Spanish Trip to Salamanca

38 pupils travelled to Salamanca in March accompanied by four teachers. They enjoyed three hours of Spanish lessons a day in a Spanish school, excursions and a visit to the Warner Brother Theme Park in Madrid. The spirit of the trip is best described by the pupils themselves.

Fraser Souter FII

This was my last chance to go on a popular school trip to the highly rated town of Salamanca, after missing my opportunity last year. I did not know what to expect. I had heard stories of fun and excitement from fellow pupils who had already enjoyed the experience. Everything went smoothly and it seemed as if we just flew through the airports. When we stepped off the bus to meet our hosts, I was strangely nervous but also looking forward to the challenge of spending some time in a different culture. I was not disappointed. My family in Spain were very welcoming and seemed to accept my gift with extreme gratitude. I staggered with trepidation into the kitchen, not knowing what the food would be like, but to my astonishment it was the best food I had ever tasted (don’t tell my mother!). The sights were simply divine in the extraordinary architecture of the buildings. If I was given the chance to go again, I would not hesitate to grasp it with both hands.

Robbie Jones J2

When Dollar Academy went on a trip to the Spanish city of Salamanca everyone was buzzing with excitement. Not only were we going to live with a Spanish family, we were going to leave our parents behind. A whole six days without being nagged to brush our teeth, bliss. On the first day it was just travelling and meeting our host family. I was amazed at how well I could understand Spanish; I got some of the basics anyway. The local school was very informative, even with all the fun exercises that we participated in around the town (with a teacher, of course). The Plaza Mayor, the main square, was incredible. Ninety one arches and good shops all the way round the outside. It was brilliant to be standing with so many Spaniards going round their daily lives, oblivious to the scorching heat that was burning the people who hadn’t put sun cream on. Most of the time that we were able to shop I was just standing in the ice-cream-shop enjoying a delicious smoothie with the air conditioning blowing onto my face. When the school party went to the Warner Brother Theme Park in Madrid I had much enjoyment finding and going on the best rides in the park. I was a bit nervous when I climbed into the seat and strapped myself in. After the first, though, I just couldn’t stop. All I wanted to do was ride them all, completely ignoring all the shops and games around me. I was really disappointed when we finally had to go. Seeing the medieval village, La Alberca, was an added bonus. Unfortunately, it was torrential rain that day so that dampened our spirits quite considerably. Everything was great fun and I am hoping I am allowed to go back next year; it would definitely be worth it. But let’s just hope my parents see how much education and enjoyment I got out of the trip.

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