable, unfettered love of the English language and an unquenchable passion for education (it was either that or the ever-present thought of a beer after class, I can't be 100% sure). Whatever the reason, a strong bond was formed during our time in Chester, which has made these first, challenging days of teaching English in Galicia so much easier.

Walking the streets of A Coruña with Geoff and Julia

Between exploring our local area and the goods on offer and discovering central A Coruña, with its beautiful beach and promenade, I have already taught five full English classes at Colexio Calasancias. All have gone well with very few to no incidents of note, much to my great relief. I have even twice taught a class of 45 students, due to a timetabling necessity brought about by a student excursion to the United Kingdom. Talk about 'being thrown a curve ball', 'a baptism of fire', 'being thrown in at the deep end', 'encountering a challenging situation without expecting it to happen and having to employ a number of skills related to adaptability and flexibility in order to achieve success in said situation'! This said, these challenging and unexpected situations have not been overcome without immense support. All of the staff at UKLC have been incredibly supportive and helpful, as well as all the staff at Calasancias. I would struggle to recount how many separate people have offered every kind of assistance at every possible opportunity. Having the Erasmus colleagues available has also been extremely helpful and encouraging as well, of course.

Beach of A Coruña

I am genuinely enthusiastic and looking forward to the next few weeks here in A Coruña. I have no doubt there will be challenges, not least getting enough sleep (the siestas are helping), but if the program continues in the way it has been going so far, I know that it will most definitely be worth the perseverance. One extra, very new concern is the standard I have set with this first blog post. Apologies in advance should the next one be rubbish.

Hasta la proxima vez,

tu Joshua