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• All about Shawna 

To Galicia With Love

When my friend Carly suggested we apply for a teaching post in Galicia, I have to admit I had no idea where Galicia was located on a map. Carly had heard that Galicia was a region with nice people, good food, located close to coast, and it rained a little. So we both applied and received posts in Galicia, her post in Tui and mine in Mugardos.

I´m a city girl. My hometown is Long Beach, California and it has a population of 460,000 people. So I was a little apprehensive about moving halfway around the world to work in a village of 6,000 inhabitants (there are high schools in Long Beach with that many students!). I was also worried that people in Galicia spoke another language, Galician, and that I would have no idea what people were saying to me (I could barely understand or speak Spanish).  But I packed my bags and left sunny California.

Over the past eight months I have fallen in love with Galicia and I am sad I have to leave. I’ve had the opportunity to see lots of cities and towns in Spain, but I’m always happy to come home to Galicia. I think the witches of Galicia must have cast a powerful spell on me because I prefer rainy Galicia to the sunny southern Spain. What I love most about Galicia are the legends surrounding this magical “island”- the pilgrimage to Santiago, the souls of San Andres de Teixido, and the Santa Compaña (to name a few). I’ve also come to admire the Romanesque and Gothic churches that paint the green countryside. Before I came here I couldn’t tell you any architectural styles and now I’m fascinated by architecture (new and old). And the food- don’t get me started. I have never in life eaten such fresh seafood and I live by the ocean! Octopus, pimientos de padrone, empanada, pan de pias, calamari, percebes… I’m going to miss eating these foods so much.

I feel incredibly blessed to have had this opportunity to live abroad. It was not the experience I expected to have but it was the experience I needed. I will always consider myself an honorary Galician.

SHAWNA BERK
2013-2014 Assistant convers

My Experience at IES Mugardos

  When I first received my placement at IES Mugardos I was surprised, excited, and nervous.Galicia was not a region I had requested, but I was excited to be moving to Spain and for the opportunity to experience a new part of the country. It was scary thinking about leaving all of my family and friends behind, and moving to a place where I didn't know anybody. Before I had the chance to worry I received an email from Pilar. She gave me advice on where to live and told me all about the school, professors, and students at IES Mugardos. I felt much more at ease and was ready to start my journey.

            I arrived in Galicia just in time to enjoy the last part of “summer” weather. Little did I know at the time that I had 6 months of constant rain ahead of me. Despite the weather Galicia has become a second home. I was welcomed to IES Mugardos with open arms and have enjoyed working so closely with the other professors and the students. It was definitely a culture shock for me when I arrived at the school. The Spanish school system is very different from the U.S. school system and it took a while to learn the ropes. I am so thankful for all the support I received from my fellow professors as I adjusted to a new culture and a new way of educating students. The biggest challenge I faced this year was trying to find new and exciting ways to teach the students. The level of English is lower than I had expected, which made it difficult to try to inspire my students to learn. IES Mugardos has great students, and it has been a pleasure getting to know many of them over the course of the school year. We have shared laughs, disappointments, and I have worked to debunk typical stereotypes about Americans and the United States. I loved being able to answer questions and talk about my country, while also learning so much about Galicia.

            I have made incredible memories here at IES Mugardos with the students and the staff. I will fondly remember all the conversations I had with my coworkers in the canteen over coffee and in the staff room. It amazed me how willing everyone was to talk with me about Galicia and all of the things I needed to do and see before my departure. I have also loved spending time with the students both inside and outside of the classroom. I was lucky to be able to walk a portion of the Camino de Santiago with the students of Bachillerato and to explore Santiago de Compostela on the Art History field trip. My time spent at IES Mugardos has been amazing and I am sad to have to say goodbye. I have learned so much through this experience and my only regret is that I do not have more time. I will miss walking through the halls and being greeted by smiling faces and “hellos” from the students and teachers. I will never forget my time spent at IES Mugardos and, although I will not be teaching next year, I can say with absolute certainty that I will be back to visit as soon as possible. 

   Living in Spain for the past eight months has been quite an experience. I remember when I first arrived and everyone told me how much it rained here, but the land was very green and beautiful because of it. At times, it was tough adjusting to living here and seeing so much rain, but it was much better than all the snow and blizzards there were in the USA this past winter. I was very happy to be in Galicia with slightly warmer temperatures (and rain, of course) rather than in Kansas City, Missouri shoveling the snow. Once the temperatures rose, the weather was great when it wasn´t raining. I have certainly taken advantage of living so close to the beach and I will definitely miss spendig my afternoons and weekends at beach when I return home.

  Working at IES Mugardos has been great. When I arrived, everyone was very friendly and welcoming. The teachers and the staff here have been extrememly helpful and generous, which has made for an amazing experience.

The stundents were wonderful to teach and get to know in class. Some students may have been more eager to practice English than others, but it´s been a pleasure to get to know each and every one of them. I certainly have a lot of good memories to take home with me and funny stories to tell.

  Other than missing the people I have met and the beautiful beaches, I will also miss the food. I tried octupus for the first time and it was so delicious. I´ll also miss eating dried ham and Spanish omelettes frequently. However, thanks to my cooking lesson, I can prepare a Spanish omelette myself and don´t have to visit Spain to have one.

   Leaving Galicia is bittersweet. I am happy to see my friends and family again in the USA, but I will have to say goodbye to all the great things about Galicia I have loved about living her. However, I can always get on a plane and come back to visit! Good luck to everyone and thank you for making this such an amazing experience!

Eight months in Mugardos

  
   When I arrived in Galicia in September I was so happy. Everything I had read about the region told me that it always rains here but when I arrived it was sunny and hot! I couldn´t belive it! I thought that the guides were wrong and that I would be spending eight months on the beach sunbathing, but in the end it was me who got it wrong. After six months of incessant rain (which I have been told "is not normal") the sun is finally starting to emerge once again and my dreams of sunny weekends on the beach may be coming true.

Aside from the somewhat interesting weather, I have had eight amazing months here in Galicia. I have been working at IES Mugardos since October as an English language teaching assistant, as part of my university degree (I study French and Spanish at the University of Leeds). It is a compulsoty "practical" year for language students... and a year away from studies at our English universities.

After initially applying for a placement in Andalucía, I was instead sent to Galicia, which I knew nothingh about. However, after eight months here I can honestly say I wouldn´t have preferred to be anywhere else. Contrary to popular belief, I have found the people here to be frendlier than anywhere else I have visited in Spain and felt at home here from the firs day I arrived. The food is delicious I will really miss it next year when I return home to fish and chips and roast dinners!

Galicia really isn´t like the rest of Spain but that is what makes it so special, it´s nice to be able to tell people in England about other traditions in Spain -not just bullfighting and flamenco! This year has helped me in so many ways and working at the scholl has been a wonderful experience.

All the students are brilliant and you really should be so proud of yourselves, I wish you all the best for a fantastic future that I know you are all capable of achieving.

And remember... there is always a house in Bolton ready to welcome you if ever you need it!