Meddeas - Meddeas

My Guide to Spanish Bureaucracy

Moving to Spain as an English Language Assistant is one of the most exciting and slightly chaotic adventures you can take. Between meeting your students, settling into your new town, and adjusting to life filled with tapas, late dinners, and sunny afternoons, there is also a not-so-exciting side: PAPERWORK. Spain’s bureaucracy is a system that…

La Casa Rural: A Weekend Away With My Host Family in Spain

English, Discovering Spain2026-06-010Comments

If you’ve never gone from foraging for weird-looking fungi to yelling at a soccer referee in the same afternoon, let me introduce you to my host family. When I joined the Meddeas program, I originally wasn’t sure if I wanted to be placed in a host family or do independent living. Now, I’ve had a…

GabriellaSancho How I started 2025 vs. How Im Ending It 3

How I Started vs. How I Ended

English, After School2026-05-290Comments

When I started 2025, I was a soon-to-be master’s graduate with both hopes and uncertainties for the year ahead. One thing I knew going into this year was that, after spending 2024 studying abroad, I was more motivated than ever to continue my adventures outside of South Africa, exploring the world while developing my personal…

Teaching the Teacher: What My Students Have Taught Me

English, At School2026-05-220Comments

...That no one warned me about. Earlier this year, I signed up to move to Spain and begin working as a Language Assistant, anticipating a year of sharing my knowledge of the English language and culture with the students. What no one warned me about, however, was just how often there would be a…

Victoria Thompson Springtime in Spain Walking around the city with my friends

Enjoying Springtime in Spain

English, Discovering Spain2026-05-180Comments

Once the excitement and novelty of your first few months abroad begin to wear off, we find ourselves in the midst of a long, chilly winter. As it is with any job, winters feel long, routines feel monotonous, and daily life can get a little repetitive and boring. As the winter months drag on, the…

A Year That Started Without a Plan

English, Life After Meddeas2026-05-150Comments

When 2025 started, I started it without a plan. In fact, my New Year’s resolution was to decide what I wanted to do next year. For context, I was starting my final semester at my university, working part-time as a server at a local eatery, training in taekwondo, and I had just missed the deadline…

Unexpected Joys of Becoming a Language Assistant

English, At School2026-05-070Comments

One of the unexpected joys of my placement is getting to fall in love with literature again. I loved English lit in high school, but never got the chance to study it in college, so it was definitely something I was missing. I think one of the benefits of secondary school students is that they…

Day Trips from Madrid: A Language Assistant’s Guide

English, Discovering Spain2026-05-040Comments

Living in Spain as a Language Assistant usually means two things: limited pay and free weekends! Therefore, you should use the cheap getaways and the fact that Spain is so well-connected to your advantage! Even on a smaller stipend, you can escape the city and discover places most tourists skip. Instead of the usual ‘Toledo…

Michael Novotny Sports Opportunities in Madrid 4

Sporting Opportunities in Madrid

English, Other Topics2026-05-040Comments

Madrid is a city full of sport. From both team and individual, male, female, and mixed, national and local, popular and obscure, whatever your sporting preferences are, Madrid will have something to offer you. Unfortunately, I will not be able to talk about every sport offered in Madrid, but I have chosen a mix of…

From Manresa to Madrid

English, Initial Shock2026-04-240Comments

On January 2nd, 2025, I stepped into the New Year, starting my new position with Meddeas. Everything was new - my school, my town, my friends and my daily routine of teaching English in Spain. I spent the first few weeks understanding how the programme operated, what was expected of me in the classroom and…