A Visit to Granada!
Earlier this week, Spanish students from Years 9, 10, and 12 went on a brilliant trip to Granada, Spain. We all had a fantastic time experiencing the vibrant culture of the city, enjoying the sunshine, and exploring Granada’s beautiful streets with our friends.
We were all in for a treat on this trip – the amazing Mr Fernández made sure that we completed a multitude of exciting activities, while still ensuring that everyone was practising their Spanish. Following daily three-hour-long Spanish lessons in the mornings, we faced exciting days ahead of sightseeing, shopping, flamenco dancing, and much more.
Notably, everyone absolutely loved meeting with our penpals from the Company of Mary school in Granada. As I have previously mentioned in an article for the Spanish Corner, everyone received one or two penpals from this school in order to do a language exchange. We have all spent the past few months talking back and forth with them, getting to know more about their culture and daily lives. It was a wonderful opportunity to speak with them in person, and I think that many of us have formed strong friendships as a result.
At their school, we were also treated to an array of performances, with the nursery children performing songs and dances for us, the opportunity for the prep students to ask us questions in English, presentations about the culture of Granada, and traditional dances performed by the students. We felt incredibly welcomed and had an amazing afternoon there.
Afternoons of sightseeing were unforgettable as well, of course – we visited numerous beautiful monuments and sites (one afternoon with a guided tour in Spanish by our local teacher). Notably, we visited El Mirador de San Nicolás and La Plaza Bib-Rambla, both sites with rich history and cultural significance to Granada. If you would like to see photos of these, they are all available on the Notre Dame Trips Instagram account.
After a lot of walking, we were always provided with amazing food. With packed sandwiches every lunchtime (I was very glad that there were always vegetarian ones), delicious dinners at buffets or restaurants, and the occasional stop for ice cream or frozen yoghurt. My team actually won six free ice creams after winning in the Gymkhana games, which was very gratifying to receive.
Speaking of the Gymkhana games, these were a series of challenges designed to bring us out of our comfort zones. We had to complete a series of questions (such as vocabulary or slang words) without access to our phones or a translator – our only source of help being strangers on the street. This was definitely a challenge for our Spanish, but also an unforgettable experience to think back on.
Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, but it is safe to say that everyone had an absolutely amazing time on this lovely trip – many photos were taken, wonderful meals were shared, friends were made, and, of course, so were beautiful memories.
We must remember that this trip would not have been possible without the amazing Mr Fernández, who organised it with great care behind the scenes. It is clear that he has put a lot of time into making sure that the trip was planned well, as well as corresponding with the school to arrange our penpals, and also making sure that everyone was provided with information of where and when everything was taking place. We must also say a huge thank you to Miss Szymańska, Mrs MacDonald, Mrs Badger, and Mr Routley for making sure everything ran smoothly and that we had such a special time. We’re all so grateful to have had this opportunity to explore the gorgeous city of Granada – without our lovely teachers, it would not have been possible.
¡Hasta luego!
