Why Spanish?

Great Routes. Endless Trails. Innumerable Adventures.

Studying Spanish at WAS, like the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, El Camino de Santiago, has more than one route.

As the pilgrims have done so for centuries, students of Spanish cover a great route of cultural and linguistic exchange, which takes its travellers through a variety of territory and terrain. A wealth of experiences is provided along the route of the Spanish language, which is now used by more than 400 million people, is the official language of 21 countries and is spoken by over 15% of the US population.

Most pilgrims embark on the route via its gateway, the Pyrenees, and many of those taking Spanish ab initio in UIII will be able to draw on their prior knowledge of French and find that Spanish is easy to learn: It has a very simple sound system, with just 5 vowel sounds; There is a direct correspondence between spoken and written forms; A good level of communication is achieved fairly rapidly.

The majority opt to travel the longer Camino Francés through to GCSE following the Caminos series of textbooks with songs, poems and projects to entertain the pilgrims along the way.

Our Spanish journey continues, guided by Caminos 2, and takes the Maritime route from where we set sail to broaden our horizons and discover the culinary delights of Mexico and its cultural differences from the Iberian Peninsula.

Our final guidebook to aid our travels is Caminos 3, which takes the Northern route, crossing Green Spain and sharpening our environmental sensibilities and linguistic skills.

Sixth form study offers the key to unlock the treasure chest of Hispanic heritage.

Like the Routes of the Caliphate and the Sefarad, it is a journey in time through the mosaic of the melting pot of peoples, cultures and religions.

The Washington Irving Route is a romantic, literary journey which begins with Lorca, meets Buñuel along the way before setting sail on a voyage of magical realism.

The Via de la Plata, the Roman Road via Islamic territory from South to North between mountains, valleys, plains and the cities which gave birth to the Conquistadors, is an adventure of the spirit. It affords the traveller the freedom of the open road to explore the endless possibilities of A2 coursework enriched with flamenco shows, salsa dancing, theatre trips and lectures en route.

El español abre una puerta al mundo.

Aprende el español – descubre el mundo.

SPANISH TRIP

During the Easter holidays, a group of LV and UV Spanish students went on a study holiday to Spain.  We stayed in Albolote, a small village near Granada.  During the morning we had classes and during the afternoon we went on trips to various well-known sights, such as the ski resort of the Sierra Nevada, a huge Arabian palace called the Alhambra, and the cities of Seville and Cordoba.  We stayed in pairs with Spanish families, returning to them in the evenings for supper.  We all really enjoyed the trip and improved our Spanish loads. 

Sophie Gault and Sophie Wettern

The following are examples of poems written in Spanish by younger girls:

Me gustaría ser…   Quizá sea bombera, Que es muy peligrosa, O quizá sea cocinera, Que no es ruidosa.   Quizá sea dentista, Que creo que sería divertida, O quizá sea electricista, Que pienso que sería aburrida.   Quizá sea abogada Y llevaré una peluca O quizá sea granjera, Que es fantástica.   Quizá sea piloto, Y viajar mucho, O quizá sea mecánica, Que no es mucho segura   Charlotte Humphries

El invierno   Miro a través de la ventana Y veo un mundo blanco. Contemplo el cielo despejado Y oigo el rugido del viento.   El bosque aislado Cubierto de nieve. Ahora es el mejor momento Para beber chocolate caliente.   Quiero sentir el frío Y pelear con bolas de nieve. Pero permanezco en casa, Admirando la belleza austera.   Nicola Lui

De la sierra   De la sierra, veo un río En el verano e invierno. Me gusta este río porque es muy bonito.   De la sierra, veo un campo, Un campo de trigo. Me gusta este campo porque no hay ruido.   De la sierra, veo una casa. En esta casa, hay una chica. La chica está sola, la chica es triste.   Voy a la sierra, para reunirme con la chica. Me siento a su lado, la escucho. Porque siento por ella.   Nos sentamos juntas y miramos el mundo, Y sonreímos.   Marie Naffah

And even the WAS staff have decided to explore the horizons of another language....

''Having spent four weeks in Ecuador two years ago, with little more Spanish than “Hola”, I decided, on organising the trip to Peru last summer, that I would try to learn more of the language.

 I enrolled in classes at my local Adult Education Centre, and was thoroughly enjoying being on the other side of the desk for a change. My Spanish lessons were one of the highlights of my week.  There were other benefits though: it is easy to forget how it feels to be floundering in a subject, not in control, and already I was becoming a more empathetic teacher. 

A chance conversation with Mrs Bolton in the staff room just before Christmas led her to suggest that I sat GCSE Spanish this summer.  I had been very inspired by the Music department, who had learned new instruments and then been sponsored to take their Grade 1 examinations for a charitable cause, and so I agreed, with the idea that I too could be sponsored and the money would go to our community project in Peru, working with the street children in Huaraz.  However, things that seem such a good idea when they are months away have a habit of seeming a really bad idea up close.  This certainly was the case as I struggled to prepare for my oral examination, then two weeks later the other three papers, all the while juggling the delights of teaching, marking, report writing and compiling the September timetable.  Again, my thoughts were with the girls though, who were preparing not just for one subject, but for many at GCSE, and for much more difficult examinations at As and A2 level. 

And the exam?  I remember my own feelings of apprehension as I lined up with the girls to sit the papers, the slightly odd looks from my colleagues who were invigilating, the post mortems afterwards, when I couldn’t resist a little “earwig” and relieved sigh when I knew I had put what was the popularly agreed right answer.  The experience was a valuable one.  For me, personally, because I know it was not the exam but the preparation for it that I found so useful in Peru, and professionally because I have a renewed appreciation of what the girls go through.  For the girls who I hope can see that learning is a life long process, and how valuable language learning in particular is, thus helping them to appreciate and make the most of the fabulous opportunities and facilities open to them at school.  And finally, for the street children of Huaraz, who may in some small way benefit from my experience.''

  Mrs Jackie Pope