Say hello to our two new Erasmus interns who will be working in school, alongside Mr Kell, for the next few weeks. Find out how they ended up at the wonderful Shotton Hall below...
Giada
1. Tell us about where you came from and how you ended up coming to The Academy at Shotton Hall.
I am Giada and I come from Milan in Italy. I’m in my last year of University, and in order to get my Bachelor’s Degree in Translation and Interpreting, I have to do an internship. So, I thought, what’s better than doing an internship abroad? That’s why I applied for an Erasmus placement, and I won a scholarship to live this experience as Ian’s assistant.
2. How long will you spend at The Academy at Shotton Hall and what will you be doing?
I will be here until Christmas as an Erasmus Assistant. This role involves a lot of tasks as a project manager, organising trips and taking part in transnational meetings with international teachers…so a great opportunity to travel around Europe.
3. How are things different here from back home?
Things here are quite different from home, not only for the weather but above all the fact of living alone, cooking and cleaning without my mum’s help. Sometimes I miss the sound of my family.
4. What do you plan on doing after you finish here at Shotton Hall?
As soon as I come back I’ll go back to university in Milan, to catch up on lessons, prepare my dissertation and get my degree. After that, I’ll try the admission tests at Geneva University to start a Master in Conference Interpreting.
5. Is there anything interesting about your culture that you think our students might be interested in?
Well, there are a lot of stereotypes about Italian culture, and most of them are true, like the fact that we love pasta and pizza, that we use our hands when speaking…. but I’d like to talk to you about a tradition we have in the north of Italy, which is 'Santa Lucia night' on 12th December. On the night of the 12th, every kid goes to bed aware of the fact that S.Lucia and her donkey will bring gifts and candies.
Alba Miras
1. Tell us about where you came from and how you ended up coming to The Academy at Shotton Hall.
My name is Alba Miras, I am 22 years old and I come from Granollers, a city next to Barcelona in Spain. Last year I finished my degree in Translation and Interpreting at the University of Barcelona, and before starting my Master's degree I realised that an internship abroad could help me to better understand the cultures of the foreign languages I study.
2. How long will you spend at The Academy at Shotton Hall and what will you be doing?
I will be at Shotton Hall from September until Christmas. I will be Mr Kell's right hand together with Giada. We will help him to coordinate the Erasmus projects which the school is involved in. I will also take the students on trips and try to make them enjoy their time abroad. I will also assist the teachers during French and music lessons.
3. How are things different here from back home?
They are very different. I am used to hotter temperatures and sunny days. People here try to be very helpful and polite, while in Spain we treat each other with more familiarity right from the start. Moreover, I am not used to eating as early as English people and I miss Spanish food.
The school system is also very very different. Most Spanish students do not wear uniforms and they bring all the material they need from home. Students are much more independent and they do more hours of science classes instead of art related subjects.
4. What do you plan on doing after you finish here at Shotton Hall?
After this internship I will do another in Quimper, France, working as a Spanish teacher. Next school year I will start my Master's degree, possibly working as a teacher or a translator at the same time.
5. Is there anything interesting about your culture that you think our students might be interested in?
I think they would love Spanish food, so I definitely recommend looking for some recipes. We have also interesting traditions for example, in Catalonia we make human castles, eat chestnuts for Halloween and celebrate Sant Jordi's day on the 23rd April. This day is our second 'Valentine's day' of the year.