Sophia’s Spanish High School Experience

Hi, my name is Sophia! I’m currently a TY student who decided to complete my first term of Transition Year with Tribe Study Abroad as I heard some great things about it from friends, and amazing photos on social media. For my first academic term, I went to Granada during the months of September, October, and November for 12 weeks. . My host family consisted of three daughters and two parents. They welcomed me into their home with open arms, which allowed me to settle into a completely new environment with ease. On Sunday, we would often all go on a family walk around Granada where my host parents  would inform me about monuments, must-see-places in the city and traditions their family practiced

Host Family Life

In Spain, their ‘main’ meal is lunch. After school, at 14:30, we would all go home and eat lunch together while talking about our days. This really helped me settle in quickly as it made me, an exchange student, feel really welcomed to join the conversation and practice my Spanish as much as possible. My three host sisters also really helped me feel a part of their family as we’d go to the shops, spend time together and they would invite me to hang out with their friends. During the lead up to my departure from home, I was so nervous about how my trip would go. As soon as I met all the other students and my host family, these feelings quickly left as I gained more confidence and became a lot more comfortable in my surroundings.

Local Co-Ordinator

  My local coordinator was also really helpful during the settling in process. She organised trips for us to go on such as visiting the famous Alhambra and going to Nerja, in Malaga to have a nice beach day and for an opportunity to see a different part of Spain. Going to Alhambra was a great way to test my progress as the guide was fully in Spanish, which required us to all pay extra attention and learn about the great history of the monument. My week day would consist of going to school from the times of 8am-2:30pm everyday from Monday to Friday. This was an earlier start and finish from what we’re used to in Ireland. My school was only an 8 minute walk from my host family’s flat which made transport so easy. Something I quickly realised about Granada, was that everything was within a short distance of walking. The students in my school were very welcoming and so were the teachers. Strong bonds formed with my classmates quickly as they were able to help me with practicing my Spanish and I could help them with their English.

Take Away & Final Thoughts

Before going to Spain, I was really nervous about being able to make friends with a language barrier. One of the first things I learned during my exchange course was that there are no language barriers when it comes to making friends. I will always be grateful for this opportunity and I highly suggest that anyone who’s able to do it, to do it!