Cultural show in the Plaza de Anaya

Every year, on 28^th  May, since 2001, this celebration is held in Salamanca it is the celebration of the designation of Salamanca as European City of Culture with a collective reading of poetry in a famous place of Salamanca. (Rio Tormes (2002), Plaza de Anaya (2003), Higher School Yard (2004), Plaza Mayor (2005), Convento de San Esteban (2006), the Pontifical Faculty Baroque (2007), Palacio de Anaya (2008), Patio Chico (2009), Casa de las conchas (2010), Plaza de Toros (2011) and Plaza Mayor (2012)).

This year's celebration joins the fifth centenary of the beginning of the construction of the New Cathedral.That’s why it will take place in the Plaza de Anaya, next to the New Cathedral. Twelve poets will be present as well as several choirs and classical orchestras. From 21:45, the poets will climb to the towers and roofs of the Cathedral to read the unpublished poems they have written for this commemoration. They will be accompanied by various orchestras and choirs as well as a light show.

In conclusion, this event will be a good opportunity for those who want to discover the Spanish culture because it will combine poetry, music and architecture.

Extra-curricular activities 27 May - 31 May

Monday 27^th, 18:00: Churros. We are going to try the typical chocolate with churros in the cafeteria El Valor. Price: Between 3 and 5 euros. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h

   

Tuesday 28^th, 17:00: Movie. We will watch a film so as to practice our Spanish. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 2h00.

Wednesday 29^th, 17:45: Archives of the Civil War. We will visit the center on the history of Spain with its Masonic lodge. Meeting point: Tía Tula - Approximate duration: 1 hour

Thursday 30^th, 16:45: Visit of the New Cathedral. Architecture of the New Cathedral. To celebrate the V Centenary of the laying of the stone foundation of the New Cathedral, the tourist office offers themed tours to rediscover the temple. It is necessary to sign up before Tuesday 28^th, 12:00. Meeting point: Inside the New Cathedral. Approximate duration: 1h

Friday 31^st, 19:30: Ice-cream and visit of the Calixto and Melibea Garden. We will eat ice-cream in the well-known ice-cream shop “Novelty” and we will take a walk in the Calixto and Melibea Garden. Price: Your consumption. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h

Remember to sign up for the activity at the reception on 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.

International Museums Day : what better way to discover Salamanca's treasures?

Saturday, May 20 was International Museums Day , we, students at Tia Tula, made use of this opportunity to visit for free the new art museum of Salamanca, also known as Casa Lis and the Automobile Museum (Museo de la automoción).

The Casa Lis museum overlooks the river Tormes, it features beautiful stained glass windows decorated with floral pattern and has a large variety of art pieces: sculptures, jewelry, perfumes, fans, antique dolls ... It is a must for anyone visiting Salamanca.

The automobile museum meanwhile offers a large collection of cars, sweeping the centuries since the invention of the automobile until today. This museum is particularly interesting for car enthusiasts but it is also an opportunity for others to take beautiful photos.

After these two museums, we also visited (or revisited for some of us) the patio of the Casa de las Conchas and the old cathedrals which entrance is always free. We then headed to the Van Dyck neighbourhood to eat Tapas and ended our meal with an ice-cream from the glacier in the Plaza Mayor, the historic center of the city.

This very fun day has been an opportunity to learn more about the Spanish culture and the main tourist attractions of Salamanca.

Claire, student intern at Tia Tula

Searching clues arround the monuments of Salamanca

Last Tuesday, Tuesday 14th, May 2013, six students participated in the treasure hunt across the city and I was part of it.

We were divided into two teams; the first to arrive at the final destination won the game. The game had been prepared so that we visited the most famous places of Salamanca (Plaza Mayor, Calle Toro, Casa de las Conchas, Casa Lis…). Tracks and tests were very diverse: Hang Man, rebus, shells, sudoku, ... All this was very funny and the atmosphere between the two teams was very friendly. In addition, teams were composed of people from all different countries, it was an opportunity to share in Spanish our experience in Salamanca.

In the end, the game took us to a bar overlooking the River Tormes. The evening was concluded in a good mood, having a beer and Tapas, giving an opportunity to those who had just arrived to discover this Spanish tradition.

Opinion of Claire, Student intern at Tia Tula

Extra-curricular activities 20 May - 24 May

Monday 20^th, 18:30: Merienda. We are going to eat snacks in the cafeteria El Mandala, where we can choose between a variety of tarts, smoothies y juices. Price: Your consumption. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h

Tuesday 21^st, 19:00: Poole. We are going to play poole! Price: 1,50 euros per game + your consumption. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h30.

Wednesday 22^nd, 16:45: Visit of the New Cathedral. El labor del cantero. To celebrate the V Centenary of the laying of the stone foundation of the New Cathedral, the tourist office offers themed tours to rediscover the temple. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h

Thursday 23^rd, 18:00: Movie. During this activity we will watch a Spanish movie. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Duration of the movie: 132min.

Friday 24^th, 19:30: Cinema. We will choose the movie once in the cinema. Price:5,50 euros (with the student card of Tia Tula. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h

Remember to sign up for the activity at the reception on 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.

My internship with Tía Tula

My name is Julie and I have been studying General Management Assistant in Belgium. After 3 years of studying it’s obligatory in Belgium to do an internship for this study to practice what you’ve learned in the past few years. 

 

I knew since the beginning that I wanted to do this internship in Spain, and what’s a better place to perfect your Spanish than Salamanca? This city is known all over the world for its pure Spanish.

 

When I first contacted Tía Tula to ask if I could do my internship at the school, they responded immediately, which gave a really great impression to me. They were also very clear in what they explained me, and asked me everything they needed to know about me. They also told me which tasks I could expect during the internship and told me that if I like one task more above another that they would look for more tasks in that direction.

 

When I arrived the team of employees were really nice to me and helped me with everything I needed. They tried to explain everything as good as possible and the longer I worked there the more responsibilities I got.

 

Thanks to this internship I’ve had the chance to learn everything about the administration in a company and I think that when you work in a school the amount of administration tasks is really high, which was great for me.

 

Due to my timetable, I got to know a part of the Spanish culture too, because in Spain it’s normal to work till 9 o’clock! For a Belgian girl like me, those were really long days though, because I’m used to eat dinner around 7 o’clock, so about 2 hours before I finished working, my stomach always started making noises already! In the end I got kind of used to it though, so the sounds stopped!

 

I want to thank everyone at Tía Tula for the patience they had with me when they had to explain something. I especially want to thank Rosa for being so sweet to me always and to make me feel welcome in the Tía Tula-team.

 

Tía Tula was my first really work-experience, and it was an experience that I won’t forget!

 

Extra-curricular activities 13 Mayo - 17 Mayo

Monday 13^th, 18:00: Guided tour. To start the week we’ll show you the beautiful city of Salamanca during a guided tour. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h

               

Tuesday 14^th, 18:30: City game. On Tuesday we’ll play a game in the city for which you’ll receive tips in order to find the ultimate destination as fast as possible! Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h30

 

Wednesday 15^th, 19:00: Cooking class. During today’s cooking class you can learn how to make ‘croquetas’. Price: € 7,00. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h

Thursday 16^th, 18:00: Sports. During this activity we’ll play a basketball game (Let’s hope that it’s sunny this week because if not, we won’t go!). Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h30

Friday 17^th, 19:30: Tapas tour. To end the week we will go to some bars in the city center to eat tapas. Price: +/- € 6,00. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h

Remember to sign up for the activity at the reception on 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.

Extra-curricular activities 6 May – 10 May

Monday 6^th, 18:00: Guided tour. During this activity someone of Tía Tula will show us the most important monuments of the city and he/she will also tell us the history of those monuments. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h

 

Tuesday 7^th, 19:00: Boat ride. We will go making a boat trip on the Tormes today (if it doesn’t rain!). There fit 2 persons in every boat. Price: € 3,00. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h30

 

Wednesday 8^th, 18:30: Exposition. During this activity we’ll go to an exposition that shows scientific pictures. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h
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Thursday 9^th, 18:00. Sports. On Thursday we will go play basketball if the weather is ok. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h30

Friday 10^th, 20:30-21:30: Theatre. To finish the week we’ll go to the Fiesta de Renacimiento. This is some kind of event where you can enjoy different performances. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h30

Remember to sign up for the activity at the reception on 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.

Visit to La Alberca and the ganaderia

Last Wednesday we went visiting a typical town near Salamanca.

It was actually a visit organized by the school for a group of Belgian students who were in Salamanca for the week, but they also gave the other students of Tía Tula the opportunity to go, since it’s very interesting for people of other countries to see a town like that.

While we were there we walked through the beautiful streets of this little town and we ran into an American lady over there who was geocaching. I think it’s a beautiful experience to feel the connection with other people from abroad, because in some way you’re in the same situation as them, but in another way you can really feel the differences in what they are looking for during their journey.

After visiting the town and having a drink and a chat on one of the bars on the main square we went to the second part of the excursion, namely a ‘ganadería’.

When we arrived at the ganadería they took us on a huge farm wagon to the place where all the bulls were grazing. I expected them to be wild, but I think they are really used to seeing people, so they were not dangerous at all. The guide gave us some information about these animals and after we went to the bull ring where we could try to bullfight ourselves. I wanted to try it, but since the bull wasn’t as little as they told us at first, I decided to not take the risk. There were some students though who did try it and I admire them!

After that we got the chance to ride a horse. It was the first time I did it and I really liked it.

This place was amazing and it made me want to be in the nature more often. The family who is living at the farm is so lucky. They can be around the animals all day! I hope that someday I can go back to this place!

(Written by Julie Crombé, intern at Tía Tula.)