Have you ever thought of doing a Gap Year?

Our German student Lilli has told us all about her Gap Year experience which has included a variety of services such as Spanish classes, internship and acommodation. Read on to find out more about it!

 

1. Lilli, why did you decide to take a Gap Year?

When I finished high school, I was not really sure of what to study, so I decided to take a break to think and figure out more about what I want to do.

 

2. Why did you choose Valencia as your Gap Year destination?

I definitely wanted to come to Spain, because I love the language and the beach!

Also, I’ve been here before with my parents, on vacation, and I loved it, so I said why not try here?

 

3. What services does your program include?

The program includes: the language course, the internship which I did in a school teaching kindergarten, and the accommodation in a shared apartment.

 

4. How long is the program?

I started my gap year program in September 2022.

The first month, I only had language classes, and after this, I started my internship for 6 months.

Now I have two months left and I’m just studying Spanish and I want to travel to more places in Spain.

 

5. What was your daily routine like when you were doing the internship?

I used to take the bus at 8 am to Homeschool -my internship placement-, which took about an hour, so I arrived at the school at 9 am.

At the school I was most of the time with children. During the day I played different activities and games with them, for example painting and supervising them during their lunchtime and nap time.

Then I took the bus back home at 5 pm. It was a very full day, so when I was working I didn’t have time to do a lot more. On Thursday and Friday I took Spanish classes. After this I could join some activities with EUROACE, so it was nice!

 

6. How is the Spanish experience at EUROACE?

I really like the teachers, all of them are very kind and nice, and they create a very familiar atmosphere!

Moreover, I am normally more shy in the beginning, and the teachers were so nice and they made it so easy for me!

 

7. How was your experience in the internship?

I mainly liked working with children because they were so sweet and also it was easier to speak with them because when you don’t use the correct grammar or sentences they don’t really care or they just continue talking.

 

8. How was combining the Spanish classes with the internship?

It was a good combination because the internship was so good to practice speaking, and in class I could practice more grammar and vocabulary.

At first I didn’t feel so confident to talk in Spanish, but with the children it was so much easier!

 

9. Is Valencia what you expected? What do you like the most about living here?

Yes, absolutely! Valencia is amazing because it has on the one side the vacation feeling of the weather and the beach and on the other side the city itself offers a lot to do every time and there’s always something going on.

I go to salsa classes, and I started to play tennis which is amazing because I never played it before! I also go to language exchanges, and the atmosphere is really good!

 

10. What are the highlights of your experience so far?

I think for me it was that I learned to manage myself. I was so afraid before I came here, because I was coming alone to live in a new country, but everything worked in the end! Having to deal with daily problems, especially with apartment issues, it made me grow personally.

Also, everything is so different from Germany! People here are so calm and relaxed, for example if you arrive late, it is not a big deal! Moreover, people are much nicer, a lot of people use the word “cariño” even to people they have just met!

 

11. Would you recommend a EUROACE Gap Year program to your relatives and friends?

Yes, I would! I think Valencia is a perfect destination when you are young, and I would especially recommend the language courses. Regarding the accommodation, I would recommend to stay with a host family, because you get to practice your Spanish more!

 

Thank you Lilli for telling us about your experience!