Verano 2020 en las Islas Canarias

Mina is writing in from Las Palmas, sharing what life has been like during her first few weeks on the Canary Islands. Here’s her story:

Hola! I’m Mina, and I’d love to tell you a bit about my experience over the past three weeks here in Las Palmas.

This trip was long-awaited—I’d been looking forward to it for so long. With everything that happened around the world because of COVID, nobody knew if traveling would even be possible. But honestly, I kept believing it would happen and waited patiently. Since this is an island, people here are pretty isolated from the rest of Europe, so things feel a lot more relaxed. Still, everyone follows the rules—masks in indoor spaces, hand sanitizer before entering any store, gloves in some cases… It’s all done respectfully.

I’ve come to love this place. There’s something special about it. People here are proud of where they live, and they truly cherish their island. As for my host family? They’ve been amazing!

I had chosen them—specifically a single mother—but you never really know how it’s going to work out until you get there. Luckily, everything clicked. I genuinely don’t feel like I’m missing anything here. Everything runs smoothly, we’re on the same page about everything, and honestly, I feel like I’m getting more rest than anything else! My responsibilities are super manageable—just four hours a day on weekdays with the kids.

Honestly, I catch myself thinking at least once a week: “If someone had told me seven months ago that I’d be living on the Canary Islands, teaching English to kids, with no extra expenses—I’d have thought they were joking.” And yet, here I am. None of this would’ve been possible without the CAR team. So grateful!