My full name is Davron Shukurullaev. I am studying at ISMA University of Applied Sciences, a fourth-year student. Many years of hard working and strict training have made me a qualified university student with high qualities, and also, I am a travel addicted person. So, since I entered the University I have been taking part in several exchange student and practice programs in order to gain more life experience. My previous adventure was in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain. I found all necessary information from ISMA Erasmus Department. The name of the Hotel I worked is Hoteles Lopez located in Gran Canaria. The island boasts spectacular volcanic landscapes, rare Laurisilva forests, pristine beaches, fertile valleys and transparent waters full of life. UNESCO has granted Gran Canaria the esteemed status of a Biosphere Reserve, in recognition of its biodiversity and to actively support conversation on the island. I practiced there five months, my position was a waiter initially, later I was offered to be a bartender. Everything was fine, but unfortunately after first month the hotel I worked was closed because of COVID-19. During the quarantine my University and receiving organization supported me to get out of this situation. I got all my scholarship from the university on time, and I was provided with free meals and accommodation according to the contract. It was a real challenge for me, because I didn’t go out for several weeks because the pandemic. On the other hand, it was beneficial for me, because my Spanish language was pre-intermediate level, during the quarantine I improved it by the help of books and my local friends, and now I can speak Spanish fluently except English and German. Furthermore, I learnt to live together and work in a team with students from other cultures, to be able to live by my own earning, and also I noticed my personal and social growth.
During the practice, my schedule was flexible, so I could travel around the island with my new friends to see several cities, cultural monuments, museums, relax on the sunny beach. The most interesting there is no winter in that island, when I visited Gran Canaria it was late January, the climate was much warmer than in Latvia.
To sum up, I want to encourage other students to travel, make new friends from all corners of the world – become more tolerant, practice and gain a new perspective in the world, so that they can gain competitive advantage and reinforce the CV which will be very useful in career life in the future.