It was a really good opportunity to be on this Erasmus+ placement in Tenerife. I got to make some nice friends, and I learned a lot during my work placement too. I’d love to do it again someday and visit this fabulous island. A big thanks to GTI, the European Union and the Irish agency Léargas for selecting me for this Erasmus placement. I’ll miss Tenerife big time!
-Jad
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Today I arrived to my work placement a bit earlier, at 9:30 am as I wanted to try the very famous Spanish coffee. It is called 'Leche y leche' and it is made of milk, coffee and it’s made so that it is sweet to taste. Everybody here drinks this Spanish coffee and it’s one of the traditional coffees of Spain. I really enjoyed it before start working as it is a social aspect of the culture here. It is interesting to note some of these traditions. In regards to work, it was not as busy today as other days. I worked on a client at 1:00pm, where I got the opportunity to work on deep root colour. This consisted of adding a lighter orange colour in the roots. I also gave her a nice wavy blow dry to complete the style. We both were really happy with the result. It's great to put my skills into practice in a new working environment and to get such positive feedback.
-Jad Today I was working from 11 am - 5 pm. The day proved to be challenging as I had back to back treatments all day. I performed 3 massages and 2 pedicures. It was great to continue to get time to practice these techniques in a new environment with different clients to what I have been used to. This increased my confidence as I am not used to doing several treatments one after each other, but it gave me a good insight into the working environment when I leave college. It proved to me that I am capable of much more than I realised, and I will use this confidence when I return home. Today a new lady started at work and she is originally from Tenerife. She doesn't speak much English, so we communicated through a mix of English, Spanish and gestures. I have noticed that my Spanish has improved during the time that I have been here, which is a great new skill to have developed. After work I met a friend for dinner and afterwards went home and relaxed for the evening after a long and eventful day.
-Caitriona On Monday a few of us were on a day off so we decided to go on one of the boat excursions. We boarded the boat at 4pm, along with some other people who were from a variety of other European countries. The lovely Spanish captain set sail onto a deep blue sea of the Atlantic. The scenery was so beautiful. We got to see the dolphins swimming which was great as they’re so and friendly I had never seen them before. They are such a peaceful and friendly animal. We were also given the challenge to jump into the ocean, which was so exciting but nerve wrecking as it was so scary having to jump in whilst standing on the edge of the boat! Eventually the Spanish captain gave me a 'helping' hand into the water! I really enjoyed the trip and I would definitely do it again if I got the opportunity. It was such a nice adventure, with amazing views and it was so great to spend time with such lovely people.
-Jad Today was a very positive day for me. I got the opportunity to complete a hair style on Teresa and it turned out beautifully. I was confused at first because the style that she was looking for me to do was called a 'balayage' or also know as a 'Californien'. This was a style that I was unaware of by name so I have to try and work out the shape and cut required before I could start. I showed Teresa some pictures of styles I had done previously and then we both were clear on the right style. It was such an interesting cut as it took quite a while for me to 'lift' her hair, as she is naturally dark and lightening darker hair tones can be more difficult than lighter hair. It was great to be challenged and also to work with new types of hair and try out new styles of cutting. Teresa seem happy with the final results. After this, I had one more gents cut and I enjoyed doing this as I am not as familiar with men’s cuts and this was another great opportunity to gain confidence in working on male clients in developing new skills and techniques.
-Jad Today I was working and my first treatment was a back massage on a client. I and enjoying doing the treatments more and more as I am becoming more comfortable with the techniques and what is expected of me. My second treatment was a shellac polish and I found this to be slightly more difficult as the products are different to what i'm used to. I wasn't sure how to use them, however I used the training skills that I developed in GTI to adapt to the situation and it came out very well and my client was satisfied. It was a worth while experience and has increased my confidence greatly. The salon was quiet in the afternoon as it was a very hot day and everyone was enjoying the sun. After work I went surfing and this was a fun new experience. Overall it was a very enjoyable day as I learned so many new things along with overcoming challenges.
-Caitriona Today I started work at 10am. I got the opportunity to put into practice some of my colour techniques today. I did a rainbow colour hair style on a client. It was very nerve wrecking to begin with because I hadn’t done this specific technique before and I was also using new products. Once I started, I took my time and the colour technique worked well. I used some of the skills that I had developed previously and applied it to this new techniques. My client was very happy with the end result and this made me very happy. For lunch today, I went with some of my colleagues and tried a Spanish omelet which was so nice. It was a great day and always good to learn new techniques and to use new products. These are things that I can take back with me and use when I return to Ireland.
-Jad Today I started work at 11am, and my first client was a french lady who I gave a facial and a full body massage to. This was interesting as I had never used the products that I got to use today. It was good to work with new products and they are something I would consider using when I return home. The client really enjoyed the treatment and I was happy that the skills and techniques that I have learned are being put to good use. After lunch I had a pedicure booking with a German man. I was very comfortable doing this treatment as I have done it before. I feel that I am more confident in my abilities the more clients that I work with, and it has been very interesting working in a new environment. After work I met with rest of the group for a nice evening meal, and it was nice to bond.
Yesterday was my day off, so I got up early and went to the pool in the morning. Afterwards I went for breakfast in a local restaurant, and followed this with a trip to the beach area where I went on the jet skis. I spent one hour exploring the area and I got to see around a lot of the island. We even stopped by an inlet where we got to go swimming. Whilst out in the ocean I spotted some whales which was so amazing. I really enjoyed this experience and getting the opportunity to explore the local environment and all it has to offer. -Caitriona On my third work day in Tenerife I started work at 11am. I arrived at 10:45am so that I could set up for my first treatment which was a pedicure. I preformed this treatment on a Spanish man, and this was challenging for me as I had not preformed a pedicure on a man before. However, it was a good experience and I am now confident to do this again in the future and it is an experience I will take back with me. Throughout the day I performed back massages and also full body massages, it was a busy day overall. For my lunch I tried some local Spanish cuisine- Paella, this was given to me by Nicola, my manger. I enjoyed the paella which is a native Spanish rice dish. I asked for the recipe so that I could make it for my family and friends at home.
On day four, I went out for breakfast before I went to work in a local Spanish restaurant. I then went to work where I was instructed to take a massage bed up to the pool area. There, I had to approach people and ask them if they would like a massage. This was challenging for me as there were many different nationalities, so there was a language barrier. However it made me use other methods of communication which helped me develop my interpersonal skills and awareness of how to communicate in challenging circumstances. It was very busy for the day and I completed many different treatments. The treatments included a 20 minute massage and also a 40 minute massage. It was challenging to perform these in the heat. Overall I really enjoyed the day, it was a completely new experience for me. -Caitriona Over the past two days I got the chance to do lots of gents haircuts in the salon. It was a great opportunity to get to work on mens hair and to put into practice some of the skills that I have learned back in GTI. This week I also learned some new haircuts which I hope to use when I return.
In this salon they use different types of products for colouring the hair. It was great to get the opportunity to use new products, different to what we use back in college in Ireland. They introduced me to Kincrem hair dye, and I used it for colouring clients hair in the salon this week. It produced such great results. Marivi also visited us today, and I got the opportunity to do her hair and colour. The results were great and she also seemed really happy them. I also cut her daughters hair and she was so happy also. It was great to get such positive feedback from the job that i'm doing here. -Jad |
Hair & Beauty Tenerife 2017/18Jad Kesrin Map of Tenerife |