Why teach in Spain? Why not!

Buenas dias/tardes,

Thank you for continuing to read my blog, it is so much fun to keep updated through blogging. I get to combine my two loves of writing and traveling together and a dash of photography. It is a dream! 

Today, I am going to answer a question that I was asked frequently before I left and continue to be asked,

“Why did you decide to move to Spain for a year and teach English?”

Believe it or not, this was not always my plan. I grew up in a small, Midwest town where after high school almost everyone went to similar colleges and studied similar things. I started college of dreams of moving to Minneapolis to have a career someday and finding the love of my life in college and starting a family. Although, as you can tell, it did not work out like that.

I decided to study abroad in Barcelona in the spring of 2017 to practice my Spanish. I had never really contemplated studying abroad before but I knew I needed to practice and have real life Spanish experience if I ever wanted to use my Spanish outside of the classroom. Deciding to study abroad was something that changed my life forever. I did not know that this period of my life would shaped my mind, attitude, hobbies, interests and so much more but it truly did. I learned how to be on my own. I learned how to have my own thoughts and my own beliefs and my own passions. I faced situations that I wanted to desperately call my mom or dad and ask them for help with anything and everything, but I couldn’t. It really forces you to think on your feet and proves to yourself what you are capable of.

When I came back from studying abroad, life was very different for me in the United States. The transition period was very hard for me. People were very excited for me and excited to hear about my experiences and I just did not want to talk about them, and I couldn’t understand why not. I could never find the exact words to sum up 4 months of a life-altering trip.

As time passed through my senior year of college, I had started getting ideas that I wanted to go back to Spain. I had a friend from college who participated in CIEE Teach in Spain for two years and absolutely loved it. I was constantly busy asking him questions about how I apply and figure things out for this big step. I finally got enough courage to apply for CIEE Teach in Spain just to see if I would be accepted.

I will never forget the feelings I got when I opened my email to see I was accepted.

I was so anxious to see if I was going to be accepted and take this job and potential move across the world for a year. I was walking on cloud 9 the day I was accepted into my program in Spain. It felt like life was finally coming together for me, it was starting to make sense. The puzzle pieces were finally falling into place for my life.

CIEE helped me figure out the steps after this, which I am forever thankful for. Between the process of the visa, the TIE (the visa process in Spain), the temporary housing, I couldn’t have done it without the guidance of CIEE, the kindness of the orientation leaders, and the welcoming of CIEE as a whole. They are people similar to all of us “future teachers” that guide us in the right path in Spain.

I thought this blog was fitting since I start teaching classes on Monday. I am very excited to get to share my native language with children who are excited and interested in learning more about the culture of the United States. I am more than excited to make children excited about the United States culture, and interested to see and learn more about the Spanish culture. I am constantly learning everyday over in Spain. It is so exciting to have a new perspective on life.

Until next time,

Allison Vote