Spanish Exchange 2017

Students return to Andalucia, Spain to visit their exchange partners.

From 25th September to 2nd October, a group of 30 students from Year 9 and 10 went on an exchange trip to Andalucia in Spain. Straight away the difference was apparent as the temperature upon arrival in Malaga hit 34°c.

All through the week, the students had the opportunity to experience various aspects of Spanish culture. Living with a Spanish host family, and following lessons in a Spanish school gave them a unique insight into Spanish culture and enabled them to make friends for life.
Visiting the towns of Cordoba and Seville, also gave our students the possibility of admiring monuments of Moorish architecture and understanding the impact of Islamic culture on Spain's history.

This trip was a unique opportunity for our students to put into practice, the Spanish they had learnt at school and experience real Spanish culture.

“Following the visit of 30 Spanish students from IES Hermanos Medina Rivilla, Bailén in June 2017 as part of our exchange, on Monday 25th September we set off on our return visit. We left Highcliffe at 5:20am on the first leg of Spanish journey. We left a cold Southampton to arrive in 35-degree heat of Málaga, after a 3 hour coach journey we met up again with our exchange partners.

During our visit we discovered what it is like to live in Spain and had the opportunity to visit the Andalucian cities of Sevilla and Córdoba, these two cities are famed for their religious buildings, including the world’s largest gothic cathedral in Córdoba.

As well as visiting these famous sites, we went to the local olive oil production factory in Bailén, where we saw how the famous olive oil of Spain is made. Bailén is surrounded by olive trees!
The beauty of an exchange is that you see the country from the eyes of someone who lives rather than a tourist. It was important to interact with our Spanish partners and their families during our stay. The exchange taught cultural aspects of Spain that we could never be taught in the classroom.

I felt extremely privileged to have had this opportunity and would like to thank Mr Maurice, Mrs Snell and Mrs Hernandez as well as the Spanish host families for looking after us during our stay. Many of us our still in regular contact with our Spanish friends and looking forward to seeing them again one day in the future.”

-George Weller Year 10

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Owned by: JME | Last Published: 02/11/2017 13:59:57 | Next Update: N/A