Today we got the chance to have a Wonderfull interview with Michal, who has been studying Spanish with us for a while now, online and then in a group when he decided to make the jump to come to Valencia!
Are you thinking about having an international experience in Spain too? check out his experience and don’t miss out! and if you have any questions, you can always send us a message at contact@euroace.com or check out our website! Euroace is a Spanish language school in the centre of Valencia, so students can experience the best of both worlds, great lessons with great native Spanish teachers, and all the cultural activities they can muster!
Hi there! Can you start by introducing yourself?
Hi there. I’m Michal, from Poland and I’m 29 years old. I’ve been living here since April, this year. However, before coming to Valencia since the beginning of the year and I was doing it online I had like private online classes with my private teacher.
When I moved here, I continued online and in April I decided to switch to in person group classes, just to have a person in front of me rather than the laptop. So that’s why I decided to change it to for the groups.
And what made you want to come to Valencia?
I was here a few years ago. I really liked it but I was totally like a tourist, you know. So, I was travelling with my friends and we had a nice time.
Back then, I really liked Valencia because, in Poland, I live far away from any big city. My hometown is by the seaside, and Valencia combines both – the beach, the sunshine, and city life. It’s modern, vibrant, and I just feel good here
It’s not as crowded as Barcelona or Madrid, so for me, Valencia was the obvious choice. I was also considering Alicante, but it’s smaller. Valencia, being a bit bigger, offers many more opportunities and that’s why I decided to come here.
And what’s your favorite thing about Valencia so far?
After this year I would say like, yeah, that’s what I already said. Like the possibility to reach out the sea. For some people it might sound crazy because, you know, but for me it’s so exotic.
To get into the metro or to the bike and I can go in like 20 minutes to the beach after my work. So yeah, for this year probably this will be like the most exciting thing.
Have you discovered any local cultural things or foods that you’ve really liked so far?
Since I got here? Hmm… not sure about specific foods, to be honest. I was living in Patraix, which isn’t a very touristic area of the city, and I used to go to Mercado de Jesús, which is nearby.
Every Saturday they have these local street markets, so I bought some plants and little things there, which I think is part of the local culture. But food-wise, probably not anything too special. I usually eat typical dishes in bars: tapas, or paella on Sundays and things like that.
Yeah. So far, how does living in Spain and in Valencia compare to living back home?
It’s not easy. For someone like me, who moved from the city where I lived my whole life, in my case Krakow in Poland, it was a big change. I had traveled before for short periods, but never really moved everything to another city.
So, at first, it’s definitely difficult. You need to get to know the city, meet people, and understand how everything works. The vibe is completely different. Krakow and Valencia are similar in size and population, but Valencia feels twice as loud. Everything is more intense. People here are more alive, you actually see them out running, doing activities, spending time outside.
In Krakow, you might see that in summer, but in winter the city is almost dead because it’s so cold. You just don’t do much outdoors.
People usually say that Spaniards spend most of their life outside, they don’t like staying at home. Do you find that you’re doing the same during your time in Spain? Are you going out more than back home?
Yeah, I think so. In Poland, where I used to live, I also went out quite a bit, mostly because of my work. I work from home, so that really affects my daily routine. After finishing work, I usually want to go outside and do something instead of staying in.
So maybe I’m not the perfect example, but yeah, especially in summer when the sun goes down and the temperature drops, I feel more like going out, taking a walk, riding a bike, or just relaxing in the park with my book.
In Poland, I don’t do that as often, to be honest. I’m not sure why, maybe I just have more time here or maybe it’s because of the weather. The temperature here at night in summer is pretty constant, really nice. In Poland, it’s very different – at night it gets chilly, and you always have to put something on, even in summer.
Even in summer the temperature can drop until like 10 degrees in the night. So you need a jacket. Back home during the day when there’s sun it’s perfect. But when you go out with friends for Saturday night and it’s going to be like 12 degrees, you need to take something with you, because apparently you cannot stay until the midnight, because it’s going to be colder.
I heard you went to our Flamenco Show activity! How was it?
I really liked the Flamenco Show activity. That was actually one of the reasons I wanted to switch from private lessons to group classes. I’m new here, so I wanted to meet people, make friends, and connect with others who are in a similar situation. It was really nice.
If it hadn’t been organized by the school, I probably wouldn’t have gone to a flamenco show on my own. It’s not something I would normally look for. But when someone says, ‘Hey, let’s go to a flamenco night in Valencia,’ then sure, why not? Still, if I were on my own, I probably wouldn’t search for that kind of thing.
I also wanted to compare it, because I went to a show in Seville, which is known as the capital of flamenco, right? It’s in Andalusia, where flamenco was born, so I wanted to see the difference. The one in Valencia and the one in Seville were completely different.
The show in Seville was much more local. I actually went there by chance with some people I met at a hostel. One guy who had lived there told me about it. It was free and made by locals, not for tourists. There were no ads, no tickets, no money involved. The quality of the bar was pretty low, but everyone joined in. The audience was clapping along; people were switching between watching and performing – it felt very real and spontaneous.
In Valencia, it was more like we sat down, watched the show, and enjoyed it as spectators – you know, like typical “guiris” (foreigners) watching flamenco. So, it was a very different experience. Both were really good, I enjoyed them a lot, but the feeling was not the same.
And also, in Valencia, I was with people I barely knew, except for Katia from Admin. I met some students from the school for the first time, so it was still very chill, you know? You need time to get to know people and feel the vibe and I got the chance during the show.
Do you feel like your Spanish has improved over your time at Euroace? How did the experience differ between private and group classes?
Yes, I think so. I’ve only been here for about nine weeks, so I wouldn’t say my Spanish has improved dramatically, but during this time we focused on past tenses, and I can definitely say I’ve improved in that area. I feel more fluent and comfortable using them.
If I compare private lessons to group ones, it’s like the difference between that and the flamenco experience – completely different.
In private lessons, it was just me and the teacher, so all the focus was on me, and I could stay 100% concentrated while speaking. In group classes, you also have to listen to other students, since everyone needs to participate. In that sense, you don’t have to stay fully focused all the time because sometimes you’re just listening to others.
But I actually like that more. Sometimes people have different opinions, and we get to discuss things. Many times, in class, we end up having really interesting conversations in Spanish that wouldn’t happen in one-to-one lessons. In private classes, you might agree on everything, so there’s no discussion.
Here, it’s more dynamic, and since I’m a very social person, I prefer being around people and sharing that energy.
What advice would you give to someone that is thinking about coming to Spain, to Valencia, to study Spanish, and live in Spain like you’ve done?
I would just say: do it.
You’ll face some challenges along the way once you get here, but that’s part of the experience. I’m in several Facebook groups for expats in Valencia, and I see a lot of posts from people saying things like, ‘I’m planning to move to Valencia next year, what should I do? How does transportation work? How do I find a place to live?’
My advice is to just come here and figure it out once you arrive. Thinking about it too much doesn’t really help.
Of course, finding a place to live is important, but it’s totally fine to start with a temporary rental and then look for something more permanent later. That’s what I did – I first found a short-term flat, and then I moved into one with a longer contract.
