Last full day, treasure hunt, ice cream, farewell party

almost time to go home

So what were the highlights, the good bits? (here’s the feedback given over an ice cream)

-          Boat trip, fun, great day; spending time with then family, getting to know them

-          Boat trip relaxing, fun, going to beach, learning new Spanish words, bonding

-          Day trips out with the group, socialising after school with everyone

-          The treasure hunt was very interesting and engaging; people nice and welcoming

-          Treasure hunt was a good team-building and cultural experience and I loved the boat trip

-          Treasure hunt was well planned and all the people were nice and entertaining here

-          Trips, activities

-          The weather, and the cakes are lush!

-          Great trips, especially Cartagena, Aguilas itself is just awesome

-          The boat trip, the beach

-          All the trips especially the boat trip, and the people

-          The boat trip, and meeting people

-          The trips have been really good, and the sights on the boat trip were amazing

-          Trips amazing, boat trip the best

-          So much prettier than England

-          Every day there was something new to try

-          Going around with your partner and going to the beach, because it is very nice

-          Being immersed in the language and being with families who are so sweet, and the beach, it is warm and the swimming is great

-          I’ve made lots of Spanish friends and being with them has made me want to further my Spanish, and loved going to the beach because weather was beautiful

     Where is there room for improvement?

-          That we could stay for longer, because we were just getting to know everyone

-          Less walking

-          Less coach trips, less time in school [what did they want, a holiday?]

-          2 weeks here, not 8/9 days

-          Spend 2 weeks here

task "buy a cake at the baker's"

task: "what's for sale here?

task: what tapas are available here?

task: "enjoy ice-cream when you've finished treasure hunt"

So... last blog entry. Party tonight, and leave Aguilas at 0730 tomorrow. Home for 1530?
From Mrs Shah and myself, we say the group have been fantastic to be with, we've had a great welcome from the Spanish School staff, and we've been treated royally. Thanks to all Ismael, Fini, Paqui, Isabel, Jose-Luis and all others we've met.


We welcome back the Spanish group with Fini and Pedro on 16 April!


JB

Mayor day and boat ride day

Principal Ismael likes his new sweatshirt

TV Star

Hello my name is Emilie and today I went with the group to see the deputy mayor at Aguilas City Hall in the Plaza de Espana. When we went into the Council Chamber there was a cameraman and a reporter there. The reporter first interviewed Mrs Shah and then he questioned me. He asked me how long I had been there, had I been there before, and what I liked about the town.

I answered in perfect Spanish that I liked the beach and the people were much nicer than the English. Now I will watch myself on local TV tonight at 9.30. It was very nerve-wracking speaking a foreign language on TV.

Emilie gives her interview

new mayoress just waves

What it is like on a boat for 3 hours in and around Aguilas harbour.

Yssy: It was fun, relaxing and windy.

Livi: Very exciting and different to everyday life. We saw a fish farm, very clear water, islands, and the eagle peak thing, and a lovely view of the town. We sunbathed, and played music on the boat. We took a lot of photos when cruising’.

Xavier: I got to drive the boat [as did others…], and enjoyed the wind whistling through my hair…

it's only my passport that fell off the boat..

The day at Cartagena - Tuesday

   Tuesday 13 March – trip for the English group to Cartagena

Cartagena gets its name from the Carthaginians (Hannibal et al) who  conquered this particularly pleasant, strategically situated, Mediterranean port with its natural defensive hills all around.  In the wars with the Romans however, the Romans beat the Carthaginians and then took over, establishing many lasting changes, but some of which were only recently uncovered.

Principal amongst these is the Roman amphitheatre, which we visited today. This was only discovered in 1988. By scary lift up to the castle in the middle of the town (also a link with the bombings of the Spanish Civil war) offered fantastic views, and the national nautical archaeology museum by the port, with, it is claimed, the first ever submarine (1885), was our final stop. In between students had a couple of hours at the out of town shopping centre, which had nothing at all to do with Romans nor Carthaginians. 

by the oldest submarine

very scary lift to the castle keep

the Roman amphitheatre was this big

modern English students following ancient Romans' steps

posing on stage

fun with letters

Some fascinating reactions from our students today:

Rhiannon: Beautiful views and a pretty city to visit

Max: Didn’t like the lift; not good with man-made metal structures. Town was beautiful, pet shop in the shopping centre has a chinchilla that I wanted

Mollie: The free time was great: the lift up to the castle was amazing

Yssy: It was fun and a good day out. Pretty views

Steven: I enjoyed the shopping and the American food [Macdonalds], and learning about the submarine

Katie: It was a good history trip, but it was not as interesting as the Alhambra trip. I enjoyed the shopping

James: I enjoyed the shopping and the shipwreck [in the nautical museum]

Finally, for Spanish speakers, Rhiannon and Esme penned this blog entry:

Estar en Espana es muy guay. La familia es tan simpatica y me dan todo lo que necesito, y mucho mas! Hace mucho calor, y nadar en el mar fue fantastico. Las playas son guapas, y estar con todos los amigos y los espanoles es lo mejor.

Weekend activities

Weekend experiences

We spoke to most of our 18 students on Monday morning at school. A lot of the students met up over Saturday and Sunday, but there again several met other members of the family and were made to feel part of the family:

Hannah:  We went to the beach and met up with the others.

Jason:    Did so much in one day: football, rugby, beach, bowling, pizza, walking round town, crepes…

Olivia:  We did a tour by car of other beaches, went to “Mini Hollywood”, saw the market on Saturday, had paella, went to the beach, speaking Spanish – the family is so nice.

Mollie : We watched basketball – our partners play in the same team – met the grandma, who was very friendly, met everyone at the beach

James: played football, lot of fun, weather great: enjoyed going round to where Steven is, eating well…

Xavier:  met all the family

Sam: family very nice, swimming was good.

At school students had a physics lesson and an English lesson, then a couple of Sports lessons; there are 6 lessons per day of 50 mins. There are about 600 students in the school, aged 11-16.

Steve, Livey:   School’s clean, but the kids do talk a lot in class… 

Day 2 - the trip to Granada and the Al Hambra

So we set off at 7 am, which meant rising around 6.00 am for most. A couple of hours on the coach to stop at a service station with a zoo with peacocks, lambs, goats, dogs and ostriches, then a further hour or so before we got to Granada. Seeing the Sierra Nevada snow-tipped mountains reminded us of the distance we had travelled  from  the desert –like landscape of Aguilas. We also travelled through Lorca where the earthquake struck a year ago, there are still many cranes in evidence rebuilding the town.

We had a couple of hours exploring the university city, including some welcome free time around the shops. 

Lunch in Granada: Alhambra in top right

whole group outside Granada cathedral

the narrow shopping streets of Granada

Then back in the coach to climb up to the Alhambra, built by the Muslim occupants in the 14th century, and then taken over by the Christians in 1492. Magnificent palaces, 3 of the 7 originals still standing, and a delightful and very informative guide who made the 2.5 hour guided tour very tolerable for the vast majority of the foot-sore. Great views of the glistening white old city below, and building after building to explore amongst the orange trees.  We listened to the guide through radio-controlled ear-pieces, and the kindly guide allowed a few jokers in the group control of the mike in the latter stages. I think Xav and Sam have potential as radio stand-ups!

pointing the way in the massive Alhambra site,
 followed by a number of classic Alhambra views

Radio Xav

Back in the coach soon after 6pm to get home, and a boisterous band of Spanish and English in the vehicle clearly mixing well and getting to know each other for the first time as a group. Great to watch the ice break!    JB

So what did the group make of the day?

Max:  Good time, Alhambra wa great with Xav’s radio show!

Steven: Alhambra was exciting especially in the palace gardens with Xavier’s radio show.

Fran: It was a really good day. It was lovely to have some free time and it meant that we had a chance to get to know the Spanish better. The sunshine was brilliant! I enjoyed the Alhambra because the views were beautiful, and Xav and Sam’s commentary was hilarious.

Katie:  It was OK. The best bit was probably shopping or Xav and Sam’s radio thingy.

Hannah: Was OK, facts about history etc. Free time in Granada was great.

Now to the weekend with the families, news of which on tomorrow's blog!   JB

Day 2

So what were the first impressions at your host family?  All comments made soon after 7.00 am on the coach on the way to Granada and the Alhambra!

Rhiannon:  “The Spanish family is really friendly and welcoming”

Jason: “The food is very different”

Esme: “Very different! All really friendly, but timings are all strange for food and bedtimes – all much more relaxed”

Steven: “It’s very comfortable and cosy. I had the best pizza last night”

arrival at our partner school, Thursday 2pm

a welcome sign!

our group with the whole of the bilingual class

James: “A nice partner and lovely parents, but I need to understand their language!”

Day 1

Day 1 

All to plan:  left Collingwood at 0345. Gatwick for 0430, Flight left on time at 0650. Clear of the airport by 1030 (1130), with Fini and Pedro, host teachers, picking us up with the coach. A break for lunch soon after, then on our way to Aguilas.

What are the Collingwood students looking forward to?

James:  Anything that the family do.

Lauren: shopping, beach, and spending time with partner

Georgia: the Spanish food and meeting my partner

Xavier: The weather and new cultural experiences

Rhiannon: Spending time with exchange partner on trips

Jason: going out walking with the group

So arrival at the IES Europa school at about 1330, where the partners basically found each other and started communicating.

1440 is end of school, so that was when the parents arrived to take our students away… 

A few pictures of our students’ new “families”. 

Evening: the annual music concert of our partner school held in the town’s new theatre. A great venue with a range of music and singing on offer. Rounded off a long and busy day, but I did hear that still some of our group were doing the Spanish thing and postponing bedtime until the bigger hours...

The Collingwood College Exchange Trip to Aguilas, Spain 8-16 March 2012

This is a view of the Mediterranean Spanish town of Aguilas, where we are off to on Thurs 8 March. First step: preparation meeting at Collingwood (Kingston Theatre) on Weds 8 March at 7pm.
The party comprises Mr Bunter, Mrs Shah, and 18 students of Spanish from Years 9 and 10.