Enjoy Your Spanish typical dinner
Now You can download the cultural program of our school. All the activities like conferences, escursions, films, salsa and sevillanas courses, cookery class and of course all the dinners and tapas tour!
Salamanca October 09 Newsletter
It has been an exciting week for a group of German students –a week long trip to Salamanca, Spain to learn Spanish!
Roman bridge, Salamanca
Sevillanas on the School, Ole!!
Travelling from a school in Remsheid – near Cologne – and accompanied by their teacher, Carlos Sanchez, the group of fifteen have been enjoying the sites of Salamanca, one of Spain’s most beautiful cities. One one of their first days they took a guided tour, lead by one of our teachers, Elisa…though their own teacher Carlos could well have done the tour too – he’s been coming back to Salamanca with different groups since September 2005 and knows the city inside-out!
As you’ll be able to see from the photos, the group of students enjoyed a special program, some gorgeous weather in Salamanca during their trip and with all the activities organised by the school, they were really able to take advantage of it.
In between their Spanish learning, amongst other activities, they enjoyed a tapas tour, a salsa class, a film night, a
Taking Tapas and something to drink!!
cookery class and a Sevillana dance class. The activities are a means to make Spanish learning as fun and diverse as possible: whilst the tapas tour is a great opportunity to get to know fellow students and to see the city lit up at night – a really stunning sight, the cookery class and the film night give an insight into Spanish culture, often quite surprising to those students who come here thinking all of Spain is like the holiday regions! Each activities works to encourage the students to speak Spanish outside of the classroom – an invaluable experience towards their learning!
What will have most opened their eyes to Spanish culture however is their homestays. The students have been staying with various Spanish families during the week, an opportunity which has allowed them to live as the Spanish do and practise their Spanish to the maximum.
Dance class!
The week’s been a total success and we hope an inspiration for the students to carry on with their Spanish learning once back in Germany!
See another account of a German group in Spain here.
Salamanca’s Mester students enjoyed a rich breakfast of chocolate and churros in Tuesday’s classes – a great reward for all the hard work they’ve been putting in learning Spanish!
Students enjoy their breakfast!
The typical Spanish breakfast of churros is sure to be missed by students once they return home. A deep fried pastry-based snack, churros are often called the Spanish donut – although their shape is nothing like the donut you’d think of which comes from America – they’re long and thin!
Though there are many variations – served with sugar, filled with chocolate, creme or condensed milk – the most typical are the plain ones, with a sprinkling of sugar, which can be bought in the churrerías, little shops or caravans which dedicate themselves to this popular snack.
Some students might find the hot chocolate different too – Spanish hot chocolate is typically a lot thicker than what’s to be found in the likes of England, the USA and Germany. No less delicious however, it gives a great boost of energy for the students’ Spanish classes during the day!
 Students taking Churros! |
 Do you allow churros in your class? |
Though perhaps not the healthiest selection of Mediterranean food, it’s an extremely popular and enjoyable tradition which has begun to take off outside of Spain and Latin America too. March 2006 saw the opening of Chocolateria San Churro in Australia, a Spanish chocolate themed franchise with 18 outlets! There’s also the Jack in the Box San-Diego based chain who have added a mini-churro selection to their menu!
Chocolate and Churros in Class!
We’ve put the photos of the churro morning on our Facebook page – don’t hesitate in making us your friend! Not only will you get access to photos of special events and activities organised by the school, but you’ll be informed of the best Spanish course offers too!
In the world of poetry this month, all eyes will be on Granada. There is not only the search for his remains but a poetry festival too: “Poesía en Resistencia”.
Activities Program on Granada
Land analysers have already begun the hunt for the remains of the famed Granada poet, killed by Nationalists at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. A talented, unique poet, Lorca is from a rich cultural generation – with contemporaries such as Luis Buñel and Salvador Dali. Monday saw those involved in the search for his grave begin to mark out land, where they suspect the remains lay. They are currently searching for anomalies in the land – areas which could have been interfered with by man – and will begin the excavation as soon as they confirm their findings.
Should his remains be found, not only for his family, it will be a great relief for the world of poetry too: his influence and character is still very much present throughout Spain, though never more so in Granada. A city full of culture, it will see the celebration of the “Poesía en Resistencia” from 24th September until 3rd October. It’s a festival set to not only promote poetry through the region, but to draw attention to ethical compromise and the need for a change in today’s society.
An example of some of the stunning Granada
It’s not only through poetry this message will be transmitted however. There will be a whole of artistic and creative mediums involved – readings, concerts and video-creations to name but a few. The festival’s climax will be be celebrated on Saturday 3rd October in the Animasur local, with a presentation of a scenic piece by La Palabra Itinerante.
Entry is free and the programme really is incredibly varied – from a rock concert to a quiet poetry reading to a flamenco show – there is something for everyone! And bear in mind, the festival is not just the only attraction but Granada itself is a beautiful city with plenty to do too – mixing a rich culture with a university feel, there is an incredible amount to see and enjoy.
The Alhambra Palace for example is one of the biggest attractions in Spain
- with each room bigger and more beautiful than the last, it has some amazing stories to tell!
From Monday 21st September 2009, Salamanca’s Liceo Theatre will be preparing for a week long festival of short films, an event which goes from strength to strength with it now having reached its tenth year.
Organised by Salamanca Capital of Culture Foundation, the festival has been gaining success year in, year out – and continues to get better! This year its spectators can look forward to an interesting and diverse anthology of productions considered to be most representative of today’s era. The sample of shows are not planned to be competitive – the idea is to increase awareness of this growing medium of art, to encourage people who have perhaps never seen short films before to get out to the theatre and enjoy an industry which is really coming into its own and of course to provide those who already love short films with the best of the best.
Madrid Moscú from Chinatown on Vimeo.
Those who have done their research will particularly be looking forward to the film featured above, Madrid Moscú. It’s a twist on the typical boy-meets girl story, the tale’s heroin being a prostitute and the knight in shining armour being a lorry driver. Directed by Javier San Román, a director who has a great catalogue of short films including the Goya-nominated “Proverbio Chino”, spectators are sure to be entertained by his latest offering.
The festival’s line up also will also include, as is custom, a fixed space for the short films which were given prizes at the most recent edition of the Semana de Cine de Medina del Campo, an event with which the Filomteca of Castilla y Leon – who are backing the short film festival – holds a valuable collaborative relationship.
Another aim of the festival is to raise awareness of specific genres which are gaining relevance in today’s society – documentary film or the advanced technological world of animation for example. Space will also be made for the productions which have received the most prizes in various competitions – quality is guaranteed!
Whilst highlights include “Prométeme Que Va a Volver”, by Eduardo Soler and Enrique Gandarillas -
PROMETAME QUE VA A VOLVER (PROMISE ME YOU´LL COME BACK)
an expressive film dealing with the emotions experienced by the mother of a young Columbian marine who travels to Iraq; and “Cabaret Kadne”, a dark animation picture by Marc Riba and Anna Solanas, two of the most respected film makers in their field, the most talked about film is “El Talento de Las Moscas” (The Talent of the Flies) – a production which has been awarded the “Best Short-Film”. Set in the summer of 1944, during the war, it tells the story of Antoine de St Exupéry. It’s a romantic tale which all begins when Antoine parachutes into the garden of a beautiful woman and is sure to appeal to every spectator.
The celebration will be running from Monday 21st September to Thursday 24th September inclusive, from 20:15 each night, with entrance priced at 1,20 Euro. Every night there will be a selection of approximately 6 films, and so why not make your way to the Liceo to enjoy a night of the most cutting edge film of the short industry and help your Spanish learning?
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