When I moved to Spain, I definitely packed some things I didn’t need and forgot some things I absolutely should have brought. You can buy most things here, obviously, so don’t panic too much. But there are a few things that made my life so much easier when I first arrived. The first thing I’d recommend is a proper folder for all your paperwork. I know that sounds boring, but Spanish admin is no joke. You’ll need copies of your passport, visa documents, insurance, empadronamie

Making friends in Spain takes a bit of effort at the start, but it does happen. If you’ve just moved here, don’t overthink it too much. Put yourself in situations where people are, talk to a few strangers, and give it a bit of time. That’s really it.

I’ve also realised that learning a language isn’t just about studying it, it’s about living it. Being surrounded by it every day, hearing it, using it, and being part of it makes such a difference.

I think a lot of people don’t realise the Canary Islands are actually quite different from mainland Spain in certain ways. The accent is softer, some vocabulary is different, and culturally it feels completely different too.

Finding a place to live in Spain sounds simple until you actually start looking. When I first moved to Tenerife I thought I’d just go online, pick somewhere nice and that would be it… not quite. Things move fast, people don’t always reply, and it can feel a bit chaotic at the beginning.

One of my favourite parts of the job is something I never expected. Every time I walk into school or even just down the corridor, I have kids shouting “Teacher Millie!” and waving at me like I’m some kind of celebrity.

In the UK, I was so used to having lunch around 12 and then a big dinner at about 6pm. Here, everything runs much later. I actually start my lunch break at 1pm, and I’ll watch all the kids in the comedor sit down to what feels like a full three course meal in the middle of the day.

It’s officially the second biggest Carnaval in the world after Rio de Janeiro. It was completely wild in the best possible way.