CHRISTMAS IN MONTORO

Class 2ºA would like to show you how we celebrate Christmas in Spain with these posters:




...And they would also like to wish you....

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Dear Comenius friends:

This week with all of you has been unforgettable because we have spent many funny and sweet moments with you.
As soon as you arrived in Spain, we quickly became good friends. We have learnt other cultures and that we can have friends even if you live far away. We could exchange opinions and ideas with foreign people.
In these seven day we have had many experiences, such as teaching Spanish words and expressions on the bus ("ahí l'as dao"), playing traditional Spanish games where girls and boys had to kiss the person she/he liked the most... The nights were also so exciting, when we taught our friends typical dances!
Finally, we wish you liked Spain, and we would like to tell you that you all have a home here and that I hope you will come back soon.

Hugs and kisses,
The Spanish Comenius students

A REMINDER OF THE LEGACY THE COMENIUS GUESTS LEFT AT OUR SCHOOL!

On the front page again!

Students from five countries meet the community's economic reality.

LIFE IN SPAIN

We hope that you enjoy every moment of your stay in Spain. Sometimes it is difficult for someone to completely understand the behaviors of a person from a different country without a point of reference. We have compiled a few traits about Spanish daily life that we think may strike you as different. We hope that they facilitate an easier coexistence with the Spanish families and the long days that we have prepared for you, Comenius partners!

DAILY SCHEDULE

We work on a different clock than majority of people the world over, sometimes to the detriment of the foreign stomach. It is true that we normally have a light breakfast (coffee and a toast or a croissant), and that lunch is not served until around 2 pm. This is the main meal of the day, and it contains an entry dish, a main dish and a desert. Dinner is served from 9 pm. onwards, and it is generally light again. We are very respectful with meals, which are normally used as a moment to meet your family and talk about your daily activies. We also love meeting our friends to enjoy a nice meal at a restaurant or a tabern.

BUSINESS HOURS

It is common for small shops and stores to close in the afternoons for lunch.

GREETINGS

We greet each other (at least woman to woman and man to woman) with two kisses, one on each check (left to right).

Men generally shake hands. Physical proximity is much more common than in some other European countries, so do not to take offense if you feel like someone is in your personal space.

We hope that these hints are useful for you,

Good-bye! Hasta pronto!

The Spanish team

THE SPANISH SURVIVAL KIT

CLICK HERE-PULSA AQUÍ

MAGIC BAVARIA

Lidia, Magdalena, Ana and Juan Carlos would like to tell the Comenius mates some words after their magic trip to Lauterhofen:

The week in Lauterhofen was like a dream. I had never stayed abroad before and I had never met such nice people as you. I laughed, I cried of joy... The places, the activities, but, above all the people made the week in Lauterhofen be The best week in my life! It has been an unforgettable experience. I hope I will see everybody who made this dream possible again.
I have to say thank you because if you hadn't been there, I wouldn't feel like now, so happy.
I hope you will enjoy your visit to Spain as much as I enjoyed mine in Germany.
I will never forget you. Looking forward to seeing you here.
Love, LidiaLidia logged a great video: Alemania 08
We have met many people -better to say- good people that we will never forget.
As soon as we arrived in Lautherhofen, we knew that the week would be great.

... and now we realise that we were right!













Lauterhofen is a very calm village, we would like to live in a place like this! The houses, the beautiful sites, meals... everything was different to us.








People made us feel like home. Each word, each action, each joke ... was nice and funny.
Every day we spent there passed quickly. When you are having fun, time is spent very fast.

The only negative aspect in the week was the farewell, when we had to say "goodbye" to our mates... really sad :(
But October will come soon! We're looking forward your visit impatiently, to see our new friends and guests. We're preparing everything to have it ready for you.
We miss you all much.
Bye bye. Love,
Magdalena, Ana, Juan Carlos

CORDOBA'S MAY FESTIVALS

POPULAR CROSSES CONTEST

In the first week of May, one of the best-known festivals, the Crosses Contest, is held. It opens Cordoba’s festival programme in May. In it, many squares of the city are decorated with crosses made of flowers by members of peñas (clubs), and religious brotherhoods. Besides, bars with drinks and food are placed nearby playing sevillanas (folkloric flamenco dance), in which Cordobesian people and visitors linger and enjoy the splendour of this particular festivity day and night.

The typical drink for these hot days: A blending of fino wine (sweet white wine) and soda. Meals are organised around barrels on which different dishes are set, as you can see on the picture.
FESTIVAL OF PATIOS
The Popular Contest of Patios (interior courtyards of typical Andalusian houses) is one of the most singular festivals that take place in Spain, to the point that it attracts both Spanish and foreigner visitors. They come to share some days with Cordobesian people when the spring light is appreciated through a wide range of colours in the patios.
Here, many private courtyards are opened to visitors by the owners of the houses who, after a long and non-profitable tradition of dedication to flowers, provide the city with a singular exhibition.

BANDOLEROS IN MONTORO AND ITS SURROUNDINGS

A bandolero was an armed man who was devoted to steal and plunder. In general, they used to attack travelers in squads in dangerous mountainous paths. The figure of the bandolero is very old in Spain; it was born in regions where misery and injustice led people to smuggling and crime in general, creating an organized collective form of looting. Bandoleros appeared in Spain during the XVIII and XIX centuries, especially in regions like Andalucía, Castilla La Mancha and Cataluña.

Bandoleros in Andalucia were very common because of the backwardness in education from common people in villages, the enormous distance between social classes and the carelessness on the part of the authorities when suppressing these marginal attitudes. All these factors converged very strongly in Andalucia, being the Guardia Civil (Civil Guards) unable to stop them.

The Bandoleros were a milestone in the history of Southern Spain. They became great legends due to the fact that the people remembered them as heroes and used to distort their acts in order to glorify them.
Bandoleros were clasificated into handsome/ brave or smugglers. Some of the best-known bandoleros in our region were Francisco Esteban, El tragabuches, and José María El Tempranillo.

A bandolero stabbing an opponent and José María "El Tempranillo" portraid and riding a horse.

The Holy Week in Córdoba and Montoro

The week leading up to Easter, and especially Holy Thursday and Holy Friday, is full of ritual, display and devotion. Throughout the week, costaleros from Thirty Catholic associations, or brotherhoods, bear images of the Passion of Christ and of the Virgin Mary on their shoulders through the narrow streets for hours, taking turns under the heavy load. These massive, wooden pasos are carved, gilded platforms for the images and carry elaborately depicted Biblical scenes. They seem to float through the crowds, rocking gently with the trained step of rows of unseen costaleros, whose difficult maneuvers become acts of Faith. Thousands of candles and masked penitents leading the way and trailing behind, accompanied by music, add to the solemnity and symbolism.

Some penitents walking along the streets of Córdoba.

The Virgin of Peace and Hope.

Amazing Greece!

Some words by Mª Angeles:
My trip to Greece has been one of the most interesting experiences in my life, because I had the opportunity to visit another country and to meet other cultures -Greek, German, Norwegian and Italian.

One of the things that I enjoyed the best was our excursion to Meteora, with its impressive and shocking mountains.

My favourite night was the one we spent bowling. Thanks girls! I am not a very good player, but I was pleased to be given the opportunity to play it.

Besides, this experience helped me to practise English in a new way for me.
I would like to tell everybody in Volos thank you for those eight unforgettable days, and especially to Christina and her family.

To finish with, the most important thing for me: I have got international friends called Christina, Julia, Rachel, Vadinos, Luigi, Yannis, Maria, Lia... Thank you for your warmth and your reception. You will always be in my heart.

Hugs and kisses,

Mª Angeles

OUR VISIT TO VOLOS

On behalf of the Spanish teachers Carmen and Beatriz, we would like to thank the Greek team for the great week we spent in Volos. What a nice place! What a great athmosphere among all of us! You will soon read from our students about their feelings, memories and wishes arising from this marvellous project.

CELEBRATING CARNIVAL IN SPAIN

TABLES' DAY
On January, 31th, we celebrate St. Thomas Aquinas Day, patron saint of academics. That weekend the so-called Tables' Day takes place, when every class at Secondary School show a table about one topic. Students disguise themselves around a table. The tables are decorated with objects and food related to the chosen topic. Then, a contest among all the tables is carried out and the winners are awarded by teachers. After the contest, some people perform theatre plays, dancing shows... And when the party at school is finished, everyone goes out. It is a great day in Montoro!

Written by Elisa Cortés, Ana Lozano and Mª Angeles Calero

This year, the Comenius students chose a topic related to the most famous legendary icon in our place: the Bandolero
The bandolero (bandit) appears in Andalusia and other Spanish regions in the 18th and 19th centuries, during Phillip VII reign. He was an armed man whose main activities where focused on stealing and looting travellers in dangerous paths around the mountains. They normally acted in groups (cuadrillas), and the most popular places where they used to converge where the mountains Sierra Morena, the very surroundings of Montoro and Adamuz, our birth places.

Here, the Bachillerato group disguised as bandoleros and serranas in a featured cave.

The other group of Bachillerato students represented a scence which featured a typical peasant house of the period. Bandoleros did not use to break into their houses. Instead, they were considered as heroes by people, the Robin Hoods of poor Andalusian countrymen and women.

Finally, this is a picture of a theatre play that some students performed after the Tables' Contest.

If you want to see more pictures, click here.

Greetings from Spain! See you in Volos...

THE SPANISH TEAM

The time has come to introduce the group of Spanish teachers who are making this project possible. From left to right, Mrs. Virginia Torres and Mrs. Noelia Bellido, the Spanish Language teachers who are engaged in the research of myths and legens in our area as well as the preparation of the theatre play. Mr. Paco Sánchez, Computer and Technology Teacher, a great help to all of us when dealing with Media Tools. Mrs. Carmen Díaz, Deputy Headmaster and Frech teacher, thanks to whom all the paperwork is properly accomplished. Finally, Mrs. Beatriz Zurera, the English Language Teacher who is in charge of the communication with the other members of our project together with the co-ordination of the students.