In the week from 20.4 to 27.4.2023, students of the 1.A high school Digital Academy Kutná Hora participated in an exchange stay with the high school Instituto de Educación Secundaria Alfonso X el Sabio from Murcia, Spain (the capital of the autonomous community of Murcia, located in the south-east of Spain on the Segura River and with a population of 441,354 according to the 2012 census, making it the seventh largest city in Spain). Our students stayed with the families of their Spanish counterparts - who in turn will be staying with Czech families this September.
Upon arrival in Murcia, our students received a warm and friendly welcome from the local students, teachers and the school principal. At the beginning of the stay we had a tour of the city of Murcia itself and a visit to its most important monuments. The Baroque Catedral de Murcia from the first
mid-18th century Plaza del Cardenal Bellugo, the neoclassical buildings of the Ayuntamiento de Murcia, the Bishop's Palace and the old Puente Viejo Bridge.
The weekend belonged to trips within the families where our students were staying. This regular part of all exchange stays is always rated as one of the most interesting, because it is within the Spanish families that students have the best opportunity to get to know the local culture, mentality and most importantly, they can taste local gourmet specialties.
On Monday, the Kutná Hora students, together with their new Spanish friends, had a 3-hour trip to the city of Valencia. Here they visited, among other things, the Fuente del Turia El Miguelete fountain, the Torres de Serranos city gate, the local market La Lonja de Valencia and Plaza Redonda. They finished the day at the Oceanogràfic Valencia, the largest aquarium in Europe with 45,000 animals and more than 500 species.
Tuesday morning belonged to teaching directly in the school IES Alfonso X el Sabio. In the afternoon, students from the local conservatory prepared a performance of traditional Spanish Flamenco dance for our students.
Last day before going home (Wednesday) has already taken place at a more leisurely pace. It started with a trip to the port city of Cartagena, where students visited the museum, the theatre and the port. They then spent some well-deserved time relaxing on the beaches and in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The day ended with a farewell dinner at the homestays.
Thursday morning began with a sad farewell. Our students didn't want to leave and a few tears were shed. With their Spanish counterparts, they arranged visits for the summer. After a last hug and wave, the bus left for the airport. Before boarding the plane, the airport robot would not load the students' tickets. Many of them had already started to rejoice that they would have to prolong their stay in Spain, but in the end everything worked out and everyone
they were able to board the plane on time. Our students returned safely and on time to the airport in Prague, where their caring parents were waiting for them.
Many thanks to our Spanish teachers Isabel Bueno Ortiz and Maria Jesus Florenciano Jara who took care of us as their own and prepared a busy and interesting program for us.
Thanks also go to our headmistress (Mgr. Kateřina Tvrdík Exnerová), who accompanied the students on their first foreign trip, and the biggest thanks to the teacher To Rubén (Rubén Lopera Gómez), who connected our Digital Academy high school in Kutná Hora with the Spanish school and facilitated the whole student exchange!!!
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