Year 11 Valencia Trip

by Binita M, Year 11

From the 17^th to the 21^st December 2019, myself and 33 GCSE Spanish students travelled to Valencia, allowing us to be able to experience the remarkable Spanish culture, as well as to broaden and immerse our speaking skills; this proved difficult at times but was a great opportunity for us to practice and embrace the Spanish language.

When we arrived, we first visited the Valencia Cathedral, where we learnt about the background history behind the culture of Spain. After that, we were privileged enough to take a 217-step staircase up to the top of the cathedral to spectate the astonishing views of Valencia.

Then, we had some free time to explore locally and to further capture the amazing landscapes and Christmas decorations amongst the city, while engaging with Spanish speakers to enhance our speaking skills.

In the evening, dinner was also a valuable experience as we were able to taste the food of Spain, therefore we gained a better understanding of the culture behind food. Also, dinner was a useful time to practice how to order drinks in Spanish, while giving us the opportunity to socialise with our friends.

On the second day, we had a 5-minute walk to Valencia’s Central Market, where we were able to view the traditions of Spanish food: including their sweet pastries, meats and cheeses. Here, we had a great opportunity to enhance our Spanish speaking skills when we were required to buy our own food, as well as any souvenirs, from the stalls. After that, we had another walk to the Institute of Modern Art which allowed us to observe and further explore the incredible culture within Spain. Then, we had some more free time to grab some lunch and explore the local areas. After lunch, we had a guided tour at Valencia FC Stadium, where we had access to the football ground, the changing rooms, the seating area, the V.I.P box and much more; this was an excellent experience (especially for the football lovers amongst the group)!

On the next day, we went to the Oceanogràfic aquarium, where we got to see the amazing wildlife. We then went to the Hemisferie where we watched a 360º Volcano Film projection in Spanish, allowing us to practice our listening skills. Following the projection, we had some free time to have lunch and to explore El Salar Shopping Centre to further apply our speaking skills when purchasing items.

As our extraordinary trip came to an end, we spent our day at the beach, experiencing the chaos of public transport! In addition, we were required to use our speaking skills to approach the bus driver and to ask for a ticket. Overall, this trip was a great opportunity to express what we have learnt in our past 2 years of doing the Spanish GCSE- especially through our speaking and listening; and it was most definitely a trip to remember. Also, I just want to say a huge thank you (on behalf of the Spanish students) to Mrs Green, Miss Young, Mr McKeown and Mr Price for making the experience a memorable one and encouraging us to grab opportunities when possible.

Binita M, Year 11