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Flying from Madrid to Vienna
My experience as a member of the exchange between Spain and Slovakia started the 29th of January 2022, and little did I know that those two months and everything that came afterwards would change my life and make me grow in so many many ways. But, what did my experience consist of?
My host family
My host family
Before my arrival, I had so many questions about my host, Alzbeta, and her family: Would they like me? Would I be able to adapt well to their customs? What would I talk about with them?. However, from the first moment they were super friendly and did everything they could to make me feel like home.
My host sister, Alzbeta, and I had a lot in common and we got along very well from the start. Now, after four months, we have practically become best friends.
Throughout my stay, I had the chance to visit plenty of cities, villages and monuments, such as Tatras, the biggest mountains in Slovakia, cities like Kosice or Bratislava, or the traditional town Cicmany. I also visited many castles, that are a very important part of the Slovak culture and there's handfuls of them.
The Kosice cathedral
In Bojnice
The Bratislava Castle
Bratislava was one of the places that I enjoyed visiting the most. I am quite interested in arquitecture so I was eager to see this city and especially, the beautiful Bratislava Castle, placed on top of a hill and with a fastastic view of the whole Bratislava.
The view near the castle
Skiing
Skiing
This trip has opened my eyes to the world of skiing. I had always wanted to learn but I had never been able to do it until I came here. Alzbeta and her family love skiing and they taught me, and although at first I was afraid, I soon overcame my fear and learned. Now, I can't wait until it's winter and I go skiing again!!!
I also took part in a skiing course organized by the school. Here, not only I practiced my skiing skills, but I also met a lot of amazing people with who I shared a lot of laughs (and also deep conversations hehe).
During the last two weeks we met a group of Spanish students from Blanes (Cataluña) with who we went on several trips to different places, like the concentration camp Auschwitz in Poland or the town Bojnice. Even though we only shared less than a week with them, we soon became friends and enjoyed a lot.
Us with some of the students from Blanes
Cicmany
The MUN conference
The MUN conference
During my last week in Slovakia I had the chance to participate in the MUN (Model United Nations) conference, a project in which students from all around Europe meet and discuss important current issues. We debated the topic of biological experimentation with animals and I represented Norway. This was a unique experience where I met amazing people and learned a lot.
The school, GBZA
The school, GBZA
The high school was very comfortable and with quite new facilities. Teachers, students and coordinators were very friendly and helped us adaptate easily to the classes.
Some of the differences I would point out between the Spanish and Slovak educative systems are :
In Slovakia the classes are shorter (45 minutes) and the breaks between them longer (10 minutes). It may not seem like a huge difference I really noticed it.
The treatment between teachers and students is more respectful, as students refer to teachers with Miss/Mister and the surname of the teacher and they get up when a teacher enters the room.
GBZA's hall
An enriching experience
An enriching experience
In conclusion, I would consider this trip a great opportunity not only to get to know a whole new culture and country, but also to meet amazing people that I hope I will keep in touch with. During these two months I have gooten out of my comfort zone, learned A LOT and in summary, grown as a person. Not everything has been easy, as there were times in which I felt alone or missed my family, but, if you have the chance that I had to participate in this project, I would 100% reccomend it, and trust me, you won't regret it!!
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