One of my favourite experiences of the study trip to Santiago de Compostela was when we walked on the roof of the cathedral. It was quite daunting at first because it had been raining the whole day, so the slabs of stone were more slick than usual, and it was very high up but, the views were worth it. When we were on the roof, we had a guide who told us about the interesting history of the cathedral and about all the different caminos. I also really liked how the tour was done in Spanish, so it really immersed us into the language.
The other enjoyable part of the study trip was when we met up with the students from the Peleteiro school on our weekend excursion because they were all so kind. When I was with them, I was just speaking and hearing Spanish, so by the end of the day I was thinking in Spanish, and even though we’d only met that day it felt like we’d known each other for a lot longer.
Every weekday we had lessons in the morning from 9am-1pm. In these lessons we learnt new vocab and improved our comprehension in Spanish. My favourite lesson though, was the lesson in which we learnt about Spanish festivals like Las Fallas, La Tomatina and San Fermin. We talked about the history of the festivals, when they happen, where they happen and how and what they celebrate.
On the study trip we stayed with host families. The woman my friends and I stayed with was immediately welcoming and helped us if we didn’t know how to say something in Spanish. Every evening she would make us a different meal to the night before, and all of them were delicious. One thing that struck me about her was that she genuinely wanted to get to know us and what we liked. My friends and I all agree that we couldn’t have asked for a better host.
I know I’ll always remember the new friendships I’ve made and all the new foods and new things I tried on this trip. I’ll also remember that just because you’re in Spain doesn’t mean that it’s going to be warm.
Isabella Bartholomew, Year 10
