My preparation for my language trip
My last language trip to Malaga I booked with EF and have already planned my next one. I particularly appreciate that I had a permanent contact person from day one who gave me competent advice and support. All organizational questions were clarified easily in a virtual consultation. Alternatively, I could have chosen a personal appointment in one of the big cities – depending on my individual preferences.
EF's support went far beyond the booking. Guidelines and information meetings provided valuable assistance and explained in detail what to pay attention to. There was even a packing list for everyone who wanted to be on the safe side – so nothing was forgotten. For professional preparation, I worked intensively with my apps and documents in order to learn the most important vocabulary in advance. I would also recommend this to everyone: A solid basic vocabulary is an ideal basis for deepening the language in new contexts and expanding it with grammar knowledge.
In order to prepare myself geographically for Málaga, I downloaded pedestrian navigation and the bus timetable and looked into a sightseeing website. Because as we all know, anticipation is the greatest joy! 😊 Since I have already traveled a lot myself (28 years old), the only new thing for me was that I was traveling abroad alone. I was really looking forward to this adventure. My parents were probably more excited than I was. Since I travel a lot within the country for work, I was definitely more excited than nervous.
When I arrived at the airport in Málaga I had to look for the metro station. To make the adventure complete, I decided to travel there myself. If you feel unsafe when arriving, you can take advantage of EF's organized transfer. You will be picked up directly from the airport and taken comfortably to your host family or residence. After a short search and initial attempts at asking questions, I found the station and waited at the right platform. After a short walk of about 10 minutes, I finally stood in front of the Resa Málaga Centro – my home for the next two weeks. Particularly impressive: There is a terrace on the roof with a fantastic view over the city. I spent the rest of the day exploring the surrounding area, shopping for groceries and planning my route to school.
My first day of EF school
On the first day of school I took the bus from the center to school. The practical thing was that there were three lines here, so a bus went to school every 3 minutes. I quickly learned that line 8 was 20 minutes faster than the other two. When I arrived at school, she was waiting for me pretty red villa with a great garden, numerous leisure activities and both sun and shade areas.
The first lesson was a welcome lesson. We took a placement test on site and had a short conversation to accurately assess our language level. We received a lot of information and rules about the school and were also given a list of the 100 most important sights in Málaga. We were then divided into our courses and given our timetable. For me, it continued with a free hour that I spent on the beach with my new friends. The lessons were held in simple Spanish, and if something was not understood, the explanation followed in English. If that didn't help, there was always the option of searching for images on the Internet.
A welcome party took place on the evening of the first day. In a bar, all EF students met in a specially reserved area. The students who had been there for a long time were also there, so that a nice exchange between new and experienced participants was possible. Here I met two girls who were very proud of the fact that they were about to take their exams, which they would be taking at the end of the week.
A language trip and two languages
Since my English wasn't particularly good at first (or so I thought), I didn't have the words to have fluent conversations. However, that went away quite quickly as my new friends came from France, Belgium, Holland and Switzerland. Since our Spanish was not sufficient to have everyday conversations, everyday life outside of school took place in English. In addition to my chosen language, Spanish, I also became significantly better at English. The important thing is to be brave and just try. If you're missing a word, no one gets angry, because who knows how to say “rosemary potatoes” in English?
Am I too young or too old for a language trip?
The average age was also very mixed, but my friends were on average 5 years younger than me. However, my courses included Spanish learners between the ages of 16 and 60. Age plays less of a role in the trip, it's more important that you have the same interests and have a great time. Even after the trip, a good year later, we are still in regular contact and some of us have even met privately. It's great when international friendships emerge from this.
The best view over Malaga
My personal highlight was the view on the way to Gibralfaro Castle. Here you can enjoy a beautiful view over the park, the harbor, the bullring and much more. It's worth going early in the morning to enjoy the view without tourists.
Discover Málaga culinary
If you would like to discover the culinary delights of Málaga, I can recommend the “Casa Mira”. Here it is worth visiting the ice cream parlor in a small side street, only about 200 m next to the large shopping street. There is also a “Casa Mira” there, but here you have to plan on waiting around 30 minutes including drawing numbers. At “Casa Lola” you get the best tapas in Málaga. However, you should eat here at German dinner time. From around 8:30 p.m. people line up here and wait for a table to become available. But once you've got a table, you can treat yourself to culinary delights. Simply share the tapas with the group so you can try more.
Privacy during a language trip
Personally, it was very important to me to have my own room and bathroom. I've been leaving home for many years now and am used to setting my own daily routine. That's why it was important to me not to live with a host family, like many of my classmates. I lived in a student dormitory. There was a large communal kitchen and even a small gym. Resa Málaga Centro was about 40 minutes away from the school by bus. My big advantage was that I was already in the center in the evening and didn't have to use an Uber or the night bus like many of my friends.
