to start the say we all met Miguel in our accommodation to give us  details of our work placements  ,we were then accompanied to them by a memever of the European Era team . The first day at Clinica Veterinaria Velazquez was short but nonetheless insightful I was greeted by Dr. Bartolome, the vet in charge, who gave me a quick tour of the practice. He explained the layout of the clinic, introduced me to the team, and went over some basics, like the dress code and what time I should arrive for the next day.  🙂
Everything was very straightforward, and the team seems really friendly. It was also great that Dr. Bartolome speaks perfect English, which made communication a breeze. I’m looking forward to getting more hands-on experience in the coming days and learning from such a welcoming team, I took the metro home ,which was super quick  .

Afterwards started raining, but it was actually beautiful walking through the streets of Malaga. The rain created a stunning reflection of the tiles on the ground, adding to the city’s charm. I’m excited to return tomorrow and dive into the experience! 

Excited to see what tomorrow brings!

On the 4 day we helped them with setting up price tags onto some of the items,we
helped to look out for stuff that might be out of date and put fresh stuff up,
We had to come up with ideas for a chidlrens fun day that will be taking place the
following week and think of things for them to do but first this has to be confirmed by the
government ,I kinda was not sure what type as its for all ages They showed all the arts
they had previous done
Most of the stuff was recycle material as that’s what they kinda aim to use .
After that one the woman brought us to the market to get use fruit and veg and show us what the market is like .

Day 2
On the second day we had learned how to make spansih croquettes with this woman
who volunteers to help in this association ,which we had used flour ,egg,cornstarch and
meat filling,it was quite fun and helped us kinda bond ,
We went to this other shop that they have but it would not be like a shop it’s ready made
package with like 6 things which some people might not even like,
Some people that I had met I wouldn’t of thought they woukd be struggling but it just
shows not to be afraid to ask for help ,
In this case the issoction is trying to help these people with documantion so that they
are able to do there shopping in the little shop they have,
They are very supportive to these people and its really making me realise what people
really go through to through meet ends.

Day 3
On the third day we kinda just helped wih restocking the shelfs again,we made this
unbelieved chocolate cake that this morrocan woman loves and showed us how to make,
They were asking us to cook some irish dish for them,through the whole day we kinda
just looked at them and what they do in there day,
And lots of taking about the support they try to give ,they only thing that was kinda
diffuclt was trying to communicate and understand some the things they were saying by
translater ,some did not kinda make sense.
We had also had a walk tour to show us all the amazing building in malaga .

On the first day we did not really do a much as it was kinda just an introduction ,we had
met 4 amazing people carmen,juan,and these 2 other girls,they were very welcoming
and so sweet ,not once did they make the language barrier a issue
We had learned that this is kinda community social work that they do to help people
who might be struggling,they also do all types of activites for children,families and
mothers,they are very close as a community
They had a little shop with everything that would be needed for home and food and it
was for max 2 euro or less like 30 c ,some people receive a social benfit of 12 euro on a
card to go spend in this shop as the other half the government pays to this association
They also help undocumented people who might need help with papers,
We just helped with stocking up the shelfs and getting to know each other,
They showed us there Instagram page and all the activites that they had done.

Day 6 in the Clinic – A Beautiful Start

After a lovely weekend, I headed to work early, enjoying the beautiful weather in Málaga with a nice walk to the clinic. One thing I love here is how they tag dogs and cats with vaccination details on their collars – such a clever idea!

During a break, I grabbed one of Bartolomé’s books from the shelf about medical diagnosis. It was incredibly insightful, so I’ve already ordered my own copy to dive deeper into the material.

On my walk home, I spotted some very vocal green birds, which made me smile. I wrapped up the day with a delicious Indian meal – yes, in Spain! Perfect end to a great day. Looking forward to more tomorrow!

Starting our monday right with ice cream and shopping

Today in work we had maths which was first class. The 4th graders started to learn about division. Most of the kids flew at this. After was some dance class where 3 women come in to do dancing with the kids out in the courtyard. The girls are highly liked so the class engages well.

During dance I was taken by a teacher and brought up to a different class and i was asked to help a Ukrainian student learn Spanish. It was a chance for both of us to learn a bit there so we just took turns reading out spanish words like animals, places and items.

After this was recess where I sat in the courtyard and watched the kids and talked with a few from my class. Recess is 45 minutes long but usually runs 5 minutes over time, there’s not really a strict system set in place.

After recess we had reading. The class gets split in half where one group goes with one teacher and the other group stays in the classroom. Some kids got to read at their own pace and others took turns reading with the teacher in the classroom.

The autistic child in the classroom is a lot more comfortable around me as well as other kids in the classroom now. I think i’ve met all the teachers now who I need to know for the rest of the week.

Sunday is known for the day of rest, a day where you can relax and recap and reflect the week and recover from all the hours lost through the week.

Sunday I ate well, breakfast lunch with friends and a home made dinner by me.

On Sundays in Malaga not many shops open and the streets are not so busy, difficulty to find shops open to buy goods but I managed in the end. Chicken, tomatoes onions and garlic with a few local spices I put my cooking skills to good use and made a hearty dinner which was curry I was ranging in the moment there was no coriander to be found but still tasted good at most.

I found lychee the Saturday in one of the fruit shops where I fist tried in Asia a funny round fruit with a weird texture not native nor seen in Irish supermarkets the lychee here is really good 🙂

The day was finished off with a few games of UNO then it was time for bed to start the week with a rejuvenated start.