As many of you already know, this year “La Ginesta” won the Tortosa English Festival Debates, hence the three representatives of our school have had the opportunity to participate in a three-week learning course at Swansea University. Here we present to you a brief summary of their experiences…

 “When we finally reached our destination, we were all very excited to meet those who would become our family for this stay. Two of us were paired up in the same house whereas our friend was all by her own, yet either way, that evening we all talked our way through supper, getting to know each other better.

 On Monday, we began the course at the university. In the mornings, we took lessons to improve our pronunciation and speaking skills and then, in the afternoons, we did different leisure activities such as surfing, CPR or lifeguard training. For two weeks, we had this same schedule with free time in the evenings to spend with our families, play board games, chat… Next, on the remaining week, we did some work experience at restaurants and cafés, where we learned how to work the tilt, prepare coffees and serve tables. They even gave us a tip!

 On the first weekend we did some volunteering at an enormous event in Swansea Bay, teaching children safety at the sea whilst watching the “Red Arrows”.

 All in all, we have had a great time on this trip; we’ve met a lot of new people and have had a lot of fun learning the ways of our English families.”

Com ja vàrem anunciar, aquest any “La Ginesta” ha guanyat el concurs de debats del Tortosa English Festival. Gràcies a això, les tres representants de l’escola que competien han tingut l’oportunitat de participar en un curs de tres setmanes a la Swansea University. Presentem a continuació un breu resum de les seves experiències…

“En arribar a la ciutat estàvem molt emocionades per conèixer aquelles persones que es convertirien en la nostra família durant l’estada. Dues de nosaltres convivíem a la mateixa casa, mentre la nostra amiga estava allotjada amb una altra família. A l’hora de sopar, totes tres vam parlar amb els “pares” per començar a conèixer-nos.

El dilluns vam iniciar les classes a la universitat. Pels matins, fèiem classes per a millorar el nostre anglès, i, després, per les tardes, realitzàvem diferents activitats com surf, RCP o socorrisme. Aquest horari el vam mantenir durant dues setmanes, amb temps lliure als vespres per estar amb les famílies jugant a jocs de taula, parlant… Durant la tercera setmana vam estar treballant a restaurants o cafeteries, on vam aprendre a utilitzar la màquina de comandes, a preparar cafès o a servir taules. I fins i tot ens van donar propina!

Coincidint amb el primer cap de setmana vam fer un voluntariat en un important event que tenia lloc a la Swansea Bay (badia de Swansea), on vam ensenyar als infants normes de seguretat a la platja mentre miràvem entusiasmades l’espectacle aeri dels “Red Arrows”. 

No cal dir que ens ho hem passat genial en aquest viatge, hem conegut un munt de gent nova i hem après els costums de les nostres famílies angleses.”