Misperception!

Hola,

my name is David Hitze (24) and I work as a System Integrator at the Max-Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research.

I was lucky to get the opportunity to take part in this exchange. Although I did not get into a local company, but into I.E.S. Campanillas, I learned a lot about Spain and its ways. I want to tell you something about the first perception I had and how it changed, nearly instantly. If you want to know what I worked on, read at Christians entry :)

When we arrived at I.E.S. Campanillas, I have to admit that I was a bit nervous. The fence around the school was a bit intimidating. The sign in front of the school showed us the reality of Spain in an instant:

The white board says: "I am not responsible for the crisis"

I immediately remembered the things I read prior to the trip, about Spain and its struggle with the crisis and particular how hard it hit the young generation . My spirits were down at this point. Four weeks in this prison, I asked myself.

But no need to worry, we met Sergio. The teacher responsible for this exchange. A friendly guy, and not the only one in this place. Turns this is no prison in any way. The bell rang and the schoolyard was swept with pupils laughing, smiling and playing.

In the time I worked here I met many of students curiously questioning what we do and where we are from. Though we had some language barriers to overcome, we managed to communicate. They were very patient with me and my little Spanish skills.

But I had some trouble with the guy who opens the door. Sadly for him, he was rooting for Málaga to defeat Dortmund in the Champions League. We all know how that ended :) . Even Sergio was not able to speak the day after.

At this point I really should recommend going to the schools cafeteria. I have seen some and they were never as good as this one. The orange juice was fresh made and very delicious. The women serving were also very friendly. It seems that this school cares about the health of their pupils.

Ultimately I can say that I have met many interesting and funny people, including the guys I arrived with. I made some interesting observations on the human sleeping behaviour during our stay. Especially on a subject called Valerji. He slept this much, but still got outwitted by a monkey ;)

Goodbye Málaga and Campaillas!