Hello!! my name is Grace, and I study Spanish and International media and communications, and I have spent the entirety of my third year in Seville, Spain.
From the moment I applied to the University of Nottingham I always knew that a year abroad was compulsory – and that is the beauty of a language degree. Being open to opportunities abroad to build upon knowledge from the classroom has a huge significance. For several reasons: professional growth, mental maturity, academic advancement, and individual pride.
To get the most out of my experience abroad, I applied to be an English language assistant through the British council program and was allocated a secondary school on the outskirts of Seville. Deciding to spend my year within this environment meant that I was given the best of both worlds – improving my Spanish skills in a professional environment, whilst also opening the avenue of teaching for later on in life.
Day to day I spent my time in school preparing activities within the curriculum to teach English, getting involved in cultural days and simply having conversations with students to improve their English oral skills. The job also permits a lot of flexibility, leaving a lot of free time to experience the beautiful surroundings of Seville, building upon cultural knowledge, and allowing more avenues to practice my own language skills.
Throughout my time working in the school, I was also given a plethora of opportunities to take part in school trips, meaning I gained even more exposure to the Spanish culture, traditional and modern. I was also kindly asked to speak in a local university to students who were working towards teaching. Being able to do this was very rewarding as it is almost inevitable that in the future these students will be working alongside a language assistant, meaning I was able to speak about expectations, my opinions, and the ins and outs of my role in general to deliver an insight to future teachers.
Before moving to Seville, I had never considered teaching as a career avenue for myself, and my reasoning for heading into it was just a case of doing something new. But now having experience with teaching English in a foreign country, the idea of teaching is not a path that I have completely closed off. There is a huge amount of opportunity in the world of education, and I only have my year abroad to thank if that is what my future ends up looking like, it has given me a huge insight as to how one experience can dramatically change your mindset.
As a language student, the principal of the year abroad was to put my skills into practice and immerse myself into the local culture. And throughout my experience it is undeniable that this is exactly what occurred.
When approaching my year abroad I knew that my Spanish would improve, but until spending a continuous amount of time in Spain, I was unaware about how drastic this change would be. Being able to converse in my second language gave me a huge confidence boost and allowed me to settle into the city very comfortably. I now truly believe that moving abroad is the best and most efficient way to speak a language, and within education, I am open to a huge range of conversational skills with different age ranges. I have learned how young people address each other, how the older population conversate typical idioms they may use, how to express emotion through language, and undoubtedly a huge range of new vocabulary.
Despite the proximity between the UK and Spain, there is a vast difference in culture and way of life. Life is typically a lot slower in Spain, with a lot less focus on work and more of a centre point around family, activity, and relaxation. Differences can be large or small, but in a secondary culture, any difference can be deemed as a shock or unfamiliar but learning to appreciate difference rather than compare is something you learn to do subconsciously, and sooner or later, those once differences become normality. I had always been interested in cultural theory and had been exposed to some ideas surrounding the topic throughout my first 2 years at university, but my year in Seville was my opportunity to connect with another culture with full transparency and exposure.
Spending time alone in a place that is not home can be extremely daunting; having to re- introduce yourself to a number of strangers, learn the local cultural norms, navigate new surroundings, and adapt to a new way of life. But these experiences have contributed significantly to my personal growth. Going through the challenges of the year abroad alone truly does reward you with a huge sense of pride and confidence. I had wanted to live in Seville since I began to study Spanish at 11 years old, one thing that once seemed unattainable and almost impossible fell right into my hands after years of hard work and research.
Overall, I will always be thankful for the time I was able to spend in Seville, the city itself will now always feel like a home away from home, and I will always be grateful for everyone I worked with throughout my experience.
uonstudyabroad.com 
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