Spain is a place that truly comes alive during summer, with its winding, enchanting streets, delicious food, rich history, and breathtaking beaches. Summer in Spain as a TEFL teacher held some of my favorite memories while being a teacher in a sun-kissed country. The school activities changed, my social life did a one-eighty and the number of adventures I embarked on tripled. Combined, it all made leaving Spain much harder.
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Summer in Spain as a TEFL Teacher – School Activities
At the end of the school year, when summer started creeping in, field trips and outdoor activities made their way into my daily schedule. I joined on a field trip to an opera with my kindergarten students, where they watched Little Red Riding Hood with a twist. Let’s just say at one point, the granny of Little Red Riding Hood was twerking to an old rock song, there was a spinning disco ball, and my students were going crazy.
I also had the chance to accompany my first graders on an all-day trip that included a hike, outdoor games, and a trip to the beach. Being out of the school with my students for a day was a nice change of pace, especially since it was during my last week of classes.
It was not just field trips that increased, but school performances and assemblies. Students had roller skating, dance, and musical shows. Some of the younger primary students were involved in a year-long project with a greenhouse nearby, so they would leave for part of the day to go collect the vegetables they had grown. At one point, a magician even came to the school for the kids to enjoy.
At times, all the additional activities would confuse me because my schedule was changing last minute with little to no warning. However frustrating when my plans were not needed, I enjoyed interacting with my students nonetheless. Even so, I enjoyed cheering them on in their performances, talking about the vegetables they grew, or having free time to work on the last of my lesson plans.
Summer in Spain as a TEFL Teacher –
Daily Life in Spain
The changes in my daily life during the summertime also reached outside the classroom. Since the sun started to set later, specifically after 10:00 p.m., my after-work hours were overflowing with things to do because I had more time before it got dark. Where I lived in Spain, the winter was cold, wet, and windy. That meant when the weather started to improve, people started coming out of ‘hibernation,’ filling the days with more of everything. One of my favorite things was how much beach volleyball I was able to play. Normally we would play twice a week, but as soon as the weather got warmer, it increased to four or more times. On top of more volleyball, I also went on more walks with friends or hung around the beach with some food and drinks. Life in Spain during the summertime was of high quality to me.
Travel
I also had plenty of free time to travel on weekends, and even more once school was out. My Spanish Visa did not expire until the end of June, giving me around a month to explore the rest of Spain. First, I explored more of the region I lived in first on little weekend trips. One day I rented a car to visit a popular national park nearby. I remember driving around to random locations, enjoying secret beaches and small coastal towns. 
After spending one last week in my city, which I now consider a second home, I took off to explore! I journeyed through more of Spain first, visiting frequently visited areas, like Sevilla, to smaller areas outside big cities, like Ronda. I left Spain on the very last day of my visa with a heavy heart, but it wasn’t the end of my travels. Since I was so close, I visited several European countries before my final destination, the United States.
It had been a dream of mine to have a summer in Europe. The coastlines were a captivating blue, outlining all my views. The enchanting cities were alive as they filled with people, almost like they had awakened from a long slumber. Even in the unrelenting sun and the sweat falling from every pore, it was the perfect place to spend my summer.
Holidays in Spain
Spain also has many holidays and unique events to partake in during the summer. Celebrating different traditions allowed me to further understand Spain by gaining a new perspective on the culture through the specific lens of the holiday. My favorite one was the San Juan festival which celebrates the longest day of the year and the beginning of summer. I was in Barcelona at the time of the festival, watching the beaches flood with people who sent fireworks into the sky.
At the same time, my friends from the city I had lived in camped out on the beach for two days to reserve their spot for the celebration. My friends were sending me pictures of the fire they had made, jumping over it and setting off their own fireworks. There are other aspects to the traditions of this holiday, but like usual, each corner of Spain has its own way of doing things. Since I was only in Spain for half of the summer, there were other holidays that I did not get to experience but were just as exciting. The Spanish summer has more than enough celebrations to keep anyone on their toes.
Reflecting on My Time in Spain as a TEFL Teacher
I would have to say that, without a doubt, my last month and a half was the most memorable out of all my time teaching in Spain. My time with my students was more precious and diverse. My time outside the classroom was fulfilling and memorable. Leaving Spain was by far one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I will be forever thankful for the summertime that gave me the best memories and the sweetest goodbye.
