Emma in Malaga




Preparation
In order to prepare myself for my mobility to Malaga I attended Spanish classes and practised Spanish on Duolingo so that I would know some basic phrases in Spanish. I was really excited but also nervous when I found out that I had been accepted for the Erasmus programme so I researched more into the programme so that I could get a better idea of what to expect. I had also never flown before so I did some research into what was allowed in your suitcases and weight limits just so that we would not run into any problems in the airport.

About myself
Hiya my name is Emma Heaney, I am 19 years old and I live in Arklow. I am currently attending BIFE studying tourism, reception and event management. I was extremely lucky and honoured to be chosen for the Erasmus+ programme to Malaga. This blog is for people to get a better insight into the Erasmus+ programme and my own personal experience in Malaga. I hope you enjoy :)


Accommodation

Me and Dayna shared a stunning apartment together just a 10 minute walk from the main shopping strip. When we first arrived at our apartment we were shocked at how nice and spacious it was. My room had a massive double bed with a walk in wardrobe (so much bigger than my room back home). Our kitchen was fully equipped with cooking utensils the only problem was that we had a microwave oven, which took two hours to figure out how to work and 50 minutes to cook a pizza, we made it work though. Overall we got extremely lucky with our apartment, I couldn’t of asked for a nicer place to spend our 3 weeks. 






Work placement
For my work placement I was working in La Recepcion. The boss was extremely welcoming and friends she also spoke perfect English which really helped us out a lot. She explained to us a little bit about what she does which is renting out apartment across Malaga to different customers. She then told us what we were going to be doing during our 3 week placement. Our job was to go around to different apartments with checklists to make sure each apartment was fully stocked and was clean. I really enjoyed my placement as it allowed to us walk all around Malaga and also travel to different places such as Torremolinos. I was working with Millie who is studying business and we became friends straight away which really helped.


Day 1

On Sunday we didn’t really do much because we were all exhausted from all the travelling. We met at the airport at 4 where I was greeted by Louise and the other 13 students. We checked our bags in, went through security and then boarded our flight at 7. It was my first time flying so I was really excited. When we arrived in Malaga we met Ricardo and had our introduction meeting at the European Era. He gave us all the information about our placements and a accommodation before he brought us to our apartments. He ordered us all taxis which brought us to the apartments. We were all super excited because the area looked so pretty and our apartments were so nice. Me and Dayna got a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment with a kitchen and living room. We got extremely lucky with our apartment and where it was situated as it was only a 10 minute walk from the main shopping strip which was filled with amazing shops, cafes and restaurants. We decided to explore the area once we unpacked just so we could familiarise ourselves with the area. There wasn’t many shops open as it was a Sunday so we ended up going back to the apartment to relax as we were all exhausted 

Day 2

The second day we went shopping for food for the apartment. We meet up with the group at 4 to get a tour of Malaga. We got shown the best areas to shop get food and all the historical buildings. I found  this tour really helpful as it gave me the chance to learn my way around the city. Our tour guide was super friendly and gave us some very good recommendations for places to eat. 

After the tour we walked around the city looking for somewhere to eat. We found this restruant that gave us free samples of food and wine so we decided to eat there. We ordered a big platter of different Spanish food because we were all super excited and wanted to try different Spanish meals. They brought us out a huge platter of food which meals such as croquets, lamb, flamenca, and octopus (was not a fan). Everyone in the restraunt was so nice and they gave us free chocolates and free Champaign to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I really enjoyed this day as it gave me the chance to sit down and talk to some of the other students and get to know everybody better. We ended up staying at this restraunt for 3 hours because the atmosphere and the people there were entertaining.After dinner we decided to stay out and explore different bars in Malaga before going home.





Day 3
Wednesday was my first day at work. We meet up with Ricardo in the morning and went to a cafe for tea and coffee. He then walked us to where we would be working and introduced us to the woman we would be working with. She was really nice and had very good English which was very helpful. She gave us an introduction into what we would be doing. Basically our job is going around Malaga to different apartments and making sure that they match the photos on Airbnb, that they are clean and that they have everything they need for their guests. Once work was over we meet up with the others and got tapas. We then went back to the appartment to get ready for the Flamincago show. It was a great experience and I am really happy that I went to it. It was something I had never seen before but I really enjoyed getting to experience different cultures.


Day 4

Today we had our second day at work and it went really well. We went in and she gave us the keys to different apartments so that we could go and check on them by ourselves. This was a bit challenging at first and we ended u at the wrong appartment but after the help of Google maps we got the hang of it. After work we went to a dessert place called parsnack and got some lovely desserts. Later on today we are meeting up to get tapas at a restaurant called cash Lola.



Day 5
Today I decided to meet up with Dayna after work so that we could go shopping and get tapas. We ended up meeting some of the others outside Mac Donald’s so we all decided that we’d hang out for a few hours before dinner. We wanted to go to the Picasso museum but it closed at 6 so we were to late. After a bit of researching we decided that we’d go to the Malaga museum and I’m so happy that we did. The museum was so much bigger than I’d expected. It was 3 stories tall and the rooms were massive. The museum was filled with artificers, statues and amazing painting. Each story has a balcony where you could look out into the stunning courtyard. I am really happy we went here because I really wanted to visit one of the museums in Malaga. I usually don’t enjoy museums but this one was beautiful and I would strongly recommend it to anyone going to Magala in the future.





Day 6
Today during work we had to decorate a new apartment. We got the furniture delivered to the apartment and carried it all inside. We then we’re in a rush because it was 12 and check in was at 2 so we were in a bit of a rush to get all the furniture assembled. After work I went to go meet Dayna to go to the market. We decided to rent electric scooters to get there and it was the funniest experience I’ve ever had. It was our first time using one of them so we were a bit of a mess but we made it there eventually. We looked around the market which was filled if handmade clothes and jewellery so that we could bring our families back something. After looking around we ended up walking past a tattoo shop and decided to get spontaneous tatoos so that we would always remember this trip. We then met up with the group for food and drinks. We found a cocktail bar called pharmacy which served the most amazing unique cocktail I have ever seen.




Reflection
This trip has benefited me in so many ways. It’s thought me how to be more independent and how to deal with difficult situations by myself. I have had to think on my feet in work to deal with situations and I’ve gained more confidence and made really good friends over in Malaga. This trip has helped me realise my love for travel and confirmed that it is definitely something I want to do more of in the future.













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