My exchange experience

Before my trip to Barcelona was most excited about experiencing the rich culture, exploring famous landmarks like Sagrada Familia. I was also excited to see what the school system was like in Barcelona. 

 In my experience, the school in Barcelona felt  stricter and larger compared to Finland. Even Tho the school was stricter however, there was a lot of talking in the classes and it was loud. One notable difference was that breakfast was served at the Barcelona school.

What I learned from Barcelona’s architecture is that it is mostly Gothic, modernist, and contemporary architectural styles.Iconic landmarks include Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Família which was also the most impressive destination of all.

 I noticed some cultural differences, such as lighter meals and a common practice of having something sweet for breakfast which was a bit difficult to get used to at first.the most exciting part of the whole trip was that we got to stay with host families, which was exciting.

I noticed the difference that many hug and kiss the cheek when meeting which felt very strange at first, but I got used to it. If you happen to travel to Barcelona, ​​be prepared to walk a lot as well.

Lilja Naamanka

Amazing exchange in Barcelona

I truly looked forward to our trip to Barcelona as I knew it’s a great city with bursting city life with a lot to see and explore. I was also happy to be able to see my exchange pair again and to meet her family. 

The school premises were well maintained and beautiful. The daily schedule is quite different in Barcelona compared to Finland. School starts at 8 am and breakfast is served at 10.30 am which is the only meal offered. After that the classes continue non stop until 3 pm. One big difference is the school fees as the upper secondary education is free in Finland. It’s hard to say after such a short time how the school or the classes differ from Finnish ones as we spent a lot of time on excursions around the city.

Casa Batllo by night

Architecture in Barcelona is very unique and amazing. It’s a blend of Modern and Gothic architecture, very old and newer buildings and surroundings. There are buildings from medieval times and Gaudi’s masterpieces. The visit to Gaudi’s  Sagrada Familia was fascinating and memorable. I also enjoyed the Gothic church with the ducks though I have visited it before. Casa Batllo was different and beautiful.

Barcelona Cathedral with the ducks

Sagrada Família

There were no bigger challenges during the trip. I managed to get my feet really sore during the first day of walking as my snickers didn’t fit properly and I got hurting blisters. As we were going to walk a lot during the stay, I needed to get new shoes quickly and that was a challenge.     

Parque de Ciutadella

I truly enjoyed staying with my Spanish host family. They were so nice and I felt very welcomed throughout my whole stay and they took very good care of me. I like the Spanish way of life and rhythm, their attitude towards everyday life which is more easy going and less restricted.  In Spain the dinner is served very late, almost midnight which is much later than in Finland which I like even though we didn’t have a siesta. I like Spanish food a lot, especially paella, patatas bravas, croquetas and churros.

Paella

Churros con chocolate caliente

When going to Barcelona, bring a pair of very comfortable shoes and be ready to walk a lot since walking is the best way to explore the amazing city. An exchange program is a great opportunity to see new places and learn about different cultures and ways of life. You are able to experience much more than when traveling just as a regular tourist. If you have an opportunity to participate, go!

Matilda Manninen

Exchange trip to Barcelona

Before my trip to Barcelona I was very excited about many things. The things that I was looking forward to most were just walking around and exploring Barcelona as well as seeing how different the Spanish culture is compared to the Finnish culture.

I was also very excited to learn what is the school system like in Spain. The school was as a whole much bigger than our school, but it was divided in to smaller sections by the student’s ages. The section our hosts studied in was actually quite small. The classes we attended were Spanish and art. The Spanish class was incredibly loud. Our host students told us that all of the classes were very loud and they are used to it already. Another confusing thing was that the students in Spain don’t get any lunch in school but instead they get breakfast at around 10.30.

The school library had a beautiful view.

The architechture in Barcelona reminded me a lot of Helsinki. Barcelona was full of big buildings made from stone. The buildings were very beautiful and old looking. My favourite excursion was on the last day, when we walked around Barcelona exploring the beautiful buildings. There were also a lot of unique architechture and the christmas lights lit up the streets making it look gorgeous.

A typical building in Barcelona.

The biggest challenge i faced on the trip was exhaustion. I was really sore from all the walking during the days. On multiple days we spent all day walking around Barcelona and travelling by public transport. My feet started to get very painful. I got through the pain with a few painkillers and sleeping well in the nights. Another problem was the pickpockets. Fortunately none of us were pickpocketed but we had to stay aware of our bags at all times especially in the metros. We as finnish tourists are really often targets of stealing because the pickpockets think we don’t know about them.

Here we were tired from all the walking and just enjoyed the sun.

I really enjoyed staying in a Spanish family. I learnt a lot of the culture. The eating times were really different in spain. It was quite hard getting used to eating lunch at 15 o’clock. Other than that the culture was beautiful. Everyone were really nice and welcoming to us. I became really close with my host family and I will surely visit them again. All of us and our hosts became a very close group and I wish to see them again.

Christmas decorations in Spanish culture.

My advice to anyone traveling to Barcelona would be to have good shoes and be prepared to a lot of walking and be open to new experinces. You have to be really brave and open, so you can bond with your hosts. I learned that I make friends very easily even when speaking english and I’m also really happy that i learnt to speak English more naturally. I would recommend an exchange trip to everyone, because we had so much fun.

Jenni Elonen-Kulmala

My new family – Barcelona exchange

Atte Kivilinna

The week I spend in Barcelona was something out of a dream. The host family was so welcoming I almost wanted to stay there and be part of a new culture. I tasted many flavors and tried many new things. One thing I still miss are the churros, they were delicious. I also added a lot of photos to enhance the reading experience.

Tibidabo:

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  Here you can see a church which I saw when I went to Tibidabo. It was amusement park on top of a mountain. I added a few more photos.

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Before traveling to Spain I was anxious about meeting the parents of Nico, not sure how they would react to an unknown Finnish student coming to live with them for a week. Besides that, I was ecstatic to see the vibrant city of Barcelona in all it’s glory, and it did not let me down. I craved the churros in Spain which were tasty.

The school we had a pleasure of visiting used to be a home for royalty or that’s what I was told by Nico. It was a huge school consisting of students from ages 3-18. Private school that it was it costed a whopping 600€ or more per month. Here are some pictures of the school:

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Spanish architecture is really unique and it blew my mind when I first saw it. I learned more about Antoni Gaudi which was a famous architect know for influencing modern Barcelonian architecture. His most famous project is Sagrada Familia which is still to this day unfinished. It was exciting to have look inside this fabulous building. Sagrada Familia is truly one of the worlds wonders.

Arriving to Spain was the most difficult of the challenges that I overcame. Living in foreign family for a week was a bit terrifying but it went really well. Nico’s family was welcoming and they were really interested in knowing me better. They asked me many questions that deepened our relationship and at the end of the trip his dad told me: “this is your home now”.

Staying in a Spanish family was an experience I never thought I would get to live. I truly felt at home there and leaving Spain was heartbreaking. They were super friendly and always asked if everything was alright. Sadly I don’t have any photos with them, but I do have them in my heart. It was shocking to know that they have dinner at 10 pm which was a strange thing for me. They were also baffled about our dining habits. I loved the Jamón which is dry-cured ham. We ate Jamón very often and it was strange that they combine Jamón with melon. But I loved everything they had to offer and I tried all with courage. I am so grateful for this chance I got and the people I met.

Here are some more photos that I loved:

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I learned to be more open and I wholeheartedly suggest people to go on an exchange program. You might meet just the right person at the right time and then it “clicks” you start noticing that the world is a huge place ready to be explored. Everything and I mean the whole world is there to be experienced and getting into a exchange program is a great place to start. Thank you.

Intercambio a Barcelona

Este intercambio ha sido una experiencia realmente enriquecedora y la cual hemos podido disfrutar juntas y con nuestros demás compañeros. Barcelona siempre ha sido un sitio que Nerea quería visitar y Valentina con suerte ya había estado, pero igualmente lo que más esperabamos de este viaje era poder entrar a la gran Sagrada Familia. 

En nuestro segundo día, pudimos visitar el colegio “Escola Garbí Institució Pere Vergés por un día escolar. El colegio se dividía en varios edificios dependiendo del grado escolar, la escuela entera contiene la educación desde parvulario hasta bachillerato. Los horarios escolares de España ya los conocíamos al haber vivido en el país anteriormente y aun así estamos de acuerdo en que el día a día es mucho más intenso comparado al nuestro en Finlandia, ya que sus descansos entre clase y clase eran de cinco minutos.

Otra diferencia fue que ellos no se quedaban a comer en el colegio y que a esa hora se les acababan las clases y podían ir a sus casas a comer. 

Durante todo el viaje tuvimos la oportunidad de aprender sobre arquitectura y diseño, tanto en exposiciones de museos como en las calles de Barcelona. Una de las excursiones más fascinantes podría ser la visita a la Sagrada Familia, ya que es muy conocida y todavía sin terminar de construir. En la visita aprendimos sobre la idea de la gran Iglesia y el significado detrás de todos sus pequeños detalles tanto desde dentro como fuera.

La convivencia con nuestras familias de intercambio fue agradable y fácil sobre todo por el hecho de que ambas hablamos español y la comunicación entre todos fluía sin ningún problema, pero igualmente no es fácil coger confianza tán rápido así que ser sociales con una familia nueva fué un poco difícil, pero con el tiempo pudimos conocernos mejor con los padres y estar más cómodas.  

Nuestro consejo para alguien que viaje y o sea parte de un intercambio a Barcelona sería ser abierto a poder ver fuera de tu cultura. Tener en cuenta que las personas no van a ser tan cerradas y portarse bien con tu nueva familia. 

De nosotras aprendimos que al final no es tan difícil conocer a nuevas personas si tu mismo te esfuerzas y te comportas de una manera respetuosa.

• Nerea Luolamo y Valentina Cazajus

My Barcelona Exchange

Before my trip to Barcelona I was looking forward for the food and the cultural differences. I was also looking forward to see my exchange student again. I was also very exited to find out more about the architecture and the way they live. What interested me the most was the schools. I wanted to find out more about them and how they operate.

The school in Barcelona was very different compared to a Finnish school. First of all their first class was 90 minutes long and then the rest one hour. Secondly they only had a 5 minute break before their next class. Lastly they do not eat a proper lunch. They only eat a breakfast that you have to rush to if you want to get food. Their school was divided into different grades. So basically they had from 3-18 year olds in the same school, just different buildings.

I learnt that a lot of the architecture in Barcelona is old. A lot of the buildings were old and had an old feeling. The buildings were also mostly made of stone. I can’t recall myself seeing any other materials used in the houses. For example a lot of the houses in Finland are made of wood. The architecture had a funky look. Some of the buildings had a different shape. For example a lot of round balconies.

Mostly I didn’t concur any challenges except the amount we were walking. Barcelona is a very big city and recurves a lot of walking. On the last day my whole body was aching and sore. I also was very paranoid of being pickpocketed. My exchange student warned me of the metros. So every time I travelled with the metro I was very scared of my stuff.

I loved living with my exchange student. Her family was very open and welcomed me with open arms. I found sleeping a bit difficult because they lived on a very busy street and had their windows open the whole night. Otherwise it was lovely. I learned a lot about the Spanish Christmas culture. They have a wooden doll type of thing that you hit with a wooden stick while they are singing a song. After the song it poops out presents. I also learned a lot about their food culture. They eat less in the day and then eat a very heavy supper in the evening around 22.00-23.00. I found it a bit challenging but it was manageable. I was mostly shocked about the fact that they do not have any free time after school. For example my host usually just went home and studied the rest of the evening. I do study myself after school but I do leave time for other activities.

I would advise you to be ready to walk a lot. Barcelona is a beautiful city that requires a lot of walking. I would also advise you to be careful with your stuff. There happens a lot of pickpocketing so be prepared for that. If you are participating in an exchange program I would advise you to be prepared to step out of your boundaries. I also wouldn’t recommend it to people who are very shy and introverted. It requires a lot of socialising. I learnt that im a very social person who enjoys being around other people.

Elea Savola

My fun trip to Barcelona

My name is Silvia and I was on exchange in Barcelona. Before the trip, I was most looking forward to seeing my exchange partner and meeting her family. I was also waiting to see their school. I also expected to taste Spanish food and experience Spanish culture. I especially wanted to taste churros, and we got to taste those at local cafe. 

              

The school in Barcelona was quite different compared to our school. The school was great and there was, for example, a great library and a swimming pool. The school also had a strict ban on phones, which surprised me. The school offered breakfast, which is nice and surprising. For example, we received coffee, cereal and bread. The school didn’t have breaks between all classes, like we do in Finland. The big difference was also that they have the same schedule all year round. The price of the school was 600-1000 euros per month, depending on which class you are in.

  Pictures from the school

I learned a lot about architecture and design. My favorite destinations were the trips to Sagrada Familia and Llums de Sant Pau. I liked the Sagrada Familia a lot because it was a wonderful destination and we were guided there with headphones. Llums de Sant  Pau was my favorite because there were wonderful lights, nice Christmas things and music. 

Sagrada Familia

             

The challenge for me was that the host family’s mother spoke English very poorly, so communication was sometimes quite challenging. However, Her children helped her and translated what their mother said to me.

Living with a Spanish family was interesting and different from living in Finland. I learned a lot about Spanish culture and, for example, about Christmas traditions. For example, they had a strange Christmas tree, which was called tió, and when you hit it, it gave gifts. I also learned about food culture and customs. There were no big culture shocks for me, but there were quite a lot of differences. For example, shoes were worn inside and they even gave kisses to friends.

I would give someone who is going on an exchange a tip to participate in everything openly, even if someone seems scary at first. I learned from my English language skills what my strengths and weaknesses are. I liked the exchange a lot and I would recommend it to anyone who is even a little interested in it.

Tunnelmia leirikoulun jälkeen (2019)

Jan: Espanjan leirikoulu takana, Suomeen kotiuduttu ja paluu arkeen suoritettu. Espanjan leirimatka oli kokonaisuudessa todella opettava kokemus, jossa kieli kehittyi, oppi uutta toisesta kulttuurista ja pääsi tutustumaan uusiin ihmisiin. Jäähyväiset oli haikeat, mutta silti samaan aikaan positiivinen. Itse koin olevani viikon osa perhettä ja lähtiessä totesin palaavani takaisin vielä. Minulle puolestaan todettiin, että minun täytyy myös käydä moikkaamassa perhettä ja syömässä heidän luonaan. Itselle Espanja matka avasi silmiä ja sivisti omaa maailmankuvaa, ja herätti mielenkiinnon espanjaa kohtaa!

Pinja: Jäähyväiset olivat tunnelmaltaan haikeat. Espanjalaiset saattoivat suomalaiset vaihto-oppilaat aikaisin aamulla Segovian keskustaan, josta lähti tilausbussi kohti lentokenttää. Vaikka tunnelma oli haikea, oli silti kiva aloittaa kotimatka muiden suomalaisten oppilaiden kanssa. Kaikki olivat hyvin väsyneitä, koska kello oli niin vähän, etteivät kaikki välttämättä edes tajunneet, ettei ehkä tule näkemään omaa vaihto-oppilastaan enää. Reissu oli hyvä ja ikimuistoinen, vaikka toki mukaan mahtui myös muutamia kommelluksiakin. Lentomatka kotiin meni hyvin nopeasti nukkuessa ja musiikkia kuunnellen.

Kokemuksia vaihtariporukasta (2019)

Ensimmäinen kohtaaminen espanjalaisten kanssa pitkän matkustuspäivän jälkeen oli jännittävää. Espanjalaiset oppilaat odottivat vanhempiensa kanssa meidän suomalaisten saapumista keskustan läheisellä pysäkillä. Kun nousimme ulos bussista oli ilmassa jännitystä, mutta samalla iloa. Jokainen löysi helposti oman vaihto-oppilaansa ja meni tervehtimään ja kysymään kuulumisia, jonka jälkeen mentiin heidän mukana omiin koteihin.

Suomalaiset ja espanjalaiset opiskelijat ovat tulleet matkan aikana hyvin toimeen ja on ollut kivaa. Toki välillä on ollut ilmassa myös kireyttä, kun ei ole päässyt heti yhteisymmärrykseen. Päivisin museo- ja nähtävyyskierroksilla on ollut pääsääntöisesti vain suomalaisia, mutta muutama espanjalainenkin opiskelija on aina mukana. Iltaisin ollaan usein isolla porukalla suomalaisten ja espanjalaisten kanssa, jolloin kaikilla on ollut tosi hauskaa. Kun ollaan hengailtu isolla porukalla on ilmapiiri ollut aina tervetullut, eikä porukat esimerkiksi jakaudu suomalaisten ja espanjalaisten kesken. Ollaan käyty yhdessä ostamassa herkkuja ja käyty syömässä tai muuten vain vietetty aikaa porukalla.

Osa espanjalaisista vaihto-oppilaista on ujompia kuin toiset eivätkä uskalla puhua välttämättä englantia, jos on muita espanjalaisia ympärillä.  

Tänään olimme museoretken jälkeen porukalla ensin shoppailemassa Segovian kaupoissa, jonka jälkeen menimme viettämään aikaa pieneen paikalliseen ravintolaan, jossa söimme hiukopalaa. Ilta oli mukava ja kaikilla oli hauskaa. Tänään Espanjalaiset oli enemmän keskenään ja suomalaiset keskenään, mutta ei se haitannut ketään.

-Pinja

Kokemuksia perhe-elämästä (2019)

EYL Espanjan opiskelijat saapuivat espanjan lentokentälle Madridiin kahdeksan jälkeen torstaina 4. päivä, mukaan lukien minä. Bussissa matkalla Segoviaan mietin, että minkälaiseen paikkaan ollaan saapumassa ja miten tulen toimeen parini perheen kanssa. Vastaanotto oli kuitenkin ystävällinen ja he olivat vastassa bussiasemalla, sekä matkalla tulevaan kotiin pääsin tutustumaan heihin sekä kertomaan kuinka matka sujui.

Segovian akvedukti

 

Neljä päivää myöhemmin olo on, kuin olisi osa perhettä ja sitä tuntuu, että oppii uutta maan kulttuurista, tavoista ja tietysti kielestä! Perheen vanhemmat ovat esitelleet kaupunkia ja vieneet jopa ravintolaan syömään tyypillisiä Segovialaisia ruokia. Vierailin myös lasitehtaalla, jossa perheen äiti Sole kertoi paljon tietoa Espanjan historiaan ja lasin valmistamisen kehityksestä ja merkityksestä mm. Segoviaan.

 

Kuva jälkiruuasta ravintolassa San Antonio el real.

 

 

 

Osviittaa miten laseja valmistetaan ja on valmistettu.

 

 

 

Malleina minä ja parini Rodrigo ravintolan ulkopuolella.

 

 

 

Perhe on todella ystävällinen ja pienimmätkin pelot siitä, että ei nauttisi matkasta, koska ei osaisi tarpeeksi hyvin espanjaa tai muuten vaan asiat menisi pieleen, ne on unohdettu ja nyt osaa nauttia matkasta, sekä uusista kokemuksista, sillä tietää että perhe auttaa aina jos on tarve. Täällä myös muilta suomalaisilta leirikoululaisilta kuuleman perusteella on tapana olla vieraanvaraisia ja huolehtia, että vieras saa hyvää ruokaa ja muutenkin on mukavasti.

 

-Jan

28.4. Monday

We went to Ávila. These first two pictures are of Ávila’s huge walls.

   

Ávila’s Cathedral. Building it was finished around year 1350.

One of the gates to cathedral, this is not the main gate, more like side gate.

Here’s a picture of some other building, I took this photo because I just happened to like this building.

The grave of Adolfo Suarez, Spain’s first democratically elected prime minister, that had just died. It was in the cathedral.

On left you can see Los Cuatro Postes from which you could see the beautiful Ávila, some of it, not the whole city, and some of the wall.

This is the Plaza de Santa Teresa and that building is the Iglesia de San Pedro.

29.4. Tuesday

Before going to airport, we had some time to walk around Madrid.

Most of us were shopping because there was such a wide selection of shops, Madrid had everything. My group visited the football team; Real Madrid’s official store dedicated to fans of said team.

While going to the airport, we saw some Peruvian musicians playing in a train.

Before we took the train, we took a few photos of our group.

Lauri

 

A Spanish Experience

Saturday 26.4.

We went to La Granja to the glass factory. There was a hall where were all kinds of designs. There were even Finnish designs. Then we went to see production of glass which was pretty cool. I had never seen it before (only on TV).

After that (it was about 12 o’clock) Marta’s parents came to catch us and we drove to Valladolid. There was a big shopping mall. We ate meatballs in Ikea and shopped until 8 o’clock. When we came back home we left the house right away and Marta’s dad took us to Armando’s place (one of our exchange group). Everybody was there already. We ate and had a good time there. We left around 12 o’clock to the center of Segovia. We met new people and went home. We watched TV for awhile and went to bed.

Sunday 27.4.

We woke up at 11 and at one we went to a pub to meet Marta’s family. There were grandparents, uncle, aunt and cousins and Marta’s parents, sister and Marta of course. We snacked there and went to San Marcos (restaurant of Armando’s family) with Marta’s parents, sister and grandparents. I ate paella which was delicious! We had a great time there! I also got a scale model of the aqueduct which is a main part of Segovia. They said that aqueduct is a meeting place. The scale model is a nice memory! When we got home we studied a while. In the evening we met with Marta’s best friends in the center of Segovia. We went to a pub/restaurant and ate tapas and talked. Marta’s friends were very open and friendly. They took me to their group with very open arms. I love them and I love Spanish people! They don’t mind, for example, whether you are stylish or not stylish. They don’t give a damn of how you look. The only thing that matters is the inside of yours, your personality. That trip opened my eyes of how shallow people are in Finland…

Marta and her family were so nice and hospitable to me. I had a wonderful week with them! They even invited me to their villa in the summer. They said that I can come back whenever I want and if I ever go to Spain again I should go to see them. And, by the way, Marta’s parents only spoke me Spanish which was kinda educational.

Kiira

Segovia and the school

Thursday 24.4

On thursday we went to the school. We were at english lessons with other spanish students, and then we had some presentations of Finland. The schoolday was nice, and it was very interesting to see how diffrent school is in Spain.

After that we walked on the Segovias centrum with whole group, and their teacher Angel told us aboat history of Segovia.

At evening we had a dinner with this projects students in the “Telepizza”. There we had lot of fun!

Friday 25.4

On Friday we had school again, and we did pretty much same things than on the Thursday.

After that we went to walk again, and then we went to the Armando’s family’s restaurant. There we get lot of good spanish food!

Then others spanish students came from school, and because the weather was good, we had a picknic outside. We played football and just chilled.

At evening we went out with whole group (expect teachers) and get to see spanish nightlife! We chilled at the park, and there were lot of teenagers. The night was very good and fun!

Suvi

On Tuesday morning at 6 a.m. our journey begun. We flew by plane via Munich to Madrid, where we headed by bus to Segovia, the city, where we lived for a week. On Tuesday evening we had a welcome event at school called ‘Mariano Quintanilla’. At school we ate traditional Spanish snacks and exchanged greetings with other Spaniards. After the welcome event, we were free to go. As you might know, football is in hearts by many Spanish people, so we ended up with a group to watch Atletico Madrid – Chelsea football game. The day ended up with a dinner, which is eaten in Spain usually around 10 o’clock in the evening.

On Wednesday we headed to Madrid, the capital of Spain, by bus. We went to the ‘Museo del Prado’ and it was huge. The best-known work on display at the museum is Las Meninas (in Finnish Hovinaiset)  by Velázquez. After museum we walked to the historic center. After that, we ate lunch in the park, because there were warm, about +20 degrees. After all, we went shopping, and all I can say is that Madrid is a shopping paradise!

Henna