Extracurricular activities 18.05.2015 - 24.05.2015

Let's keep enjoying the good weather and the city in our extracurricular activities. Here is the program for this week:

Monday 18, 5:00 pm: Film – A good start for the week. Come improve your Spanish with our Spanish cinema session. 
Approximate duration: 1 h 40 min.
Furthermore, May 18th is International Museum Day. Find out the museums with free admission and special activities. 

Tuesday 19, 5:00 pm: Scavenger hunt – We are going on a scavenger hunt to discover the secrets the city keeps and some of its most peculiar spots.
Approximate duration: 1 h 30 min.

Wednesday 20, 6:00 pm: Merienda - Let's go have an afternoon snack (merienda) at Café Bar Mandala. They offer a wide range of juices, coffees, cakes, tapas, ice-creams... 
Approximate duration: 1 h.

Thrusday 21, 5:50 pm: Workshop: Celebrations and music in Salamanca - By the always joyful Carmen, one of our teachers. 
Approximate duration: 1 h 30 min.

Friday 22, 6:00 pm: Hiking – Come enjoy the delightful views of Salamanca from the outskirts. Don't forget to bring comfortable clothes and shoes and a bottle of water.
Approximate duration: 2 h.

Saturday 23: Excursions – Valencia or La Alberca? You choose. Further information at the reception desk.

Please don't forget that you need to sign up for each activity at the reception desk (in order to reserve your place). The minimum number of participants required for each activity is usually three. Unless otherwise stated, the meeting point is Tía Tula school.

Try to participate in as many activities as you can; they are designed not just for you to have fun, but also to improve your knowledge of Salamanca and Spanish culture, and to put into practice the Spanish you have learnt in class.

Semana Santa in Salamanca

A reminder to all Tia Tula students - Thursday 2nd or Friday 3rd April are public holidays, and thus there will be no lessons on either of these dates.

Most of you reading this will be aware that this week is Semana Santa.  But what is it all about?

Semana Santa is the Spanish term for the week leading up to Easter Sunday.  The celebration dates back to the 16th century, when the Catholic Church decided to make the story of the Passion of Christ accessible to the illiterate masses. They decided that the most effective way of doing this would be to hold a series of processions depicting scenes from the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ, collectively known as the ´Passion Narratives’.

Every year, each of the cofradías católicas or Catholic brotherhoods carries a ’paso’ or float, depicting a different scene from the Passion Narratives. The pasos are elaborately decorated, and the participants often dress in cloaks and hoods, known as capas and capirotes. Some processions are accompanied by a band, playing a selection of sombre and atmospheric songs, whereas others take place in mournful silence. The participants carrying the paso are called costaleros, whilst those following the float are called penitentes.

Salamanca

As one would expect from a city so imbued in history and culture, Salamanca has one of the oldest celebrations in Spain. According to local history, the earliest procession can be traced back to 1240. Although the processions in this region are less carnivalesque than those held further south, they are nonetheless an intense and vivid experience, and well worth attending.

But what about this year?

10,000 'penitents' associated with 16 brotherhoods will take to the streets between Viernes de Dolores (Friday of Sorrows, the penultimate Friday before Easter, this year Friday 27th) and Domingo de Pascua (Easter Sunday), carrying 41 different pasos.

For a full list of processions, see the official Semana Santa website. ´Horarios y Recorridos'.

An exhibition of Semana Santa posters, or carteles, is open to the public at Vialia (the train station). The exhibition closes 5th April.

Activities 9.3.2015 - 14.3.2015

Spring is around the corner and you can already feel it. Enjoy the nice weather and keep practising your Spanish outside the classroom with our fun activities:

Monday 9, 6:00 pm: Monument – Come enjoy the spectacular views from the towers of La Clerecía – Scala Coeli . Approximate duration: 40 min.

Tuesday 10, 7:45 pm: Language exchange – By popular request, the language exchange is back. The perfect opportunity to meet people and improve your Spanish speaking skills. Approximate duration: 1 h 30 min

Wednesday 11, 7:30 pm: Cookery class – Do you want to surprise your friends a family with a delicious paella once you are back home? Well, the first step is to learn with a Spanish teacher ;-) Approximate duration: 1 h.

Thursday 12, 5:50 pm: Workshop: celebrations and music in Salamanca – By the always joyful Carmen, one of our teachers. Approximate duration: 1 h 15 min.

Friday 13, 7:45 pm: Tapas tour – Taste mouth-watering tapas in some of the best bars of the city centre. Approximate duration: 1 h 30 min.

Saturday 14: Excursions – Several destinations available. Further information at the reception desk. 

Please don't forget that you need to sign up for each activity at the reception desk (to reserve your place, the minimum number of participants required is usually three). Also, unless stated otherwise, the meeting point is always the same, Tía Tula school. Lastly, if there's no price mentioned with the activity, it means it is for free.

And don't hesitate to participate in as many activities as you can; they are designed not just for you to have fun (that is guaranteed) but also to improve your knowledge of Salamanca and Spanish culture, and to put into practice the Spanish you learn in class.