Today our blog is a bit different as we aim to learn about our students experiences in Spain and the challenges or differences they may  have observed since moving to a new country (in this case, Valencia).

 

Euroace welcomes a range of different students from all over the world who celebrate a ton of different traditions and cultures – it’s one of the best things about our school as everyone always learns something new and has the chance to socialize with people from every walk of life. What’s not always talked about is the differences between Spain and their home country so thats what we’ve dedicated our blog to this week as we dive into a Q&A session with one of our Spanish students and expats, Sean.

 

We sat down with Sean and asked him all about his experience so far in Valencia, what he likes, loves, the differences and similarities between Spain and his home country and also how his Spanish classes at EUROACE have been going. Keep reading to find out his replies!

 

Hi Sean, thanks for sitting down with us today. Are we ready to go? 

Hey! Don’t worry, it’s my pleasure! Yeah, lets start. I’m sure I’ll have a lot of answers for you.

 

Let’s hope so. First of all, I wanted to ask you where you’re from and if you can give me a fact about that place. 

 

Sure, so I’m from Denver, Colorado which is home to the rocky mountains – the largest mountain system in North America and its also home to all kinds of winter sports.

 

I’ve seen a lot of pictures of the mountains, they look so amazing. And how long have you been in Valencia for? 

 

I arrived with my wife, around a year and a half ago and now we don’t want to go back! It’s mostly for the weather, I suppose.

 

I understand you there. Valencia really has that effect on people, Spain in general I think has that feel good feeling about it. But why did you choose Valencia?

 

Well, the first thing is that we wanted a real balance of quality of life and cost of living, that is really hard to find in some places in Spain such as Madrid and Barcelona. I mean, these places are beautiful but its very expensive and hard to get a real balance. Valencia is different in that way because it is still full of life and so exciting but people really understand the balance of quality of life.

 

I would say right now that places like the USA don’t understand that balance and everything is so expensive now so I’m that we both came to Valencia.

 

What is the biggest difference between Spain and the USA?

There are so many differences between the two places, really. But I would say the biggest difference is the pace of life, the fact that in the USA we live to work but here in Spain people work to live. I think that is one of the reasons why everyone is so open and honest here, they enjoy their work and it is a very social and interactive thing for them.

 

The emphasis on enjoying yourself and exploring nature and the outdoors is actually very similar to Denver, where we are both from, but that in general is a big difference from the rest of the states. There are not a lot of opportunities to go outside and be social, whether it is a family dinner outside, sitting on a roof terrace with your friends or simply enjoying a concert/ event in the outdoors. Spain does that very well with all of their festivals, Valencia is probably the best for that!

 

Do you think that Spanish people are friendly? 

Definitely. Everyone is so approachable and that really helps when you’re like me and trying to advance your Spanish skills as each day goes by. Valencians in particular are very funny and relaxed. I can talk to anyone here and I always try my best to use the language, I would recommend this place to anyone wanting to go out and explore Spain and learn some Spanish at the same time.

 

That’s great. I am so glad to hear your experience has been so positive! More importantly, have you been enjoying your Spanish course at EUROACE? Can you tell us a bit about it?

 

Yes, definitely. I am really enjoying my course so far. I have actually been to 2 Spanish schools but I decided to come back to EUROACE because the lessons are so useful and interactive. I think the students here and the administrative team are very friendly and always try to help you as much as possible or with any changes or modifications in your course.

 

What’s a typical Spanish class like at EUROACE?

 

We normally start with some speaking activities with the teachers and that’s always great to start practicing after a weekend or a public holiday not speaking Spanish (its always harder then). We do a bit of grammar and then practice that through the use of games, activities, debates etc. I personally love the debates because you get to listen to everyone’s opinions and learn new vocabulary at the same time.

 

The debates sound very interesting. I’ll have to listen in on the next one! I just have one more question.. What would you say to someone thinking about coming to Valencia but isn’t 100% sure yet?

 

I’d say 100% go for it while you can! Valencia is such a great place and hasn’t really changed much the whole time I have been here. There is always something to do, people to meet and the weather and the lifestyle probably make it one of the happiest and relaxed places in the world (I’m not joking about that one). The Spanish courses are really great and they work too. You really start to feel confident in your skills and the teachers are great and so welcoming.

 

Well that’s everything I think Sean! Thank you so much for your time and we hope you enjoy the rest of your Spanish course with us!