14
Issue 52 – February 2015 – QUEEN MARGARET CALLING
D
uring this exchange I attended
the local school for four weeks
to experience French schooling.
I was also able to explore my local town of
Dinan, which dated back to medieval times.
My host family and friends welcomed
and helped me adjust to life in France.
They were all excited to be able to share
their culture with me. Whether it was the
language, the history or French cuisine;
there was always something to learn.
A French Way of Life
Year 13 student, Caitlin Heesterman, flew to Brittany, France at the beginning of the summer
holidays on a six week exchange with the New Zealand Institute of International Understand-
W
hen I arrived in San Fernando,
I spent the first week getting
used to the area. I visited the
city centre Cádiz, which is an amazing city
filled with historical and antique buildings.
For the next three weeks my host family
and I celebrated Christmas and New Years
with traditional activities, which are very
different compared to New Zealand. On
New Year’s Eve, we celebrated with a large
dinner and stayed up late to take the twelve
grapes (‘doce uvas’ in Spanish), which is
Celebrating a Spanish Christmas
Year 13 Student, Monica Saili, was awarded a scholarship from
New Zealand Institute of International Understanding (NZI-
IU) to go on an international exchange of her choice to any
country. Spain was a natural choice for Monica having studied
Spanish since Year 9. She left New Zealand in December to
spend six weeks in San Fernando.
a Spanish tradition where you eat twelve
single grapes on each strike of the tower
clock after midnight to bring good luck for
each month of the new year. Afterwards, we
celebrated the rest of the night at a fiesta that
finished at 6am.
Another was called ‘Los Reyes Magos’
(The Three Kings/The Three Wise Men).
This happens on January 6 and is celebrated
with a large parade on the main streets
of Spain, where candy is thrown into the
crowds. It is similar to Christmas Day but
people place their shoes underneath the tree
the night before to receive presents from the
three wise men the next morning.
For the final two weeks, I attended school
at a local native Spanish speaking school
where my Spanish was tested.
One of the highlights was going on the
hike with my friends around Puerto Real.
This is a port that sits between the cities of
Cádiz and Santa Maria, in which you can see
both cities from the bridges along the way.
My favourite part of the exchange was
being able to live with a French family and
exploring France with their guidance. It
was an unforgettable experience, visiting
landmarks with a wealth of history behind
them.
One moment that changed my
perspective on my own life was playing
cards with my host sister. Although she and
I could barely talk to each other due to the
language barrier, we still managed to become
incredibly close and enjoyed spending time
and laughing together without the constant
need for verbal communication.
The most important thing I learnt from
the exchange is to be humble and inquisitive.
I found it was important to admit when you
do not understand something. This trip
taught me travelling is about connecting
with different cultures and rejoicing in the
differences we share.
