5 / 20
5th And 6th Form Spanish
Cultural And Study Trip To
Salamanca
Malini Sachdeva-Masson, 5N
During February half-term, a
group of thirty three Fifth and
Sixth Formers went to Salamanca
to improve their Spanish skills,
accompanied byMr Urreaga,
Cristina, Mr Gallagher andMrs
Hubbard. Over the course of the
week the group had Spanish lessons
withMester, a language school in
the city. The lessons were not much
like those Bancroftians encounter
during termtime. They were fun,
interactive and relaxed whilst being
highly educative and helpful. For the
Fifth Formwho had their iGCSE oral
exams coming up, spending the week
immersed in Spanish culture was
great preparation.
When we arrived at school in the morning
of departure, anticipation and, for some,
nerves, were felt. After spending the
morning in Heathrow wasting our limited
money on Wagamama’s and gifts for our
host families, we boarded the plane and set
off to Spain. After arriving in Madrid, we
had to take a coach to Salamanca, driving
past Segovia and Avila which we would be
visiting the next day. We were surprised to
see so much snow and we made the most
of the sunset/snow combination (anyone
with social media would have caught a
glimpse of the scenery!) We arrived in
Salamanca at 7.30pm with our host families
waiting for us in the cold, ready with their
two kisses to welcome us. After being
introduced, we all went back to our homes,
dragging our luggage behind us, waving
the ‘I’m a tourist’ flag to the city. After a
late dinner, which surprised us all, falling
asleep was our main priority as the day of
travelling had been exhausting.
The next day was Sunday, so we did not have
school, however we had to up early in the
morning so that we could get to Segovia and
spend the day there. After another
long, but fun, bus ride, we arrived in
Segovia where the main attraction
is the enormous aqueduct which
runs through the town. This towering
Roman aqueduct was constructed
with two tiers and 167 arches and has
a total length of 2,667 feet! The other
important sight was the restored 12th
century castle
Alcázar de Segovia
. It is
said that Walt Disney based his Disney
castle on this medieval one. The Walls
of Ávila in central Spain, completed
between the 11th and 14th centuries,
are this city’s principal historic feature. The
fortifications are the most complete in Spain.
The sheer size of them was breathtaking
and our tour guide made sure we knew
all the history behind it which was very
interesting, but hard to follow as he spoke
in Spanish all the time! The last thing we
visited was the Cathedral of Ávila, which is
in the Romanesque and Gothic architectural
traditions and is incredibly beautiful.
Throughout the rest of the week we followed
a routine of waking up, making our way to
school, then back home for a late a lunch
and meeting up again for another hour of
lessons in the afternoon. After the afternoon
lessons we would have an excursion around
Salamanca. For example,
La Plaza Mayor Casa
de las Conchas
and the old cathedral. We had
salsa lessons, ate
chocolate con churro
and
took advantage of the sales in Zara during
our free time. I think we all came home with
slightly heavier suitcasesafter enjoying the
sales a bit too much.
The trip was a huge success thanks to
the organisation of the teachers and the
cooperation of the group. Mr Urreaga was
gifted a new bobble hat, among other
things, by the group as a big thank you.
MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES 5
6th Form
Spanish
Study Trip To
The BFI
Sonali Arora, U6N
A year after attending the BFI to watch
Volver
, we were delighted to hear
that we would get the opportunity
to attend another study day at the
venue, and so the L6 and U6 Hispanists
travelled toWaterloo, this time to
learn about the Spanish Civil War and
to watch Guillermo del Toro’s famous
film
El Laberinto del Fauno
.
The day started with an introduction to the
film, conducted by the same two women who
had led the day last year; it was great to have
previously met the people to whom we would
be listening. Working with activity packs, we
analysed the origins of the film and the way
of life during the Spanish Civil War. We learnt
about how the War started and what the
roles were for workers and women during
that time. The hall was split into two groups,
and every time they played a clip from the
film, each group was assigned a certain aspect
of the scene to analyse (for example sound,
colour or facial expressions), and afterwards
we shared our opinions.
After a rather hurried lunch break (which
everyone spent queuing for Mexican snacks
at a nearby Wahaca truck), we watched the
film
El Laberinto del Fauno
, and it’s fair to say
that both the movie and the atmosphere were
sensational.
The film is about a little girl called Ofelia,
in a period five years after the Spanish Civil
War, during the early Francoist period. A
parallel is drawn between this real world and
a mythical world to which Ofelia finds herself
attached. She repeatedly enters an overgrown
abandoned labyrinth where she meets a
mysterious faun creature. The faun and
several other strange and magical creatures
become central to her story, leading her
through the labyrinth whilst she undertakes
challenges that the faun assigns her. Having
previously explored the meaning of the film,
it was a great opportunity to spot the political
and religious references.
The study trip was definitely a success and we
were thrilled to have learnt more about the
history and the way people felt at that time in
Spain, as well as appreciating a masterpiece of
Spanish film. We’d like to thank Cristina, Miss
Hancock and Mr Urreaga for organising the
trip and making it possible, as it really was an
invaluable experience.