At the beginning of the semester, the reception was very warm and welcoming as part of a
Welcome Day. We were greeted and later enjoyed a buffet with food and drinks.

I studied at the Pedagogical University, which is centrally located in the city. Most of the other
students had to travel to Tafira, which was almost an hour away. A fellow student from Graz also participated in the Erasmus program with me, so we planned everything together. Upon arriving in Las Palmas, course selection turned out to be more complicated than expected. Unfortunately, we were not able to enroll in the courses we had initially planned. However, we managed to find a great course that provided a perfect mix of theory and practice. The university library was relatively old but served its purpose well.

Finding accommodation was quite stressful for me. My plan was to search for a place after arriving.
I initially found a short-term rental for one month, but I soon realized that it was very difficult to find housing for a shorter period than the full semester. As a result, I had to settle for a more expensive option.

The city itself is beautiful. Life mainly takes place along the promenade, offering many sports opportunities and a variety of delicious restaurants. At first, I was a bit worried about not being welcomed due to protests against tourism. However, I did not experience any negativity. All the locals I met were very kind and friendly.

I definitely learned a lot from the teaching methods. The interaction between students and professors was very personal and friendly, something I will take inspiration from. In terms of content, many interesting topics were covered, and I am sure I will incorporate some of them into my future lesson planning.

I cannot say for certain if this experience changed my personality. However, after a very stressful
year, it definitely grounded me again and motivated me to continue my journey as a teacher!

Dominic Stempel