19 - 27 October 2011
This year’s Spanish exchange group of Abingdonians and girls from St. Helen’s returned safely to the UK on Thursday after nine enjoyable days in Santiago de Compostela in north-western Spain. The seventeen boys from the 5th year, accompanied by Señora Pradas and Señor Loughe, had the chance to experience Spanish culture in their host families, in school and in and around the beautiful Galician city of Santiago.
The group spent a day in La Coruña, visiting the famous Torre de Hércules (the oldest lighthouse in the world) and the Aquarium, which boasts examples of the rich diversity of marine life of the Galician coasts. The boys also visited the old town of Santiago itself, with a tour of the thirteenth century cathedral and its rooftops, offering impressive views over the whole city. We were also lucky enough to witness the famous botafumeiro (incense thurible) ceremony in the cathedral – an enormous silver vessel filled with incense that hangs from a 30m pulley system, requiring eight men to make it swing up and down the nave of the cathedral.
The boys also spent an afternoon at the Sotavento Parque Éolico (wind farm) where research into renewable energy is carried out. The days in school featured time spent in lessons and a number of lectures, such as on the Camino de Santiago and Costumbres españolas (Spanish customs). It goes without saying the boys made the most of the opportunities to enhance their oral skills in Spanish and enjoyed the social aspects of Spanish life. Our thanks go to the staff, pupils and parents of the Colexio Manuel Peleteiro for their generosity and hospitality throughout the exchange. We look forward to welcoming the Spanish group to Abingdon for the return leg in March.
What the boys thought:
Jack Fountain: “I improved my Spanish over the trip. It was good to try the Spanish food and lifestyle with my exchange partner.”
Edward Bryant: “I liked the atmosphere of the trip as a whole.”
Ted Clamp: “I enjoyed the trip. My exchange was nice and the parties were fun.”
Rory Garrett: “The whole group, Spanish and English, got on very well and by the end of the week everyone knew each other really well.”
Tim Grant: “I enjoyed the exchange, although it was really awkward to begin with. I liked the different culture and foods. My Spanish improved. I’d never been to Spain before and I would like to go again.”
Matthew Allison: “I was sad to leave really. I wanted more time to learn even more Spanish and meet more people. I really enjoyed both the educational and social sides of the trip. The only bit I didn’t enjoy was the rain!”
Jamie Pearson: “I enjoyed the exchange and by the end it was much easier to hold a conversation in Spanish. The trips were good and the lifestyle was very different to England (unfortunately the weather wasn’t!)”
Felix Frank: “My Spanish improved and I thought the excursions and social side of the trip were really good.”
Tanishq Sabharwal: “The exchange was one of the best trips I have been on.”
George Burrage: “I enjoyed the exchange because by the end my listening and speaking skills had improved considerably. The excursions we went on were very interesting because we went to so many different places.”
Ben Mitchell: “The Spanish people were cool and funny and I didn’t want to leave.”
François Macé: “At first I was nervous about talking with my exchange partner and his family but by the end it was easy to hold a conversation.”
Sean Maclachlan: “I got to know loads of people I wouldn’t usually chat to.”
Daniel Scott-Kerr: “My family was really nice and I had fun with my partner.”
Aman Patel: “I love Spain. The exchange was amazing, possibly one of the best trips I’ve been on.”
Laurence Lilley: “I liked going into the lessons with my exchange. They were surprisely quite fun and the English people were always involved, which was good. All in all, it was a great trip and I would love to go back to this part of Spain.”
