JEREZ de los CABALLEROS
March 18, 2015; Wednesday.
Our arrival to Jerez de los Caballeros was in the late afternoon. As our bus got closer to the castle roads, we could see the students and adults waving to us in anticipation of our arrival.
We quickly got off the bus to go meet our penfriends. The students that did not have one in that town, were assigned one from the wonderful coordinator of the group, Ms. Manuela Masero. Ms. Masero and the Principal, Ms. Angela Maya were instrumental in arranging all the student activities, along with the rest of the English teachers from CEIP Sotomayor y Terrazas.
The Honorable Lady Mayor of Jerez, Virginia Boralla, also met and greeted the Houston group. The city and some of its citizens, reenacted a Knights Templar scene for us at the castle grounds. After that was over, it was time for photos and a gift video from the actors!
Our group was then guided by the students of Sotomayor y Terrazas through the old town, giving us information in English and Spanish about the places of interest.
We concluded our visit at the school where we were treated to some snacks and I was presented with a Templar figurine for our visit.
The highlight of the entire visit in Jerez, however, was the amazing camaraderie displayed by both schools! Although shy and a bit nervous at first, our students were answering questions from the Jerez pupils, and in the process they were getting to know more about their friends. As an educator, I was very pleased and overcome with such emotion to see their interactions. In fact one of the teachers from the Colegio said that the students were talking more now than they had in the classroom.
Likewise, I saw Pershing students using their Spanish to acquaint themselves and discover more about their pen pals; they were truly enjoying themselves. It was such a warm feeling to see how much they all liked each other and the effort they were all making to appreciate their visit.
As mentioned before, Ms Manuela Masero, the English teachers, and the Ayuntamiento (City) of Jerez de los Caballeros made it possible for our stay to be fruitful and fulfilling.
Much was achieved in the short time we were there. Therefore we plan on continuing our correspondences with the students and teachers alike. Our future plans are to expand our stay in Jerez de los Caballeros in another tour.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for the amazing time we all had!
Raquel Aguilar; Houston
The Honorable Lady Mayor of Jerez, Virginia Boralla, also met and greeted the Houston group. The city and some of its citizens, reenacted a Knights Templar scene for us at the castle grounds. After that was over, it was time for photos and a gift video from the actors!
Our group was then guided by the students of Sotomayor y Terrazas through the old town, giving us information in English and Spanish about the places of interest.
We concluded our visit at the school where we were treated to some snacks and I was presented with a Templar figurine for our visit.
The highlight of the entire visit in Jerez, however, was the amazing camaraderie displayed by both schools! Although shy and a bit nervous at first, our students were answering questions from the Jerez pupils, and in the process they were getting to know more about their friends. As an educator, I was very pleased and overcome with such emotion to see their interactions. In fact one of the teachers from the Colegio said that the students were talking more now than they had in the classroom. 
Likewise, I saw Pershing students using their Spanish to acquaint themselves and discover more about their pen pals; they were truly enjoying themselves. It was such a warm feeling to see how much they all liked each other and the effort they were all making to appreciate their visit.As mentioned before, Ms Manuela Masero, the English teachers, and the Ayuntamiento (City) of Jerez de los Caballeros made it possible for our stay to be fruitful and fulfilling.
Much was achieved in the short time we were there. Therefore we plan on continuing our correspondences with the students and teachers alike. Our future plans are to expand our stay in Jerez de los Caballeros in another tour.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for the amazing time we all had!
Raquel Aguilar; Houston
VIDEO FROM AYUNTAMIENTO JEREZ de los CABALLEROS
R. Aguilar; ©
http://sotomayoryterrazasbilingualsection.blogspot.com.es/2015/03/nos-visitan-desde-houston.html
This is the Colegio's post of our visit.
Thank you so much for taking these kids on such a wonderful trip. It was very meaningful and something Noah will not forget. xo- Allison Diano
ReplyDeleteWe thoroughly enjoyed designing this tour to benefit the students. We were so happy to have Noah on tour; I agree, he will always remember it.
DeleteBest,
Ms. Aguilar