Hi everyone! My name is Sean Murley, and I am the new auxiliar in the school. I am from a town called Valparaiso in the United States. My town is in the state of Indiana. I recently graduated from Purdue University in May this year. 

Me at Purdue University

My house in Valparaiso, Indiana

I went to Valparaiso High School, where one of my sisters goes now. I have another sister who is studying at a private university. When I wasn´t living on campus, I lived with my mom, who is a teacher at an elementary school and my grandpa.

My sisters and my mom

I am going to be helping out for the whole school year, and I have been helping out in the English classes and the bilingual classes of Physical Education and science.

This is my first time visiting Spain, and Europe in general, so I am excited to be here! I am living in Ponferrada, near the university, with three students.

I am really enjoying Ponferrada, and Spain in general so far. A lot is quite different: the food and times people eat, the architecture, the landscape. (There are a lot more bars and cafés around!) I am planning on visiting many places while I am here, both near and far. I have already been to León, Astorga and A Coruña, both of which I really enjoyed. There also aren´t any mountains close to my town, so I have enjoyed getting to do a bit of hiking!

Valparaiso has about 30,000 people, so it is smaller than Ponferrada, but bigger than a lot of the towns here. I live very close to Chicago, and when I arrived in Madrid I was a bit surprised at how different of a city it was to Chicago, which has a lot more tall, modern buildings. 

As I mentioned, the food culture here is quite different. In the U.S., often to save time we will get food delivered or go to a restaurant ourselves and get takeout. In general it seems people cook more here. The coffee in the U.S. is similar: a lot of people get it to-go (for example a lot of Starbucks have a drive-thru). Some people like going to cafés to work or study, but here it seems more common to spend a lot of time in cafés, especially since there are a lot more.

Things are also definitely a lot cheaper here. Depending on what you get coffee could be more than $5. One small thing I do miss about the U.S. is that water is free and you normally don´t have to ask for it at restaurants; they just give you an infinite amount of water. Also breakfast in the U.S., I sometimes go out to eat at diners with my family for breakfast, especially on the weekend, and most people don´t do that here.

There is one Spanish restaurant in my town though, (the chef is originally from Madrid) and I wanted to go to celebrate my graduation since I was planning on coming to Spain!

Me and my roomates at Purdue University

TALKS, GIG AND SCAVENGER HUNT

 Thomas, our dear language assistant, paid a visit to CRA La Abadía on 23^rd May and gave a talk to the students of Year 5 and 6 of Primary Education. 

An ordinary Monday became an exceptional one as the students learned about Australia, that faraway country which is almost antipodal to Spain. Those 18,000 kms make a difference. People speak a different language, which sometimes is not so easy to understand, because they have their own expressions and terms, which are neither British nor American.  Everyday life is also different because it is such a huge country that you might have to travel for two hours to get to the nearest supermarket. School life looks so appealing when we see the Australian students take part in so many sports events and get involved in such a wide range of practical subjects. Who wouldn’t love to hear the sounds of wildlife which we have only seen in documentaries? The laughing Kookaburra, cassowary, Koala, platypus… even though some of them might frighten us terribly like the Tasmanian devil. The students listened enthralled as Thomas told them stories about his life in those mysterious and exotic lands.

And jumping from one Monday to the other, on the 6^th June, Thomas made his way to CEIP Virgen de la V Angustia, where he also kept the students of Year 6 mesmerized throughout the two talks. They felt transported to the land of Kangaroos and wallabies and kept asking questions wondering if they could ever follow those nature trails through the bushes in Australia.

The day came when Thomas had to say goodbye and he did it in a fashionable way. He played the traditional bagpipes, which he had learned to play in Scotland. 

As the song says, Thomas left with the melody blowing in the wind. But you don’t have to worry, Thomas has not left Spain, so you may come across him any day.

Last but not least, on Tuesday 14^th June, under the supervision of Arantxa, Nacho and Élida, the students of Virgen de la V Angustia teamed up to find the most items in the Scavenger Hunt. They raced against time to find leaves, seeds, sticks, weeds, feathers, bugs, spider webs or butterflies. They competed but without spoiling the fun. The jury consisted of the unshakeable fun-loving students of 3º ESO in the bilingual programme, who demanded a picture as proof of each and every item they found. All the students had a great time in the park and we are looking forward to the next school year when they will be the youngest members of our  secondary school.

AUSSIE CHRISTMAS

 Thomas has been going around the classes for the last few days explaining the differences to Christmas in Australia.

To begin with, the vast continent of Australia lies in the southern hemisphere, so at Christmas time the Aussies enjoy the sweltering summer heat and sun-soaked beaches, where they can make a sandman, which won’t melt in the blistering hot weather as a snowman would. On the beach they also put up Christmas trees and decorations at the beginning of December.People like to decorate their houses, streets and even their cars. Councils organize contests and give a prize to the best house or street decorated in Christmas lights and families usually go to other streets or neighbourhoods to see the beautiful decorations.

Before Christmas Day, crowds gather outdoors to sing carols. Carols by Candlelight are organised in the main cities like Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide or Canberra in open spaces and parks. The traditional concert in Sydney is held in the Domain Gardens and it is broadcast around Australia. Although the concerts are free, money is collected to support people in need.It makes no sense to wear warm clothes, so after Santa Claus has pulled in the sleigh, he lets his reindeer rest and changes his clothes. He throws on a singlet, shorts and thongs. Then, he puts on sunscreen so as not to get sunburnt, and you can spot him carrying a surfboard on his way to the shore wearing sunglasses and a cork hat to keep flies off.The day before Christmas Santa goes on a fire truck from village to village delivering lollies and presents to children who run after the truck full of excitement.On Christmas Day Aussies head down for a day at the beach or spend the day by the pool. If you go to Bondi Beach, you will likely come across quite a few surfers dressed as Santa Claus or playing some beach cricket.A hot soup is not very appealing in 35-degree temperatures, instead a variety of salads and vegetables as well as cold meats are much more preferable. Families gather for Christmas lunch in the backyard, where meat and seafoods are cooked on the barbecue. And for dessert, Australians indulge in pavlova, a cool meringue-based cake topped with whipped cream and sliced fruit. How delicious! If you are looking for new ideas to surprise your family this Christmas, don’t take any chances. This is an easy recipe to make and looks impressive!On Boxing Day, when all the shops are closed, Aussies settle down for a good Melbourne Test cricket match, which lasts for 5 days, or the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, whose race record was set by Comanche to 33 hours, 15 minutes in 2017 over a distance of 1170 km. Unfortunately, in 2020, much to the followers’ disappointment, the race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Lots of people flock to Australia to enjoy a different type of Christmas. What about you? Would you like to travel to Australia? I wish I could. If you are not planning on any journey in the near future, you might as well sing the Aussie Jingle Bells and imagine you are in the land Down Under. Here we go.

Oh Jingle bells, Jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Christmas in Australia on

A scorching summer’s day

Jingle bells, Jingle bells

Christmas time is beaut

Oh what fun it is to ride

In a rusty Holden ute

Aussie Jingle Bells- Colin Buchanan - Lyrics - Bing video

Thank you Thomas for telling us about your land, your customs and traditions.

Language and Culture Assistants Programme in Spain for Australians

Our school has always shown an  interest in learning languages and other cultures. Before the pandemic momentarily closed our physical borders, we had welcomed a number of American volunteers who shared their customs and lifestyle with our students. 

Last school year, although this fruitful exchange was hindered by mobility restrictions, we jumped at the chance of having an online correspondence with a high school in California. 

This school year, the improvement on sanitary conditions has enabled us to reopen our doors to the outside world. We are delighted to be part of the Programme promoted by the Spanish Minintry of Education and Vocational Training that encourages Australian assistants to come to Spain and support the teaching of English in Spanish schools. By April Thomas had applied for the position of language assistant, he was wholeheartedly accepted by IES Bergidum Flavium and he has been working with us since October. He will contiue to be teaching here until May 31st. We all hope that he gets to know our country and he feels quite at home in our community, but above all, we hope the students will have improved their communication skills by the time he leaves.

Some enthusiastic students of  2ºESO have interviewed him and you can read what they found out in their report below.

His full name is Thomas Fox and he is 27 years old. He was born in Western Australia on the 26th of February 1994. He went to the Gold Coast University. He studied Security Studies, similar to Polical studies in Spain, to work for the Australian government in an embassy. Now he lives in Ponferrada and he will stay here for the whole school year. 

His hobbies are playing the Scottish bagpipes (he is very good!), playing rugby, riding horses and travelling all over the world. He has been to China with his university roommate. There he tried insects and lots of different soups as well as very stinky tofu- five or ten years old- which is a snack in China, but he did not like it at all. Also, he has been to Thailand, France, Scotland, Germany and New Zealand, which is the prettiest place in the world and now he is in Spain. He would like to visit Switzerland next Easter.  

He has got one younger sister and her name is Emma. She´s 25 years old and, right now, she is studying a Master in Basel, Switzerland. 

Thomas´ favourite animal is a Kookaburra, a laughing bird and also his favourite colour is yellow. His favourite food is Botillo, but he likes the tripes with chickpeas, and stew we cook here.  

His favourite music genre is reggae and his favourite sport is rugby. 

He speaks English and he is also learning Spanish this year. 

Welcome to our IES BERGIDUM FLAVIUM in Cacabelos, Thomas. We are very happy to have you here.

2º A and 2º PMAR 

Thank you guys.

TEACH IN SPAIN

We have been applying for the Teach in Spain programme for a few years. We have met volunteers from different states of USA, such Elizabeth from Arizona, Andee from Illinois, Laura from Texas, Gabby from Minnesota, Joe from New York and they have all given us their unique insight into the life and customs of the areas where they lived in the USA. This term we have welcomed another volunteer, this time from Ohio. She has come to the school to help the students improve their English and assist in the classroom, especially with the bilingual section.

Lauren is a 23 year old that has recently graduated from The Ohio State University located in Columbus, Ohio in May of 2019. Columbus is the capital city of Ohio, other major cities in the state are Cincinnati and Cleveland. 

She recieved a bachelors degree in Social Work and a minor in Spanish. She is from Marysville, Ohio, which is a Midwestern state in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Marysville is known for a Honda factory that manufactures cars and motorcycles. Ohio is known for popular sports teams, such as The Ohio State football team and the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA team.

Food unique to Ohio consists of the Skyline Chili restaurant, which serves a thick soup containing beef, beans, tomatoes, and onions over hotdogs or noodles. 

She has showed the students a presentation about herself and where she is from and answered questions the students had about the USA. She will be here for a total of 3 months and we hope that she will enjoy her stay here and learn more about our culture!

Thank you Lauren!

AMERICAN BREAKFAST WITH JOE

Joe believes that it's not a good idea to think and learn on an empty stomach, so he didn't think twice and went straight to the kitchen

He prepared delicious pancakes with maple syrup, nutella and  raspberry jam. Yummy!!

The students read about the traditional American breakfast and tasted it as well.

And for those who want to keep it up, here is Joe's recipe for homemade pancakes.

Pancakes

Ingredients for the batter:

225 g flour

30 g sugar

5 g salt

300 ml full-fat or half-fat milk

1 egg

10 g baking powder or baking soda

45 g melted butter

Whisk together the milk and egg, then whisk in the melted butter. Add the other ingredients. Beat until you have a smooth batter. Any lumps will soon disappear with a little mixing.

 Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a knob of butter. When it's melted, add a ladle of batter. It should be thick. When the top of the pancake begins to bubble, turn it over and cook until both sides are golden brown. The pancake should look thick and fluffy.

This recipe will make about 8-10 pancakes.

Serve with lashings of maple syrup, butter, nutella or raspberry jam.

 They taste best fresh out the pan.

OPEN DOORS DAY

On Thursday, 7th March the Primary School students visited our school. Joe Salvia,  together with two students of the first year of Secondary Education, David and Laura, helped us explain the advantages of studying the bilingual programme at Bergidum Flavium School.

Joe told the Primary students of sixth year in our partner schools in the region how much he is enjoying his experience as a volunteer. Laura and David explained the benefits of doing Biology, Geology and Physical Education in English. They are loving it!!

Thanks for your help, guys!
We hope the younger students enjoyed visiting our school. We will be delighted to welcome them all in September. The more, the merrier.

TEACH IN SPAIN, AN AMERICAN VOLUNTEER

At the beginning of the second term a new volunteer travelled from the USA  to stay with us for three months.

María Angulo describes Joe as an American volunteer who is spending a few months in our school to help us improve our English. He was born in New Jersey. Later on, he studied Economics and International Affairs at George Washington University. Before moving to Cacabelos, Joe lived in Brooklyn, one of the five boroughs of New York City. He likes geography, history and video games. In addition, he has visited many different places, such as Italy, Portugal (his personal favourite) and Mexico.

Here, Joe was helping the students of 2 ESO find out who killed Mr. Moneybags. Tough job but they are good investigators!

At out school it isn't work all the time, sometimes we celebrate birthday parties BIG TIME! Karaoke, cake, whistles, facemasks, you name it! All low key of course. The students of 2C ESO are among the funniest ever!

TIM ROMAN

Tim Roman, Gabby's dad, came to visit us all the way from Minneapolis a few days ago. 

 He wanted to see what our school was like and meet our students.

He even took some time to play Hangman with the students of 2º ESO.  They loved to learn more things about what Gabby liked doing when she was little. They also loved the sweets Tim brought for the winners of the game. Thanks for visiting us Tim!

 On Wednesday Gabby said goodbye. She was really happy to be here. She enjoyed being with her new family, whom she loved dearly, and the students and teachers as well.
 She liked Spain so much that she promised to come back one day. We hope we won't have to wait too long because we'd love to see our charming volunteer very soon. You will always be welcome in our school, Gabby!

PRIMARY SCHOOL VISIT

On November 9th, Gabby, our American English teacher, had a visit to the primary school and this is her experience.

"When I arrived to each of the two classes of ten year olds, the students welcomed me by beautifully singing an English song about weather and seasons. Then, I introduced myself and in return asked the students questions to get to know them, too. The United States is a far away place from Spain, I showed this with a world globe. The students eyes widened in amazement.

Next, I read a childrens book about a boy and his very patient dog. The students interacted with the pictures, using English vocabulary and knowledge. To get the students up and moving, we then played a game of "Simon Says." This brought laughter and fulfillment to the room. Afterwards, they practiced auditory engagement by listening to my English instructions.

The students drew their house, families, and things they like to do for fun. To follow-up, they explained their pictures aloud. Lastly, we all gathered in a circle to play a game using simple vocabulary. If someone was passed the soft pillow, they were to say the topic-specific word. In the first round, the topic was months in the year and in the second, food. In conclusion, I wanted to use a variety of activities to allow each student to practice hearing, writing, and verbalizing English. I enjoyed visiting the primary school and wish everyone the best!"

 Thank you Gabby for motivating the students  with so many useful and entertaining activities.

SPOOKY: HALLOWEEN & THE ADDAMS FAMILY!

Gabby put together a game called, Halloween Pictionary, for the students to practice vocabulary while having fun! Students competed in two teams against each other.

One person from each team was to draw the Halloween vocabulary word, told by Gabby, while the rest of the members raced to accurately guess before the other team.

The first team to guess the drawing in English, won! Students had to think quickly, motivating them to recognize the drawing and practice answering in English.

On November 8th, 2018, the students in Cacabelos were fortunate enough to be able to attend a performance about one of the most popular fictional families of all times, The Addams Family.

Virgen de la V Angustia

Bergidum Flavium

This odd, eccentric, macabre and gothic family lives in a terrifying mansion. Gomez is head over heels in love
with his sexy and spooky wife, Morticia, who is, in turn, deeply in love with her passionate husband.

They live happily with their children, Wednesday and Pugsley, who are constantly thinking up deadly games, and a disembodied hand called, Fingers. However,  the family is not complete. They all miss Uncle Fester, who has been missing for more than 20 years.

Meanwhile, Tully, the Addams’ lawyer, is deeply in debt and owes Mrs Craven a lot of money. On Mrs Craven’s behalf, her son, Gordon, tries to persuade him forcibly to return the money he owes. Upon looking up close at Gordon’s face, Tully is struck by the likeness between Gordon and Fester and he comes up with an evil plan, which will enable him to pay all his debts. Tully is now in cahoots with Mrs Craven and Gordon to rob the rich Addams family of their immense fortune and house.

Gordon, with his head shaven, enters the Addams’ house as Uncle Fester, and Mrs Craven posing as a renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Pinder-Schloss, claims to have found Uncle Fester tangled in a net in the Bermuda Triangle. Gomez rejoices to see his long-lost brother, yet he experiences conflicting feelings. He loves him, but he also remembers being jealous of his brother when they were younger. He gradually becomes suspicious that Fester could be a fake. Dr. Pinder-Schloss persuades Gomez that what he feels is just a common psychosis, displacement. Happy again, Gomez wants his brother to stay, but Fester, who can’t stand the eccentricities of the family any longer, insists on leaving.

Gomez decides to mark the occasion with a farewell party and invites the entire family clan, who turns out to be members of the audience. While Fester is trying to get access to the family vault in order to get the treasure,

Wednesday finds out that he is an impostor and tries to escape. The whole family is in danger.

At the last chaotic moment, the combined forces of the magical books and  Gordon’s help, who rebels against his unloving mother, saves the freakish but adorable Addams family at last.

After their brilliant performance, the small crew of only three actors answered the students’ questions.

The audience, students of both primary and secondary education, gave them a round of applause and left the theatre light-heartedly after having enjoyed another successful adaptation of the kooky Addams family.

COMMENTS:

Here we have some comments from some members of the audience, students in 1ºC ESO:

"I liked the play a lot, besides the songs were of mystery and the actors did it great"

Lucía Barredo
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"I think the performance was very good to be the first work of the actors, The music was perfect for every moment, but sometimes the scenes were weird as they mixed dances with fights. I think this performance was more like a musical than anything else, but, I don’t think this is bad. The actors were very good even though this was their first performance. I recommend it"

Luna Canedo
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"The Addam´s Family is a great play, the actors are wontherful people. They are very nice and funny.

The music and songs are beautiful. They aren´t difficult to translate.

In my opinion it is worth the price and it is very interesting and entertaining. I recommend it."

Érica Díaz

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"The play seems very good to me and it is surprising that only three actors play all the roles. The songs are beautiful and nothing is wrong. The actors are very good because there are three actors and there are eight characters in the performance. I recommend it to all the other students."

Eva Matilla