Ishani Patel (Year 9)

During the Easter break, 28 Spanish students in Year 9 were lucky enough to visit the beautiful city of Valencia, Spain.

From exploring every nook and cranny of the streets to watching an outstanding dolphin show, the trip was a massive success and an enjoyable break in the warm weather.

Highlights of the travel included playing in Gulliver’s Park - where Gulliver’s (From Gulliver’s Travels) body had been shaped into fun slides. Another memorable moment was visiting the Las Fallas Museum, where all the statues that were saved by the fires over the years are kept to admire.

A highlight was definitely the food! The hotel kitchen staff did a fantastic job at feeding us every day, serving delicious paella and even chocolate cake! We also were allowed to try churros (doughnuts) with chocolate sauce - ¡fue delicioso! - and bought Cola Cao using our Spanish language skills at the market.

Señora Gomez (Head of Spanish) adds: “We truly believe that learning a foreign language plays an essential part in the students’ preparation to live and work in our global interdependent world. Visiting the country they study provides them with an opportunity to experience first-hand the language, traditions and customs they learn in the classroom.

“I am always delighted to see how, even just after a few days, the girls become more confident when using the language they are learning. That sense of achievement after managing a conversation, even if brief, with the locals makes learning the vocabulary and tricky tenses all worthwhile.”