On the 6th of February,  sixteen  BFEI students and our teacher Johanna headed to our gate at Dublin Airport. Full of nervous energy, and excited anticipation for all the new things we were about to experience, we took to the skies on our journey to Malaga. Upon arrival we got a bus to our apartment building which included a pool. We chose our rooms and headed to the nearby supermarket for some food. We then had the evening to explore the city and the beaches.

On the first morning we were greeted by the European Era crew who informed us about our accommodation and gave us a card that allowed us to use the transport in the city. They were very kind and helpful, and they brought us all to our different job locations. Some of us took the bus, some of us walked and some of us took the metro. A number of us worked in schools and supported children in their learning and development. Several of us worked in offices or got to experience working in marketing and advertising. A selection of us worked in an organisation that gives empowering workshops to people in a situation of social vulnerability.

We all learnt a lot from our work placements. We learnt about what it’s like to work in a particular vocational area and we learnt about ourselves. It was really incredible having the opportunity make a positive difference to people’s lives and to experience working abroad. We also had plenty of free time to experience the culture in Málaga. We saw beautiful historic buildings and sites such as Alcazaba, Málaga Cathedral and Teatro Romana de Málaga. We tried traditional Spanish food like churros and empanadas. We planned many trips and outings that we could all do together. We went to the incredible Caminito del Rey, Málaga Museum and Playa la Malagueta. We went to a fascinating flamenco show, a huge flea market and we went on a stunning sunset boat cruise. We shopped, tried different restaurants by the sea, ate plenty of ice cream, danced, went on scooters and swam. We even got to experience a Spanish festival in the city centre. The people that we met and worked with in Málaga were very encouraging and kind with our attempts to speak Spanish. They were accommodating and happy to speak in English where necessary to ensure that we understood everything.

We are very grateful for the support from our teachers, Johanna, who flew out with us and stayed in Málaga for a few days to ensure that we were all settled and comfortable, and Garry who flew back home with us and helped get us all to the airport after the most amazing two weeks. We also want to thank Breda, as none of this would have happened without all her hard work and efforts, and our principal Tina for being so supportive of the Erasmus+ Programme. We are so appreciative of everyone at BFEI who made this all happen for us. We have all gained huge amounts of independence, confidence, cultural awareness and responsibility from our Erasmus+ journey. It helped us to figure out what we may want to do with our lives in the future. We met new people, and we made lifelong friends.