Have you ever wanted to experience somebody else’s daily life? Well, through exchange programs you have an opportunity to do that! That is exactly what we, Zulma and Kyra, chose to experience. The Erasmus program is what enabled us to perform it. The Institut Escola Londres in Spain and S.I.S.S. In Germany aided us in this world wind of an experience. This article will solely be based on what we went through in the exchange program.
First of all, I, Zulma, was the first to go to Germany for one month. I was very nervous but very excited to get to know the city and Kyra’s school.The first day is always evicts nerves, lots of nerves. I remember I had to present myself in front of the class and I immediately had the feeling that it would be a great experience… of course, who wouldn’t like to be offered a scholarship abroad, in a place completely different to their own, where you have the opportunity to learn a new culture, another language and make new friends. I know that all these kinds of experiences enrich a person.
Now, to be honest, it’s a bit scary, it’s scary because you don’t know if they will like you or if their rhythm or lifestyle will suit you. But you won’t know unless you don’t try it.The first days are always complicated, it is not easy to adapt so quickly to a new way of life, it was hard for me to accept that I was in another country, away from my family and friends. But once I got myself used to it, I didn’t want to go back, I made friends and got to know another way of living.And most importantly, thanks to this project I found a friend for life, Kyra, who took me into her home and then I took her in a few months later.
Spain has a lot of diverse cultures and festivities. Through the exchange program, I was able to learn about some of those. An example would be the preparations necessary for Sant Jordi. Here in Spain, they paint Stones, women receive roses and men receive books. Personally, I live in a small town in Germany, so I was able to experience city life with Zulma. On top of all that , not only did I get to have an opportunity to enhance my Spanish and social skills, I even got to try out new types of food! I tasted dishes that are traditional to Barcelona or Cataluña. I even got to experience the happenings of a different school with a different program and ideas. In Spain the curriculum is different from Germany and you graduate after 9th grade with different opportunities in the future than in Germany (you have the opportunity to choose different schools based on your subjects), something that is much harder in Germany. Furthermore, the use of iPads is quite prominent here, compared to my school S.I.S.S.
Overall, for each of us it was a positive and fond experience that we will never forget. We learnt a lot that will assistance us later in life. Not only do we recommend it we would even like to encourage those of you who haven’t partaken in anything similar, to most definitely give it shot!
Written by Kyra Chaudhary (SISS) and Zulma Martínez Soler ( IE Londres)
