Vlaardingen 2011
Hi. Sorry for posting a little bit late, but it is quite difficult to update. Things are going quite nice round here. The weather is fantastic and the students, both the Dutch and the Spanish are doing very well. Even though it started a little bit weird (a three-hour delay it's enough to drive anybody mad!), things are going great.
Things started a little bit weird. Everybody was happy and nervous, but, as it usually happens… DELAY! Around three hours before we could finally start our journey. But, students didn’t care. Smiles never left their faces, nervous and excited for all that was waiting for them in Holland.
Even
though they have a very nice Sunday (they went shopping to Rotterdam,
celebrated Mother’s Day with their families,…) the real week started on
Monday. We had Dutch lessons, and thanks to Elena, the teacher, and all
the Dutch brothers and sisters, we learnt, well, to be honest, we tried
to learn some necessary expressions. We had lots of fun, and we laughed
even more when the Dutch students showed us some important and typical
things about Holland: food, especially cheese, festivities and so on.
They were not only funny but also interesting.
Later,
before coming back to school, we have had lunch in a typical pancake
restaurant, where Duch students like going. We loved it!!!
Today
it was biking day: most of the students have biked to the city of
Delft, one of the most beautiful cities in Holland. After a nice trip,
we have visited the Royal Delft, that is, the place where the famous
blue Delft pottery is created. The visit has been very interesting and
we have seen real art on porcelain.
After
that, a boat has taken us along the canals and we have learnt some
interesting data about Delft: stories about old times, the relationship
with the Royal family, the habits and funny costumes of university
students… Well, we had a great time again!
As for a first summary, I think it has been enough, hasn’t it? Hope you’ve enjoyed it. We promise to share more with you as soon as possible. Big huge from Vlaardingen!!!
Vlaardingen 2012
Once
again, we are getting ready for the exchange with our Dutch friends
from Vlaardingen. In April, 15 students will visit us, giving us the
opportunity of enjoying this great experience of sharing, learning and
living together for one week.
Total immersion is necessary to really learn a new language. That's why students' exchanges are so useful and productive. This year some students are going to see it by themselves again!!! We sure this is going to be an unforgettable experience and we would like to share with you, parents, students and teachers.
Saturday, 5th May
Nobody really cared about how early they had to wake up, or how much time would it take to get there... We were heading to Vlaardingen at last!
At the airport, some of our Dutch friends with their parents and Susan, the Dutch teacher, were waiting for us to drive us to Vlaardingen, where the rest of the Dutch families were really looking forward our coming.
Everybody
was happy, thinking about how great the whole weekend would be: tours
around Vlaardingen, around Rotterdam, going to the beach, some bowling
..., in short, more time to spend together sharing time and funny
experiences.
Monday, 7th May
We started our day with Dutch classes. Even though in Vlaardingen most people speaks English, learning some useful expressions are both fun and necessary.
After a little break, our Dutch friends taught us some nice things about their country and uses with great and funny presentations.
We learnt, for instance, that there is a very famous iceskating competition, Elfstadentocht, which is around 200 kilometres long, or that the origin of tulips in the Netherlands is Turkish and one the most beautiful gardens is Keukenhof.
There was also interesting (and yummy!) information about some of the most important Dutch treats: the cookies (izjarkookjes and stroopwafels), the pancakes and the cheese.
Later, the wooden shoes, their origin and several uses
And finally, a very interesting and necessary issue for Dutch people, their figth against water...
... and another national emblem, the Windmills.
To continue our day, Susan took us for a walk round Vlaardingen, showing our students some of the most famous sites, like the Aeolus
...the oldest church in the city
... the City Hall
...one of the oldest places in Vlaardingen, where fishermen used to work and manufacture their ropes
... and, obviously, the harbour, where there are still some beautiful ships.
To have lunch, we went to a very typical place, the Pancake House, where we all enjoyed a very nice meal.
But this was not the end of the day... We all were invited to a fantastic barbecue at Jamie's house, one of the Dutch students, where we had a great time, sharing a meal, chatting and dancing.
A nice way of finishing our "first" day, isn't it?
Tuesday, 6th May
Early in the morning everybody was ready to start a really nice experience: the bike trip to Delft. Even though some were not really used to bike, all were willing to have fun and give a try. Leadered by Ramona and Israel, the trip started...
An hour later, we visited the porcelayne Museum of Delft, the Royal Delft and learnt about the history of this typical and famous pottery.
After that, a we were taken on a cruise along the canals to see this nice village from a different point of view,
... and we had a walk round the beautiful centre of the village.
Again, a great day in Holland. And there are more ahead!!!
Wednesday, 9th May
Today, new activities, new trip. We have gone first to the Blijdorp Zoo, one of the biggest zoos in Europe, located in Rotterdam. The day was a little bit grey, but perfect to wander around, seeing beautiful animals and, why not? learning a little bit. Many were the areas, ecosystems to visit and many more the different species: from Africa to Asia, from the Poles to South America...
After that, a very nice walk through the city of Rotterdam heading the harbour, where a modern Spido waited for us to take us on a trip along the big canal, where, again, had the opportunity of learning about some things related to Dutch economy and habour facilites.
As you see by their faces, even though they were very, very tired (they had a really loooooooooooong walk...), the fun was complete. Don't you think so?
Thursday, 10th May
The Hague, one of the European political centres, is a beautiful city, in South Holland. Today, under big grey clouds, we have visited the city centre, learning some nice details about the Parliament, the City Hall and a little bit of history.
The original plan included going the Scheveningen, the main beach resort to the North of the city, a nice place to visit if the weather had allow us. But, as you never know, we had plan B: the Eschen Museum, located near the Parliament. Escher paintings and carvings have surprised and amazed us, as well as the installations where we could experience the visual effects provoked by them first hand.
And to finish the fine day... our Dutch "parents" have prepared a nice dinner for all of us!!! Isn't it great? Homemade food to celebrate this exchange week. Thanks everybody for such a warm detail. Everything was delicious, by the way!
Friday, 11th May
New day, new city, more fun! Today all the group, Dutch and Spanish, have visited the city of Amsterdam. Capital city of the country, is one of the most touristic places of the Netherlands. Apart from visiting the centre and, obviously, take a look to the Red Light District, we have also had time for culture so we have visited the Van Gogh Museum.
There, among many other famous paintings, students have had the great opportunity of admiring one of his most famous... Sunflowers
All of them had a great time together visiting the city before coming back to Vlaardingen, where a nice party was going to take place at Brent's house (thanks, by the way!) This has been a great week for all of us and I really hope we all meet again. Thank you for everything. We'll miss you!!!
