Spanish
Exchange Los Barrios
L
ast Easter a group of rwelve
pupils from King's embarked
upon an Andalusian adventure
to the tiny town of Los Barrios
in el campo de Gibraltar. This
was the second year of the
exchange programme with Colegio Carlos Cano,
a 1000-pupil comprehensive school.
The exchange was a very successful occasion
which included visits to the beachside Roman
Ruins of Baelo Claudia and a stunning train
journey through mountain passes and
breathtaking countryside to the old town of
Ronda where we visited Spain's oldest bullring
and its adjacent Tauromaquía museum. Other
cultural highlights ranged from a feast of
Spanish tapas to a flamenco show, kindly put
on especially for the party by the Los Barrios
school of flamenco.
The pupils from King's were excellent
ambassadors for the school and the Spanish
department. They seized every opportunity to
practise their Spanish both in lessons and with
their host families. After some uncharacteristic
Spanish weather on the first couple of days the
sun came out and spirits were further lifted.
The party eventually left for Blighty having
learned lots of Spanish and having had lots of
fun.
Taunton
I
t was only a short two weeks before
the Spaniards came to Taunton and we
had a chance to return their hospitality.
Cries of "wow" could be heard as the
Spanish pupils were shown around the
King's site and the playing fields. The
weather was clement throughout their stay
allowing the party to enjoy the English
outdoors. We visited Bath and Bristol taking in
the famous Roman baths and the SS Great
Britain. The exchange party attended a special
programme of lessons which addressed
linguistic objectives whilst also teaching them
about the local area. The first weekend of their
stay was spent with their host families. Host
families had arranged a range of activities from
pub lunches to a sightseeing weekend in
London.
The exchange programme has once again
proved to be a great success. Both Spanish
and English pupils returned to their respective
countries with a little more linguistic
confidence, a greater awareness of each others'
culture and most importantly, the hand of
friendship tightly grasped.
Aluredian
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