Extracurricular activities 30th January-3rd Febraury.

Monday 30th, 6.00pm: Film. A brilliant opportunity to immerse yourself in Spanish cinema. Meeting place: Tia Tula.

Tuesday 31st, 7.00pm: Salamanca by night. Accompanied by a member of the school, you will be taken to a not very well know view point in Salamanca where you can take photos of the spectacular view! On the way we will call by a shop to buy some warm snacks to enjoy on our walk to the view point. Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1hour

Wednesday 1st, 7.00pm:  Card games. We will go to a café to play chinchón a typical Spanish game. Price: your drinks. Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1hour

Thursday 2nd, 7.00pm: Cookery class: Tapas vascas. We are going to learn how to cook Spanish Tapas vascas then we will eat it.  Price: 8 euros. Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1 hour

Friday 3rd, 8.45pm: Theatre - Vecinos. It is a show based on the way 3 people act and their different responses to the same situations in life. Price: 9-15 euros. (depending on places available) It is essential to reserve your place before Tuesday at 14.00pm if you are interested. Meeting place: The entrance to Teatro Liceo  . Approximate duration: 1 hour 30 minutes.

Remember to sign up for the activity at reception beforehand (the minimum number of people needed for each activity is 3). If the cost is not stated then the activity is free. We recommend our students to participate in the activities so they can get to know other students in the school, so they can broaden their knowledge of Spanish culture and to practice and improve their Spanish in a fun way.

Chinese New Year: The year of the Dragon

Happy New Year! Again?! Yup, although more than 3 weeks have passed by since the largest part of the world celebrated New Year (based on the Christian calendar), enough other religions and cultures celebrate New Year a complete different date (i.e. according to the Buddhist calendar, it’s already 2055!) Last Sunday, it was China’s turn. The year of the Dragon that follows the Rabbit has started and has been a massive celebration, at various places in the world. It is said that the Dragon brings prosperity, being a symbol for good fortune and great power.

For the Chinese, celebrating New Year means a long period full of festivities with friends and family. It is one of the few periods that the Chinese have some days off; public transport is packed as everyone travels through their huge country to spend the new year together with family. This results in the largest annual human migration in the world. Given the fact that there is quite a few Chinese students in Salamanca, the year of the Dragon has been celebrated here as well. Sunday night became an evening full of delicacies, where traditional Chinese courses such as dumplings were presented next to the western pancakes and pasta. Preparing dumplings (cooked ball of dough filled with minced meat and cabbage) is quite an art itself. It’s possible to create different shapes with symbolic meanings – but only if you got the right skills… Well, it tastes the same anyways J Talented or not, the empty plates at the end of the evening speaks to its success. A new and interesting experience of once again, a new year.

Extracurricular activities 23rd-27th January

The second week of activities was a brilliant success with many  students signing up to participate in the activities. The students especially enjoed the modern art exhibiton held in the historic prison in Salamanca. Here is the new timetable of extracurricular activities for this coming week: 

Monday 23rd, 6.00pm: Merienda. We are going to have a cup of tea or milkshake with a slice fo cake in the ´El Mandala´ cafe. Price: what you order. Meeting place: Tia Tula. Approximate duration: 1 hour.

Tuesday 24th, 7.00pm: Exhibition. Iberian exhibition about civilisation  before the Roman Empire. In the ´Carpa de exposición´ in the Plaza de la Concordia. Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1hour 30 mintues.

Wednesday 25th, 6.30pm:  Film. A brilliant opportunity to immerse yourself in Spanish cinema. Meeting place: Tia Tula.

Thursday 26th, 6.30pm: Cookery class: Spanish potato omelette. We are going to learn how to cook Spanish omelette then we will eat it.  Price: 7 euros. Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1 hour

Friday 27th, 8.00pm: Ruta de tapas. In the centre of Salamanca. Accompanied by a memeber of staff form the school. We will try different taps dishes in some bars in the centre.  Price: +- 6 euros Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1 hour 30 minutes.

Remember to sign up for the activity at reception beforehand (the minimum number of people needed for each activity is 3). If the cost is not stated then the activity is free. We recommend our students to participate in the activities so they can get to know other students in the school, so they can broaden their knowledge of Spanish culture and to practice and improve their Spanish in a fun way.

Salamanca´s short film festival.

Are you interested in film or even making films??? Salamanca has it´s own short film festival where you can go and watch short films that people have made; you can even make your own!

If you´d like to make your own short movie to be shown, you have until the 12/03/2012 to hand them in. The maximum length of the film is 20 minutes and it can be about whatever you like. You could even win a prize!!

If you want to watch somebody else´s film or your own, they will be shown in the Granero bar and in the Casa de las Conchas during the months of April, May and June.

If you like to know more about the short film festival, please visit the website: http://festivalcinecortosalamanca.blogspot.com

iTapas!

Comida. Although it is just one simple Spanish word, its value should not be underestimated. Spanish people & food = passion. Desayuno, almuerzo, comida, merienda, tapas, cenar…enough words to express different meals – each with its own uses and times. For instance, if you would walk into a tapas bar at 4PM, you would be without a doubt the only one whom is having a meal, accompanied by the bartender and the TV. However, if you wait for a couple of hours and enter the bar around 7ish, you will experience a complete different setting. Lots of Spanish people talking, eating and drinking. Napkins spread around over the floor and the sound of good talks and laughs.

After a first tasty tapas, all ready to go to the next tapas bar!

Last Friday, a group of students from Tía Tula joined the tapas tour organized by the school for having some tapas together. A great success – due to the size of the group (about 20), the students didn’t even manage to visit the last bar! At each bar, the students tried different tapas dishes and had a drink (or two). A great start for the weekend, not only by making new friends but also to taste a bit more of the Spanish culture. Can’t wait for the next delicious activity!

Visit to the cave - 12/1/2012

Yesterday students from Tía Tula visited the mysterious cave of Salamanca. Thankfully all returned safe and sound and were not affected by the black magic of the cave.

The legend goes that students used to be taught black magic in the cave. At one point in history the cave used to be as famous as the university.

One student who went on the tour said the view was the best and that it´s a brilliant way to get to know other students and the staff at Tía Tula. She also said that if she hadn´t have signed up to the tour, she would never have known about the cave, which is   hidden in a small corner of Salamanca.

So, if the cave of Salamanca has caught your attention, don´t forget to sign up to the next tour or any of the other activities that take your fancy!

Sales!!!!

If you haven´t seen already, most shops in Salamanca have their sales. They started at the beginning of January  and they last until March. These sales are definitely worth having a look at as the products are genuine products that have been reduced, sometimes by half!

There are plenty of bargains to be had. Like most sales, it´s best that you get out there shopping now if you want to pick up a bargain as once it´s gone, it´s gone.

If for whatever reason you can´t go, don´t worry as there will be more sales just after the summer.

Happy shopping!

Extracurricular activities from 9th – 13th January

Life returns to normality this week. Christmas is over, Christmas carols, lights, Turrón, presents…ahead of us we have the start of the year which is full of classes, Spanish courses and as always extracurricular activities.

Below are the extracurricular activities organised for this week:

Monday 9th, 6pm: Spanish film in Spanish(1) - We will watch a contempory spanish film that will help us to learn Spanish in other contexts and also witness talented film making such as the Spanish film industry, which is unknown in many foreign countries.

Tuesday 10th, 6pm: Spanish film in Spanish (and 2)- The second dose of Spanish culture with another Spanish film.

Wednesday 11th, 6pm: Guided tour of Salamanca- Accompanied by someone from the school, Tía Tula students will go on a tour of the main monuments in Salamanca, where the stories of some of them will be revealed! It´s not one to be missed!

Approximate duration: 1 hour

Thursday 12th, 6pm: Visit to the cave of Salamanca- Discover one of the darkest and most mysterious corners of the city: la antigua Cueva de Salamanca, where history and black magic fuse into a tale like no other. Once again someone from Tía Tula will be your guide.

Approximate duration: 1 hour

Friday 13, 8pm: Tapas route – Accompanied by someone from the school, students will get to know some of the most famous bars in the city centre, taste some of the best pinchos and decide which are the best and which you´d recommend afterwards.

Approximate duration: 1 hour 30 minutes Approximate price: 6 euros

Remember to sign up for the activity at reception beforehand (the minimum number of people needed for each activity is 3). If the cost is not stated then the activity is free. The meeting place will always be Tía tula unless it is stated otherwise.

Have a good start to the beginning of the year! We recommend our students to participate in the activities so they can get to know other students in the school and so they can broaden their knowledge of the culture and identity of Salamanca and of Spain. So, what are you waiting for!