Erasmus+ exchange part 2

In September 2022, the pupils from DLE mavo 3 wrote their own guidebook for teens for Enkhuizen with a group of Spanish peers from IES Ginés Pérez Chirinos from Caravaca de la Cruz. We promised, that we’d travel to Spain and complete the same project there, for their area to benefit from a teenager’s perspective.

Just after the half-term break, the day arrived and the intrepid third year pupils set off for Schiphol under the cover of darkness (2 a.m.) to get into the queues at the beleaguered airport.

We were treated to some exceptional weather with temperatures reaching 28 degrees for most of our week in the province of Murcia.

Once the groups were formed, we were back to visiting the interesting spots of this quintessential town and writing about them in English, Dutch and Spanish. The result was revealed after some late night editing by the team of Dutch and Spanish teachers and presented to the Mayor of Caravaca de la Cruz and the Headmaster of the secondary school on the final day of our visit. The full afternoon’s ceremony was even televised and appeared on regional television!

During the week, the Spanish families treated our pupils to some generous home-made cooking, allowing our pupils an insight into how their peers live. We were also treated to a special visit to a museum, called the “Wine Horses Museum.” This museum celebrates the horse racing that takes place every 2nd May in Caravaca, much like our Hardraverijdag, except, the horses are raced up a hill to the castle at the top.

To encourage the team spirit, our Spanish counterparts took us rafting and whilst the rafting was rather relaxed, with a visit to caves with prehistoric paintings, the pupils did manage to make sure that all the teachers knew how wet the water was! Thank you! 😉

With televised Oscar performances to boot, a guidebook written for the Spanish town, enjoyable food, comfortable hotel and an excellent programme at the school, it was time for us to pack our bags and head back to reality and our Dutch school.