Te voy a extrañar a tí y a Santiago (I am going to miss you and Santiago) was said more times than I could count, the day we left our Santiago exchanges. If I had to describe the trip in one word it would be amazing. Visiting Spain, or any country, as a tourist is an experience everyone can enjoy but it is really quite difficult to experience a country as a local. This reason is why I love exchanges and living as the people of Santiago do was my most enjoyable exchange by far. We were fortunate enough to visit the rooftop of the Santiago Cathedral, where the views of Santiago were not taken away from by the rain. We also visited the headquarters of Indietex, the parent company of Zara, Bershka, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti and Stradivarius, to name a few. We saw everything from how the clothes are made and distributed to the designing of the clothes and their advertising and modelling. We also spent two days in school with our exchanges, taking part in Latino and traditional Galician dancing classes as well as learning about Spain and Galicia. Hopefully no videos of my dancing attempts ever see the light of day! Despite the grey weather there was never a dull moment and if we were not doing planned activities we were out with the rest of the exchanges in Santiago enjoying the city. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Spain and I am sure this is true for all of us who went on the exchange. So much so I have already organised to go to Santiago in the summer. This is why the eight days in Spain on an exchange are just the start of the ongoing friendships and experiences you can have.
Charles Cooper (L6)
