by Grappiola Ilaria 4H (Scientifico)
At the beginning of February I spent a week in Salamanca with my classmates. It was a school trip organized by our school to give students the opportunity to improve their language abroad.
But Why Salamanca? Well, firstly because I have been studying Spanish for seven years and I wanted to learn something new, secondly because I dreamt of having a trip abroad, thirdly I like both the spanish people and the climate.
Fortunatly in Salamanca the weather was sunny every day, despite some drizzly mornings.
I stayed in a host family, with a very nice couple, not so far from the school and from the city centre. The house was tiny but comfortable and I liked it so much. The woman of the family was very nice and kind, she immediatly started to talk to me and my roommate so we felt immediatly at home.
This experience was totally new for me and the stay was amazing. I visited a lot of places with my classmates, our professors and Spanish teachers showed us monuments and cathedrals. In my opinion the most beautiful places were Plaza Mayor, the central square of the city, sorrounded by buildings and Calisto y Melibea park with a lot of orange trees and flowers. There were also the two cathedrals which, during the night, were illuminated by strong lights producing a very charming effect. Very close to the main square there was the University, one of the oldest in Europe with the famous frog on the entrance facade.
Living in Salamanca for a week I noticed a strange aspect of the city and, what was it? In the morning the roads were empty and dark because the people woke up just between 9-10 o’clock and the shops opened later than in Italy. On the contrary, during the night, there was a rebirth: people filled up roads, restaurants, pubs and bars until 6 a.m., they talked and danced together, they drank and ate typical Spanish food called “tapas”, which was perfect for the happy hours. The atmosphere at night was great.
In my opinion the school trip was great fun but also very useful: I had the opportunity to visit a beautiful country like Spain and improve my Spanish a lot and I’m very happy and proud of my self because I met new extraordinary people and I got closer to my classmates.
If I reccomend this experience? Of course! Everyone should take part to a school trip, especially living in an host family, because it’s one of the best ways to have fun but also to learn something new and I would repeat it other thousand times!
