Our last day has been spent at school. We’ve joined our Spanish friends on some of their lessons. This is always quite an experience; classrooms and teaching style are very different. Some had maths, some music and some had English. There’s no uniforms, but there is a dress code. The change of lesson is signaled with music through the tannoy system. And those are only a few of the differences.
Today happened to also be the beginning of their school’s festival so we were invited to see the arrival of the torch that the younger pupils bring from a small chapel on the outskirts of the city. The atmosphere was vibrant.
They all then left to have lunch before they got together again to start their goodbyes. No matter how many times I witness
it, I always fall in the trap and start crying like a baby. But it’s so emotional to see how much they’ve enjoyed themselves and how strong the links they’ve formed are. I just hope they can keep them going…
So, another year comes to an end and it’s time to look back on what we’ve learnt and the memories we take with us. Walking through the quiet medieval streets of Avila I said to Miss Jordan “Avila has a nostalgic grip on you, and you can’t help but fall in love with this place”. I know our students feel it too and they perhaps don’t realise it yet, but a little bit of their hearts was left behind.
This year I’ve also learnt many things. I’ve learnt why I love working with teenagers and why I love bringing them to Spain. This is a great job, you know, you see their hearts and knowledge expand and there’s no feeling like that. And when you’re lucky enough to get a group like this year’s, you can’t help but feel proud. I hope you do feel proud of your children too, they’re sound!