Sunday the 22nd of January 2023
On the morning of the 22nd we met each other in the parking lot of The Plantage. It was fun to travel as a group. And what a big group it was! 8 children, 2 teachers and Anton as coordinator plus all parents who wanted to wave their kids goodbye later on at the airport. Carpooling was a great way to start the project with sustainability in mind, an important part of this journey. After arriving at Schiphol the kids showed us the way. Which gate, where to board, etc. It was great to see them take the lead. We were proud of our independent and responsible Dalton kids!
We knew beforehand some children had never flown before. That was very apparent by seeing (and especially hearing) their enthusiasm while taxiing, taking off, flying and landing. “Oohs and aahs” were commonly heard all throughout the flight. After getting our suitcase we went to the exit of the airport and met two German teachers and their two students of our partner school in Germany from Steinheid. So nice to meet fellow teachers from other countries to exchange ideas and go through this experience together. We hoped we would learn more about them during the coming week (spoiler alert: we did!!).
Next step was traveling by train to the small village of Alpedrete where our partner school “El Peralejo” is. When arriving in Alpedrete all host families and a couple of teachers welcomed us at the small train station. Children had already met host families beforehand online through Meet and Whatsapp, but it was amazing to see the positive response from all parties. Host families took them with them and had a nice family dinner together. They had Spanish and Italian food which was a hit and made the children feel right at home. Anton, Jaimely and Martijn were brought to a typical Spanish cafe by members of the management team and one of the teachers (and her family) for some nice Spanish tapas. It was a delight to share a relaxing moment with them after our long trip. After dinner and sharing a coffee we said our goodbyes and parted ways, ‘Buenas noches’. We soooo looked forward to tomorrow and the coming week!
Monday the 23rd of January 2023
After a whole evening and night at their host families, we met each other at the Spanish school. A group of students welcomed us that morning, they sang a song for us and said some warm and lovely words in Spanish, English and French.
Afterwards, they gave us a tour of their school. Our students attended classes of their host child. So, for example 2 of our Dutch students followed all the classes of the boy from their host family. The subjects of the lessons were English, French, Math, Physical education, Music etc.
At 11.45hr there was a break for some snacks and to play outside. The school ends at 14.00hr. The Spanish families can choose if they want to go home at 14.00hr or let the children have lunch at school. On average, kids from 3 out of every 4 families eat their lunch at school. This helps working parents, so they can pick up their kids at a later time. The others have their lunch at home. Around 200 students are having lunch at school in a school canteen. They all get the same lunch. For us it was surprising to see that all those meals are prepared in 1 big kitchen and all students ate the same thing. You have to eat what you get and we are not used to that.
After eating their lunch, they had to play outside until 15.45hr. At that time parents would come and pick up their kids.
All the kids were going to their host families after school and did several activities, like going to a forest or a trampoline park, playing board games or having some churros with chocolate. What a fun way to break the ice!! These were great ideas!! At night they also have dinner over there and do some other activities. Through Whatsapp we have contact with each other about how everything is going, by sending photos or keeping each other updated.
Tuesday the 24th of January 2023
This was an exciting day for our Dutch students! They had to give their presentation about themselves, their life, their home and sustainability. Luckily they had practiced beforehand at home. * Fingers crossed! * Thanks to the amazing classes and teachers who translated some parts in Spanish, it was a huge succes!
Happy New Year everyone! Uh…what? No, we are definitely not crazy. El Peralejo had just started a special project of their own this week. Each day of the week a different class would organize a special event. We were greeted by Chinese dragons, music and outfits in the hallway. Amazing!
During the afternoon the Dutch children went to a park with host families. Enjoying a fun day together. We had a chance to visit a place called El Escorial, part of World Heritage. It is a huge complex consisting of a palace, abbey and royal mausoleum where former Spanish Kings are buried in exquisite catacombs.
Wednesday the 25th of January 2023
We were so looking forward to this day. We would go and see the historical city of Segovia. We went by bus. All host families with their children, Dutch and German guests. We had our own private bus to enjoy the ride and admire the beautiful view.
To make the day even more special…it started snowing as soon as we arrived at the 2000 year old aqueduct. Can you believe it? The children first stood in awe of the history of this place and minutes later had fun in a game as old as time of throwing snowballs at each other.
During the tour through the ancient city (while checking out the spot where we would have lunch later on), you could, at some point, see the top of Segovia Cathedral appear through the snowy air. Magical!
The castle of Segovia was a site to behold as well. Our Spanish hosts had arranged for us tickets to go inside. Awesome! The children admired the views, old harnesses and all the weapons used in days past. After all the sights and walking it was time to replenish our energy! Macaroni! Some even filled up their plate 3 times. Hopefully they were ready for round 2! French Fries and Chicken! And ending with a yummy dessert.
We gave our Dutch students some time to explore Segovia on their own. They are being taught at a Dalton school, so we know they will take responsibility. And so they did! At the agreed time of 15:05 they were all standing at the statue of Romulus and Remus. We were so proud of them! The kids ^^, not Romulus and Remus.
Thursday the 26th of January 2023
An exciting moment this morning was contacting our own school “OBS de Plantage” through a Video Meet!! The classes of the visiting children and our own students would be ready awaiting our call at a digibord. It was wonderful to see and hear our 8 students explain in detail how school life and living with host families was. A million questions were asked and with great patience answered. It made plenty of children in The Netherlands enthusiastic to travel abroad when they get the chance.
The host families had organized dinner and bowling in the afternoon! Thank you so much. Our kids loved it. The evening was a bit melancholic for them, because it was the final evening staying and sleeping at these lovely host families. They all knew they had to say goodbye the next morning.
Friday the 27th of January 2023
The morning started with sadness, because we knew we had to say goodbye to everyone in Spain today. Tears were shed on both sides. We had flowers for all host families. They took tremendously good care of our students all week long. A part of us remained there! We placed our handprint on a wall with the Spanish, German and Dutch flag.
After a short walk to the bus station we went on a trip by bus and metro to Madrid. Letting our students figure out which way to go in the metro station was a fun endeavor! You just noticed that, at some point, they figured out how it works. Great to see!
Our hotel was in the Centre of Madrid near Puerto del Sol (sungate). Because of the layout of Madrid with many of its cultural landmarks in one area, our students had a chance to find and see them by using their own map (or Google maps). A delicious lunch and the warm sun brightened our day.
Saturday the 28th of January 2023
1, 2, 3, 4, 5…no wait! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, where is the eighth!? Yes, this is the life of a teacher when you travel by metro (not one, but hopping between three different ones on our way to the airport!) in a big metropole. Luckily all 8 students behaved wonderfully, so it was easy to keep them together :). As easy as a herd of sheep. Hmm, did I call your children and our students sheep? Of course not ;)!
Time flew by at the airport. After grabbing a quick bite to eat and something to drink we had to board our plane. The flight ascended at 3 o’clock in the afternoon and smoothly landed on time. We could pick up our suitcases right away (so lucky)! And meet up with family and friends. We had a fantastic experience in Spain.
We made new friends, reunited with old friends and bonded even more with El Peralejo. Thank you so much!