Dear e.twinning friends,
We are very happy for the opportunity we have to participate in this original, interesting and instructive project. We write this letter to explain you how our city and our school are, and how we spend our free time.
We live in Seville – a big city (700,000 inhabitants) located in Southwestern Spain, near the Atlantic Ocean. Seville was quite an important city during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as it was the only Spanish harbor allowed to trade with America. We have a very rich cultural heritage. One of our most important monuments is the Cathedral (the third biggest one in Europe) with its main tower called “La Giralda” – an ancient minaret built in the Middle Age, when Seville and all Southern Iberia was under the Muslim rule.
Seville is well-known by its hot summer, with 38ºC – 40ºC or even more. If you want to visit our town, we suggest you to avoid this season. However, winter is very soft, with minimum temperatures never lower than 4º - 5ºC and maximum temperatures of 14ºC – 17ºC, like at this moment. Most of sevillian homes have air conditioning systems rather than heating ones!
The best season for visiting Seville is spring. In March, orange trees flower and a delicious scent fills the atmosphere. In the Holy Week one of the most famous celebrations in Spain is held in Seville. Lay brotherhoods (“cofradías”) process through the city in huge parades in which dozens of thousands of people take part. Three weeks later, another big celebration takes place. “La Feria de Abril” is a huge festival in which hundred of thousands of people (yes, we don’t exaggerate at all!) go to a big fairground where they dance, sing and drink. This festival lasts a whole week and we have local holidays during these days.
We live in a big district called Sevilla Este, built along the last twenty years and near the airport. It is quite large and has got a lot of schools, a big park and a 10-room cinema. Some people live in houses or semi-detached houses, but most of us live in very recent flats.
Regarding our high school (IES Ramón del Valle-Inclán), it is only ten years old. Almost 1000 students and 76 teachers try to do their best at our school every day. We start lessons at 8.25 a.m. and finish at 14.35. Then we come back home to have lunch (yes, Spanish lunch is very late) and then we have time to do our homework, practice sports, go out, etc.
We study 1º Bachillerato, the first of two courses which prepare for entering the University or some higher vocational studies. Our subjects are: Spanish language and literature, Philosophy, English, Maths, Physics and Chemistry, Biology and Geology, Physical Education, etc. If we pass our exams, at the end of the second scholar of “Bachillerato” (June 2008 if everything goes right) we will be allowed to go to the University, where most of us want to study some kind of Health-related studies: Medicine, Pharmacy, Chemistry, Genetic Engineering,…
In our free time we usually go shopping, to the cinema or simply meet our friends and go for a walk. In summer holidays, most of us go to the beach, but this year, moreover, we are going to London with our school by the end of June, on a study trip.
That’s all for the moment. If you want to know more about us and our city, don’t hesitate to ask us. We hope that we’ll manage to know better each other’s town, country and lifestyle.
Looking forward to having news from you
We are very happy for the opportunity we have to participate in this original, interesting and instructive project. We write this letter to explain you how our city and our school are, and how we spend our free time.
We live in Seville – a big city (700,000 inhabitants) located in Southwestern Spain, near the Atlantic Ocean. Seville was quite an important city during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as it was the only Spanish harbor allowed to trade with America. We have a very rich cultural heritage. One of our most important monuments is the Cathedral (the third biggest one in Europe) with its main tower called “La Giralda” – an ancient minaret built in the Middle Age, when Seville and all Southern Iberia was under the Muslim rule.
Seville is well-known by its hot summer, with 38ºC – 40ºC or even more. If you want to visit our town, we suggest you to avoid this season. However, winter is very soft, with minimum temperatures never lower than 4º - 5ºC and maximum temperatures of 14ºC – 17ºC, like at this moment. Most of sevillian homes have air conditioning systems rather than heating ones!
The best season for visiting Seville is spring. In March, orange trees flower and a delicious scent fills the atmosphere. In the Holy Week one of the most famous celebrations in Spain is held in Seville. Lay brotherhoods (“cofradías”) process through the city in huge parades in which dozens of thousands of people take part. Three weeks later, another big celebration takes place. “La Feria de Abril” is a huge festival in which hundred of thousands of people (yes, we don’t exaggerate at all!) go to a big fairground where they dance, sing and drink. This festival lasts a whole week and we have local holidays during these days.
We live in a big district called Sevilla Este, built along the last twenty years and near the airport. It is quite large and has got a lot of schools, a big park and a 10-room cinema. Some people live in houses or semi-detached houses, but most of us live in very recent flats.
Regarding our high school (IES Ramón del Valle-Inclán), it is only ten years old. Almost 1000 students and 76 teachers try to do their best at our school every day. We start lessons at 8.25 a.m. and finish at 14.35. Then we come back home to have lunch (yes, Spanish lunch is very late) and then we have time to do our homework, practice sports, go out, etc.
We study 1º Bachillerato, the first of two courses which prepare for entering the University or some higher vocational studies. Our subjects are: Spanish language and literature, Philosophy, English, Maths, Physics and Chemistry, Biology and Geology, Physical Education, etc. If we pass our exams, at the end of the second scholar of “Bachillerato” (June 2008 if everything goes right) we will be allowed to go to the University, where most of us want to study some kind of Health-related studies: Medicine, Pharmacy, Chemistry, Genetic Engineering,…
In our free time we usually go shopping, to the cinema or simply meet our friends and go for a walk. In summer holidays, most of us go to the beach, but this year, moreover, we are going to London with our school by the end of June, on a study trip.
That’s all for the moment. If you want to know more about us and our city, don’t hesitate to ask us. We hope that we’ll manage to know better each other’s town, country and lifestyle.
Looking forward to having news from you
