Encantada!

 After a 12 hour journey we finally arrived in Leon very late on Sunday night. The take off was a bit hairy in places but once we got above the clouds we had a fabulous sunset and an easy flight down to Santander.

After dropping off most of the contingent at the university residences, Iain and I got to the apartment about half 1in the morning. We’re staying in a three bed place ‘the other side of the tracks’! It’s the opposite way to the rest of the gang but it’s very quiet and just a 25 minute walk to the school. We feel very lucky with a nice sitting room and kitchen and plenty of space to spread out.

We were picked up Monday late morning and taken to our school, Colegio Divina Pastora, to meet the head, Ana, as well as the English teachers who would be our mentors, Patricia and Marga. Everyone was so friendly and so pleased to have us there. We talked through our timetable and had a chance to ask any questions we wanted before Ana took us around the school and we were introduced to almost every class! 

The school has about 800 kids from nursery up to A level equivalent. I’ve got the secondary and A level (Bacc) students which I was initially a bit worried about, but having had a day or so and met a few I think it’ll be fine. I have 26 sessions in total, so for someone who hasn’t been full time for a while, it may prove to be knackering.

We had the chance to observe a lesson of primary school children, and they were all fascinated by us. The school are really keen to get us involved with the children doing the Trinity speaking exams.

At 2 and laden with books, our heads spinning with everything we had seen and observed, we headed off to find some food. The school goes from 8am to 2 with just a half hour break so we were ravenous! On the recommendation of one of the teachers we found a local cafe and had a very typical ‘menu del dia’ including 3 courses, bread and an alcoholic drink for 11€, bargain.

Replete we only just got back to the flat in time to turn ourselves around before being picked up by Fran to go up to the uni to meet the others to see how everyone had got on. It was great seeing them all and everyone seems to have nice schools.

We walked back afterwards, through Leon centre past the magnificent cathedral and stunning buildings. They are to be explored more fully another day. 

After an hour trying to get my head around the Trinity exams it was time for bed.

My classes would normally start at 8, but as the first class were doing a test Tuesday (today) we both walked up together for 9. Patricia picked me up from reception and I joined her first class where they had a test, but it gave her an opportunity to explain the various exams that the children did, both Trinity and Cambridge. I then had a break before joining Marga in one of her classes where I did some teaching! They were doing some complex vocab, working out the difference between the noun and adjective versions of words relating to characteristics. I led that first vocab part, which was good fun. I observed the next lesson with Ana but also sat with two of the girls practicing elements of the Cambridge exam. My last lesson was again with Patricia where I introduced myself (from Wales, not whales!) and drilled the vocab they needed.

Lunch was in the school canteen. It was lovely but the cacophony of noise from the younger kids precluded any chit chat. Iain and I had to have a sit down on a park bench for a while on the way home to wait for our ears to stop ringing!

So we’re sat here now writing our blogs and reflecting on our first few days. So far so good I reckon. As Nanny McFee would say ‘Lesson one complete’