My name is Karol, and I am participating in EYE in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria at a language school. Reaching the halfway point of my Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs journey gives me a good perspective on what I have experienced so far. The first part of my stay has been full of learning through real work, real responsibilities, and honest conversations about what it means to run a business. It is also time spent exploring the island, getting to know Canarian culture, and building new connections and friendships.
Some of my responsibilities at the school include organizing monthly language exchanges for the local community. Since I have previous experience in event organization, it felt natural to take responsibility for this event. I also lead language sessions, where students from the school can practice speaking in a relaxed way.
Another important part of my role is teaching English classes. It is not that I have a fixed schedule or a group, but I am more like a support of school operations, once someone calls in sick or has some kind of emergency. When it comes to marketing, I am responsible for creating the school’s social media content. Through this, I am learning how a language school promotes itself, how it communicates with potential students, and how it builds its online presence. This is also a testing ground where I can try different solutions and receive honest feedback for my ideas.
All these opportunities are possible thanks to my mentor, for whom I am very grateful, for her time and energy she puts into this program. She took her role with full dedication. Every week, we meet for mentoring sessions where she answers all my questions and shares her own professional journey in detail. I appreciate how openly she shares with me all the information. Another great benefit that I am grateful for are Spanish classes I am attending at her school. It was a very kind gesture on her part to allow me to attend the course. I feel that, thanks to our collaboration, we are successfully achieving the goals of this exchange.
This exchange is also about experiencing the culture and living abroad. In my free time, I visit museums, go on hikes, try the local cuisine, and participate in cultural events. It has been a great opportunity to immerse myself in the daily life of the island.