A little bit about me

Hi everyone! My name is Erin Hoffman, and I’m moving to Spain in five days to teach English in Madrid through CIEE. This first post is just a little bit about me so that you have a better understanding of my background and how I got here.

I’m originally from a small town 15 minutes outside of Philadelphia called Haddonfield, New Jersey. I spent the first 18 years of my life there, but I’ve been living in San Diego, California, for the past seven. I attended San Diego State University and graduated in May 2022 with a B.A. in Public Health, Child and Family Development, and Psychology. I loved my major and found all of my classes extremely fascinating, but when it came time to graduate, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do for work. I felt torn between multiple career paths, which I’ve found to be extremely common for students in their final year of college.

Teaching had always interested me because I really respected and admired my own teachers growing up. But to be completely transparent, I was always worried about the money and that was one of the main reasons I didn't pursue it after college. I took a job in sales after graduation instead and I'm really glad I did because I ended up having a great experience there. I also think that if it weren't for that experience, I wouldn't be here today writing this. After over two years in sales, it was time to be true to myself and get serious about what I wanted to do next. I'd always wondered what it'd be like to teach and I always wanted to travel the world before "settling down", so I got serious and made a plan.

It's crazy to think I started thinking about applying to this program last September because that was almost a whole year ago. Once I looked into CIEE, I kept running into people who had just gotten back to the U.S. from teaching in Spain, whether it was with CIEE or another program. It might sound "woo woo," but I took this as a sign because it seemed like the universe was telling me this was the right thing to do.

I applied and committed to teach in Madrid eight months ago and there have been so many huge life changes since then, it's hard to keep track. I moved away from all of my best friends and the place I called home for seven years, ended up leaving that company after two and a half years, went through a really hard break up, took two weeks to road trip home to my parents in New Jersey from California, and now I'm packing to leave America for a year. Back when I made the decision to teach in Spain, I knew it would come at a cost, but there was no way for me to truly understand how much I'd have to let go of in order to let the new in. 

If you’re thinking about doing this program, the first thing I’d tell you is that a lot is going to change. I say that because whether you live at home with your parents or across the country with friends, whether you’re at a job you hate or one you love, whether you’re single or in a relationship, there’s a high chance that very little is going to stay the same.

And that's a good thing!!!!!! 

If this is a dream of yours and what you truly want to do, you need to know that it's all going to be worth it. Yes, it will be difficult to say goodbye to friends and family and places you love. There will be days that you'll feel unsure of yourself and lonely and confused about what you're doing, but there will be way more days that you're so proud of yourself that you can't believe this is your life. The hard days are the price you pay for all the incredible days you'll get in return, and you have to keep that in mind every step of the way. Then suddenly, the next step you take could be in Spain!