Our study trip to Santiago de Compostela was an experience I’ll never forget. Not only did the trip do wonders for my language learning, it was also culturally enriching – but more than anything it was incredibly fun.
At Academia Iria Flavia, we had two lovely teachers who provided us a large variety of activities and they made this learning journey as enjoyable as possible. We were able to deepen our understanding of the GCSE topics and got all the help we could ever ask for about our struggles. Although it was only for a week, we were able to learn a lot and have lots of fun at Academia Iria Flavia and we are forever thankful to everyone who planned and organised these classes.
Although it’s hard to choose, a personal highlight of the trip for me was the amazing salsa dancing workshop that we had. We all felt a little uneasy at first, but once we tested the waters, everyone got right into the salsa dancing spirit and had a great time!
Another highlight for us was being able to spend some time with Spanish students of our own age on Sunday and get to know them better. With an early start to our day we met up with Peleteiro School and travelled to three towns together, to learn about the history of towns and had free time for more shopping. It was an amazing experience to be able to make new friends and learn about their culture through a different perspective.
The food was a main attraction of the charming Galician town; and luckily it did not disappoint. My host family, who were so warm and hospitable, prepared absolutely delicious home-cooked meals for me that made me feel truly welcomed.
As well as filling up on our family’s stunning Spanish dishes – we also did a little cooking of our own. In our cooking workshop, we made tarta de Santiago and paella; and luckily got to taste our cooking after all of our hard work. As with all of my experiences on the trip, it was not only heaps of fun, but a very valuable language learning opportunity.
For our first full day of fun, we went sight seeing all around and near Coruña. We went up a 2000 year old lighthouse, visited a museum and aquarium and concluded our day with some free time around streets bustling with vendors and locals. Although it was a tightly packed and tiring day, having fun together in the museum, learning about diverse types of marine life, the history of the lighthouse and buying matching souvenirs made the day as fun as we could have wished for.
And of course, to round off the trip, the signature “chocolate con churros” courtesy of the amazing Mr Rands-Webb was as iconic and delightful as we could have hoped.
But it could have never happened without our wonderful teachers: Mr Rands-Webb and Ms Won! They were so happy to help and keen for us to make the most of it. We are all so grateful for all the work that they put in behind the scenes to make our unforgettable trip a reality.
The Santiago trip was one of the most memorable experiences I have ever had. Beyond the academic support it provided to my Spanish, it was a new cultural experience where we got to learn more about Spanish traditions and be exposed to a new environment.
Sam Tidball and Defne Mendi, Y10
