Highlight of the Week

Learning the Language

Over Easter, around 18 students learning Spanish from Years 10 and 12 went to Córdoba on the School’s Spanish exchange trip, wonderfully organized by Mr Correia. Pupils stayed for a week in the accommodation provided by their exchange partners from El Instituto de Educación Secundaria Maimónides. It was a fun and immersive experience where pupils could practise Spanish (and get used to the breakneck speeds at which they speak the language in Andalucía!), learn about new cultures and history, and make new friends whom they will get to meet again when they visit Cardiff soon.

We saw many spectacular sights, including the mosque (La Mezquita) which has faced many renovations and expansions over the ages, as Córdoba saw many different religions conquering it throughout its history, the Roman Bridge (Puente Romano) which offered some beautiful views of the Guadalquivir River, the medieval palace Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos with impressive architecture and spectacular gardens. Pupils also had a lovely cultural experience, trying wonderful local cuisine, including Salmorejo (a cold Spanish soup with tomato, bread, vinegar, olive oil and garlic which is usually served with hard-boiled egg and bacon), Flamenquín (a fried meat, ham and cheese roll) and many more stellar dishes. On the third night, students went to a flamenco show at a club called El Cardenal, where they sat and watched an hour and a half of amazing flamenco music with talented singers, tap dancers and guitar players. As well as Córdoba, the pupils were also treated to a day trip to Sevilla, another beautiful city in Andalucía where they saw the amazing cathedral and had the experience of rowing down a small stream (which ended up being very wet just as it started to rain heavily!). Overall, it was a very enjoyable trip, leaving the students with beautiful memories of Córdoba and Sevilla, and they now cannot wait to meet their exchange partners again when they come to Cardiff! Max C-T, Year 10