U4 in El Puerto de Santa María
On Wednesday 3rd April, the Spanish Department took a group of 15 U4 girls to El Puerto de Santa María, Spain. Spending five nights and four days in a language school, the group had Spanish lessons in the morning and went on excursions during the afternoon.
The beauty of the trip was that the girls had a knowledgeable, local chaperone available 24/7 who was also one of their native language teachers, meaning they were able to build up a strong rapport with their guide.
At the start of the trip, girls were split into teams and told they would be rewarded with tokens for well-spoken Spanish. This encouraged them to practice in Spanish as much as possible throughout their stay. Prizes and certificates were awarded to the best individuals and teams for effort, performance and knowledge of the culture.
As well as Spanish lessons, the girls had a fantastic variety of activities planned for them, including learning how to dance flamenco and visiting the beach, Cádiz and Seville.
The girls enjoyed local snacks including churros con chocolate and tapas by the beach. They also bought their own fresh ingredients at the market to make three different paellas in the language school kitchen.
Mrs Diana Bonifaci, Head of Spanish, said: “This is the fifth year Headington has run this trip and even girls who came five years ago and are now in their final year at Headington still ask if they can go back to El Puerto.”
