Then it was our turn to stay with the Spanish families . Living arrangements were difficult for some because of communication issues . Of course , sometimes we felt embarrassed because we made a mistake , but the Spanish families always tried to help us if we got something wrong , whether that meant using a translation app or not , and some students felt that their Spanish families were very focused on helping them understand . For everyone , communication improved exponentially during both parts of the trip . In particular , it helped me understand which parts of my Spanish I needed to improve .
Activities were organised for both groups . We visited villages , cities and historical monuments such as La Alhambra , an Arabic mosque and palace which was very impressive . The Spanish students went to London to see popular landmarks such as Buckingham Palace . They also visited nearby villages and Knole , which was a favourite trip for some . They enjoyed spending time at our school . On one of the days in Málaga , we spent the day in their school , where we had lessons on food , festivals and Spanish culture which was very interesting . Day trips and activities were all incredible fun even when we had to travel in a bus for an hour or two .
We would like to thank the teachers that were involved in the trip and to thank the host families and exchanges in Spain for making our time in Málaga so enjoyable and unforgettable .
Evelyn Stiasny and Tom Nassar , Year 10
SPANISH STUDY TRIP TO SANTIAGO
The Spanish study trip to Santiago de Compostela was great fun . Mornings were spent improving our Spanish with lessons at the Academia Iria Flavia , while in the afternoons we visited some of the beautiful and historic buildings in and around the city .
On the first day we saw the city centre for the first time and settled into our apartment with our lovely host Anna , a 15-minute walk from the old town . Despite catching the wrong bus , day two began early ( and on time ) with lessons – these definitely helped to improve our Spanish and were made fun by the teachers at the language school . We enjoyed lunch with our host before we embarked on a city tour with a guide ; it was interesting to learn about Santiago ’ s importance as a pilgrimage town .
Europe ) with our umbrellas and raincoats . The next day we headed to Pontevedra and two towns on the coast with a group of Spanish students from the local school . We went to the beach at Sanxenxo and despite it still being cold and wet , made the most of the seaside . I enjoyed getting to know the students ; they were all very friendly and it was useful to test our Spanish . My favourite town that day was Combarro . We walked around the quaint little streets and enjoyed palmeras from a bakery .
The last few days were full of highlights . Day five began with more lessons before we walked the last 5km of the famous pilgrimage , El Camino de Santiago . We visited the cathedral and climbed to the roof where we could see the whole city , a blast of torrential rain adding to the experience ! Another treat was churros and hot chocolate in a local cafe before Spanish diary writing . We got to make Spanish tortilla and pasta with mussels in a cooking workshop , and also the traditional Tarta de Santiago , an almond cake . The trip wrapped up with a salsa dancing lesson and on the last day we visited the Mercado de Abastos market before our flight home . Thank you to Mr Rands-Webb , Miss Schaefer and Miss Suárez for organising such an amazing trip .
Lara Bailey , Year 10
Over the weekend we took a coach to the seaside town of A Coruña . The weather wasn ’ t on our side , but we were able to walk around the Tower of Hercules ( the oldest functioning Roman lighthouse in
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