My Spanish Exchange reflections

We are just entering 2016. What a good time for reflection. Looking back at the Spanish Exchange, I recall with much fondness many wonderful things about the trip.

Firstly, as we drew into La Vall in the late evening, the warm welcome we received from the host families waiting patiently in the bus station, the trips to historic towns with beautiful castles perched up above, one high up in the mountains, where the temperature dropped by some degrees, our breath rising up in the chilly air, the second one a seaside town with a castle overlooking the bright blue Mediterranean, a tour round an orange packing factory (interesting to see what the oranges that we buy in our local supermarkets have to go through), a walk round a nature reserve in the sun, a visit to the Science Museum in Valencia after a walk round the centre of town, the cathedral, The Silk Exchange, a foray into the impressive Central Market, with wonderful foodie sights to behold and a day in school during which we were welcomed into lessons. Just a snapshot of some of the wonderful things to which we were treated.

 LGGS girls and teachers received the very best welcome and, as in previous years, emerged from the experience having gained so much that is valuable – greater resilience, stamina (those Spanish days are long!), honing of listening and speaking skills, broader perspectives and, I hope, for many, inspiration to travel more and study languages with even greater zeal as well as a healthy curiosity for the big wide world. I feel very proud at the way in which you made your Spanish adventure into a truly positive experience!

It is time now to think ahead to the return visit. So, we’ll all be there at Queen Street at approximately 22. 30 on January 14^th to give the Spaniards a very warm welcome! There is no way that we can compete with the fantastic 20-plus degrees in the Spanish sun, quite the contrary!  Tell your partners to bring warm coats and gloves and lend them an umbrella! However, despite our terrible weather, we can make sure that they have the best possible trip to England and that they enjoy it as much we did our visit to Spain.

Señora Fawcett

El Diario de Señorita Estribo

Chicas, mil gracias por un intercambio tan maravilloso. Me ha impresionado tanto lo mucho que os hayáis aprovechado de la experiencia, que sea llevaros bien con vuestras familias españolas, disfrutar de las excursiones, hablar castellano, o ¡comer montones de bocadillos! Seguro que habéis vuelto a casa con muchos recuerdos bonitos de La Vall ¡además de kilos de naranjas y de turrón!




Girls, many many thanks for such a wonderful exchange. I've been so impressed by how much you've made the most of the experience, whether getting on well with your Spanish families, enjoying the trips out, speaking Spanish, or eating loads of bocadillos (Spanish baguettes)!! I'm sure you've returned home with lots of lovely memories of La Vall as well as kilos of oranges and túrron (Spanish nougat)!!

Señorita Estribo

Mi experiencia inolvidable en España

La semana pasada fui a La Vall D’Uixó en España con mi instituto. Pasé ocho días en casa de mi compañero que se llama Jaime. Su familia era muy amable y yo pasé unos días increíbles. Fuimos en avión después de coger el autocar desde Lancaster hasta Liverpool. Cuando llegamos a Barcelona cogimos otro autocar desde el aeropuerto hasta la estación de autobuses de La Vall.

La primera noche, Maite, la madre de Jaime, me hizo un recorrido de la casa. Cenamos a las nueve, les di los regalos de Inglaterra, y luego fui a la cama.

El viernes, nos encontramos con la alcaldesa en el ayuntamiento. Después fuimos al instituto e hicimos deporte con los alumnos españoles. Por la tarde, Jaime y yo fuimos al centro comercial con nuestros amigos.

El sábado, subimos la montaña Pipa con los alumnos españoles y los profesores, las vistas fueron increíbles. Luego, fuimos a las cuevas de Sant Josep. No pudimos hacer la paella porque era demasiado peligroso porque hacía mucho viento y la tierra era muy seca. Así que dimos una vuelta de las cuevas en muchos barcos pequeños. La visita fue muy interesante y aprendimos mucho sobre la historia de las cuevas.

Más tarde se celebró una fiesta con las alumnas inglesas y los españoles. Comimos mucha pizza y bebimos limonada también. Me gustaba la música en la discoteca, era muy diferente de la música en Inglaterra. Cuando Jaime y yo volvimos a casa, vimos la película ‘Harry Potter’ en español.

El domingo lo pasamos con nuestra familia española. Al mediodía fui al restaurante con la familia y sus amigos. ¡Había mucha comida! Comimos una ensalada de atún, calamares, patatas bravas, paella de carne, chocolate con nata, y un mostachón. ¡Estaba muy llena! Después, fuimos al estadio de Villareal y vi un partido de fútbol. El partido fue muy emocionante y la puntuación fue 1-1. Luego, conocí a la familia de Jaime, a sus abuelos, sus tíos, y sus primos. Eran verdaderamente divertidos y les interesaba mucho la cultura de Inglaterra.

El lunes, visitamos una ciudad que se llama Morella con los alumnos españoles y pasamos una excursión genial. Fuimos a la catedral donde había muchas vistas preciosas y a una cafetería. ¡Probé chocolate caliente por primera vez, y me gustaba mucho! Después fuimos a Peñíscola, al lado de la playa y el mar, y dimos un paseo por el castillo. En el castillo había una terraza bonita donde saqué muchas fotos. El cielo era increíblemente hermoso. ¡Este día todos estábamos muy cansados así que todos dormimos en el autocar!

El martes, pasé la mañana en unas clases del instituto español. Fui a la clase de literatura española. Estudiamos a una escritora española que se llama Gloria Fuertes. Leímos en español y en inglés también, ¡pienso que prefiero los clases en España! Por la tarde, visitamos una fábrica de envasado de naranjas. Hicimos un recorrido por la fábrica y aprendimos mucho sobre el proceso. En mi opinión fue sinceramente interesante y bastante divertido porque ¡tuvimos que llevar un traje muy tonto! Más tarde, salí con Jaime a jugar al fútbol con sus amigos. El partido fue entretenido porque mi equipo ganó. También fuimos a una pizzería y comí una pizza con anchoas y bebí una Coca-Cola lite. Después pasamos un rato en un parque cerca del piso de Jaime.

El miércoles, pasamos todo el día en Valencia. Vi muchos lugares de interés, por ejemplo: los edificios del gobierno, la catedral, el campanario, la fuente, el mercado, y el jardín botánico. Lo mejor fue que visitamos la catedral. Era totalmente deslumbrante, y su historia era muy interesante. Me encantó explorar todas las tiendas diferentes del centro de la ciudad, y luego fuimos al centro comercial para ir de compras. Compré una camiseta y unos regalos para mi familia anfitriona en el supermercado. Por la noche se celebró una fiesta en el instituto con todos los alumnos y los profesores. Fue muy triste y ¡pienso que todas las personas lloramos! Luego fui al parque con Jaime y sus amigos otra vez. Esta noche fue maravillosa, ¡pero me quedé despierta hasta las dos de la madrugada para hacer la maleta!

El último día fui muy temprano a la estación de autobuses. Dijimos ‘adiós’ a Jaime y a mis nuevos amigos, lloré un poco más, y salimos con destino al aeropuerto de Barcelona.

Last week, I went to La Vall D'Uixó in Spain on the Exchange. I spent 8 days at my partners house, who was called Jaime. His family was lovely, and I had an incredible time. We went by plane to Barcelona, after having travelled to Liverpool by coach. When we got to Barcelona, we again went in another coach to La Vall.

On the first night, Maite, Jaime's mum, showed me around the house. We had tea at about nine o'clock, and I gave them the presents that I had brought with me from England. After that, I went to bed!

On the Friday, we met the mayoress in the Town Hall, and afterwards, went to school and did some sports with the Spanish students. On the afternoon, Jaime and I went to the shopping centre with everyone.

On the Saturday, we went up Pipa Mountain with all our Spanish partners and teachers, the views were incredible. Then, we went into the Saint Josep Caves- the longest underground caves in the whole of Europe. Unfortunately, we couldn't make a Paella all together, as it was too dangerous. It was quite windy and the ground was too dry, so there was a ban on barbecues. We went on a little trip through the caves in small boats. The inside of the caves were incredible, and we learnt lots all about the history of the caves.

Later on, we all had a party, where we ate lots of pizza, and drank lots of lemonade. I really liked the Spanish music that they played, as it was very different to music in the UK (they listen to music we listened to about 2 years ago!) When we left the party, Jaime and I went home and spent the rest of the evening watching Harry Potter in Spanish!

On Sunday, we spent the day with our Spanish families. At lunchtime, I went out to eat in a lovely restaurant with my family and some of their friends. There was so much food! We ate tuna salad, squid, Spanish style roast potatoes, a meat paella, then chocolate cake and cream, followed by macaroons. I was so full! Afterwards we went to the Villareal Stadium and watched a football match. The game was really exciting and at full time, they drew 1-1. Afterwards, I went to meet the rest of Jaime's family, his grandparents, uncles and cousins. They were all so much fun, and were very interested in English culture!

On the Monday, we visited a little village high up in the mountains called Morella with our Spanish partners and we had a great trip. We went to the cathedral where there were some beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. I went to a little cafe from which you could see over the rooftops. I had Spanish Hot Chocolate for the first time (a very thick, sweet hot chocolate that they usually dip churros into. I really liked it! Afterwards, we went to Peñíscola, next to the beach and the sea, and we walked up to the castle. There was a beautiful terrace where we took lots of photos of the views, especially of the beautiful sunset. By the time we were returning home, we were really tired, and we all fell asleep on the coach!

On Tuesday, I spent the morning in classes. I went to a Spanish Literature lesson and we studies a Spanish writer called Gloria Fuentes. We read a little in Spanish and English. I think I prefer lessons in Spain! In the afternoon, we went to an Orange Packing Factory, where we had a tour, and learnt lots about the whole process of producing Oranges for the supermarket shelf. I thought it was really interesting, and it was also pretty funny, as we all had to wear a funny white gown! Later on, I went out with Jaime to play football with his friends. The game was good because my team won! We also went to a Pizzeria and I chose a Pizza with Anchovies and had a diet Coke. Afterwards, I went to the park near Jaime's flat for a while.

On Wednesday, we spent the full day in Valencia. I saw lots of interesting monuments, such as the Government buildings, Cathedral, the big fountains, the Market, the Botanical Gardens. The best thing was our visit to the cathedral. It was so overwhelmingly beautiful, and it had such an interesting history. I loved exploring the little shops in the city centre, and then going to the Shopping Centre. I bought a t-shirt and some presents for my host family in the supermarket. That evening, we had a party at the school with all the other people on the Exchange and the teachers. I was really sad that the Exchange had come to an end and I think almost everyone cried at the end! Then, I went to the park with Jaime and his friends again. This evening was fabulous, but I stayed up until 2am packing my bag!

On the last day, I went really early to the Bus Station to return back home. We all said bye to Jaime and to his friends, and I cried a little bit more, and off we went to Barcelona airport.

P. Haythornthwiate

My week in Spain!

The Spanish Exchange was undoubtedly the best week of my life. I loved it for so many reasons but if I had to explain the best things about it, I would say the new friends I made, both Spanish and English, and the opportunity to experience a completely different life to my own. Literally every aspect of our lifestyles was changed, and though I expected to be uneasy and possibly upset about this: I wasn't. I decided to go on the trip on a whim, my mum signing the forms and saying I could hand it in if I felt like it. Then the morning of the deadline, I listened to a song on the bus about taking a shot and challenging yourself and I just thought “why not.” I thanked myself everyday of the exchange that I listened to that song, as it was arguably one of the best decisions I have made in my entire life. I would tell anyone that was considering to go on the Spanish Exchange to 100% go for it, in fact I've already been telling everyone I've seen in the year below since I got back that they need to do it. I’m promoting it like I was offered a million pounds if I could get every single person taking Spanish to sign up for it!

M. Fergusson

My Spanish Exchange Experience

The Spanish Exchange was a trip that I will never forget - all the excursions we went on, the new friends we made and the families we stayed with made it an incredible trip. The culture that we were exposed to has made me even more motivated to continue learning Spanish because the country is so fascinating and the people were so friendly – including the mayor that we were able to meet!

My favourite moment was the day we spent with the family on the Sunday. I not only did I eat homemade paella with her grandparents, afterwards I watched a football game with the rest of her family, including her aunties, uncles and cousins. Over the week I spent with the family I found that football was a big part of their culture and made up a lot of the dinner time conversation.

I am so excited for them to come to England in January and for Silvia – my Spanish partner – to meet my family and experience England. We became quite close over the week that I was living with her, and we found that we have many things in common (despite the language barrier).

It was one of the best trips I have ever been on, despite the challenge of being submersed in a foreign language with new people! Thank you for the opportunity to do it.

G. Pollard

¡Valencia!

Hoy, fuimos a Valencia con nuestros amigas. Salimos a las ocho y media y llegamos en la ciudad bonita a las nueve y media. Primero, visitamos el barrio histórico e antiguo de Valencia. Aquí dimos un paseo por la catedral con guía. El catedral era muy precioso. Luego, fuimos a una tienda de crêpes y helados en la plaza principal, y la comida que fue deliciosa. Después, montamos en el autocar y fuimos al museo de artes y ciencias. Hizo mucho calor- ¡veintiséis grados! Vimos las exposiciones en el museo de ciencias. Pensamos que eran muy interesante y divertido porque había muchas cosas que podemos hacer. También, vimos un pollito saliendo de su cascarón. ¡Qué guay! A las tres y media, fuimos al centro comercial y disfrutamos mucho. Fuimos de compras en las tiendas y tomamos McDonalds-¡ que español jaja! Era una buena día para terminar nuestra intercambio increíble, en España.

Today, we all went to Valencia. We set off at 8.30 and arrived in the beautiful old part of Valencia at 9.30. Firstly, we visited the old historical part of Valencia. We went for a walk around the cathedral with a guide, it was really beautiful. Then, we went to the main square, where we ate crepes, waffles and ice cream in the glorious sunshine! All three were delicious! 

After visiting La Lonja- the old silk exchange, and the Market, we went by coach to the Museum of Arts and Sciences. It was really warm- 26 degrees! We saw all the displays in the museum and we thought it was really interesting and fun, because there was lots for us to do. On one of the displays, they had some chicks hatching, and we got to see one being born! It was so cool! At about half three, we all made our way over the road to the shopping centre where we had a great time! We went shopping, and had MacDonalds- how very Spanish! It was a fabulous day to finish off our incredible Spanish Exchange!

A. Banks & R. Lightbody