Hymers College Language & Culture Newsletter - Issue 4

Newsletter from the Hymers College MFL Department • Issue 4

On this edition of the Language and Culture Newsletter we will be taking a trip all over the world from places such as Morocco and Romania, to learn more about the cultures of a variety of countries.

With articles written by both students and teachers, this newsletter aims to expand your knowledge of these many cultures and provide you with some interesting facts that you may never have known! This newsletter encapsulates the diversity of cultures we have within the Hymers community, as each article is written by someone connected to that country!

In addition to the cultures of these countries, you will also be able to discover more about the languages spoken there and find out not only what the native language is, but perhaps also some regional languages. We hope you enjoy this latest edition of the Language and Culture Newsletter!

Countries: Pakistan

Trinidad Iran

Nigeria

Turkey Morocco

Sudán

Belgium

Bahrain

China

Mexico

Ireland

Hungary

Canada

Italy

Greece

Sri Lanka

Hong Kong

England

Thailand

India

Colombia

Scotland

Germany

Costa Rica Egypt

Romania

Spain

Egypt Egypt has been one of the most popular tourist destinations since 1923 after the opening of Tutankhamun’s tomb, but did you know that the country’s history expands further than that?

Being home to 30 of the world’s most popular tourist attractions, such as the Valley of the Kings and the Karnak Temple, it’s no surprise 13 million people visit annually!

The most infamous site, the Great Pyramids of Giza, is still a mystery; how could just manpower build such intricate buildings remains unknown! Furthermore, Egypt has been a sporting superpower in squash since the 1930s. Egypt has given Middle Eastern

women the spotlight within the sport industry, with the current top three female squash players in the world being Egyptian! There are 16 languages spoken within the country, with Colloquial Arabic being the most common!

Rawan

Pakistan Pakistan is an extremely diverse country, containing huge, magnificent mountains and mountain ranges to large, beautiful cities.

It is a Muslim majority country and its national language is Urdu, but many more languages are spoken in Pakistan such as Pashto and Punjabi; it used to be part of India however, in 1947, India was split into two: Pakistan and India - this resulted in the largest mass migration in human history.

Pakistan has many wonderful places to visit: it is filled with mountain ranges and lakes; in fact, the country has the second-highest mountain in the world, K2, which is also known to many as the most dangerous and difficult to climb, even more so than Everest. Not only does the country have amazing sites of nature, it also has beautiful cities, like the capital of Islamabad: it’s a luscious, green city with huge mosques and is surrounded by mountains.

However, the most populous, busy and lively

That means ‘Hi’ in Punjabi. Punjabi is what we speak in the Punjab area in Pakistan which is close to down south Pakistan where I’m from.

There are between 70-80 languages spoken in Pakistan. The chosen national one is Urdu. Compared to England it is only summer all year round as in winter the temperatures are as high as 20 degrees celsius.

96.5% of the population in Pakistan are Muslims and the other 3.5% are either Christian, Jewish or Atheists. Culturally it is an etiquette

to sit on the floor with your family and eat your food so everyone is sat together and there is room for everyone. For clothing wise is that women wear dress shirts with a dull design not too fancy and for men something called a ‘shalwar kameez’ which is a long clothing piece but fit for a man and straight cut down so not like a dress. Thank you for reading about my culture and where I’m from!

Zainab

city in Pakistan is Karachi, with a population of almost 15 million. Pakistan also has lots of wildlife; you can find wild eagles soaring around the city of Karachi, monkeys swinging in trees all around the country and the unique Indus river Dolphin. This country also loves its sport; many different sports are played such as hockey, cricket and badminton. Did you know that 50-70% of footballs are created in Pakistan?

Ali

Nigeria Did you know that Nigeria is the most populous black nation on earth, with one fifth of Africans being Nigerian?

We have 250 ethnic groups in addition to over 500 indigenous languages being spoken making Nigeria the world’s seventh highest population and Africa’s most populous country.

We have a rainforest climate however 95% of the rainforest has been destroyed which made room for Nigeria having Africa’s biggest economy and second biggest movie industry but we are still famous for our beautiful and diverse butterflies with over 1000 species!

Sophia

Iran Dorood! Let me tell you some facts about Iran.

Did you know that the weekend starts on Thursday and ends on Friday?

Another fact is that the Persian calendar is one of the most accurate calendars in the world, it is a type of solar calendar.

In the North, the world’s biggest lake is the Caspian sea, home to caviar. We also have a pink lake called Lipar Lake in Chabahar where the flamingos visit every year. When the Arabs changed the language of science and literature in Iran to Arabic nobody was allowed to speak Persian for 200 years until Ferdowsi, a Persian poet and author, revived

the language by composing Shahnameh (the world’s longest epic poem). It took him 30 years to finish it. Did you know, Saadi was an Iranian poet who wrote a poem eight centuries ago that later became a motto on the entrance of the United Nations building. And last but not least Maryam Mizakhani was a mathematician and professor of maths in Stanford University, she was honoured with the Fields Medal, the most prestigious award in maths, becoming the first woman and only woman to date to be honoured the award.

Delina

Morocco Morocco is a north African country with the best preserved medina (the old city) in the world that is up for consideration on the UNESCO Tentative List.

In 1787, Morocco became the first nation in the world to recognize the newly independent United States of America.

Morocco’s argan oil is now the most

expensive edible oil in the world and the Argan tree known also by the name of (Argania spinosais} has a lifespan of up to 450 years and is found only in Morocco and nowhere else in the world.

Rachid

Trinidad y Tobago Did you know that Trinidad and Tobago is the only Caribbean island that has an asphalt lake where resources like tar are used to help make and fix roads all over the world?

Also, our biggest festival “Carnival” is one of the flashiest festivals ever!

Eccentric and extravagant costumes are worn and there is dancing and singing galore.

Trinidad and Tobago is home to the Moruga

Scorpion, which is consistently ranked as one of the world’s hottest peppers. Finally, the Main Ridge Forest Reserve, found in Tobago, is the oldest protected rainforest in the Western Hemisphere.

Xavier

Turkey Merhaba! In Turkey we speak only one language: Turkish!

Did you know that Istanbul is the only city in the world that’s spread over two continents?

In Istanbul, 64.9% of the land is on the European side and 35.1% is on the Asian side.

This has made it an important land throughout world history. The city of Troy, made famous in Greek literature, was located on the Turkish coastline thousands of years ago. One of the mistaken things about Turkey is that the capital city is Ankara not Istanbul! Also, although you may know Turkey for their coffee, 96% of the population drinks at least one cup of tea per day! You may think that Turkey is just famous

for its iconic baklavas, and shish kebabs, except Turkey is actually well known for its diverse set of both oriental and European elements - from the traditional Turkish tea to the majestic Hagia Sophia. Also, even though 90% of the population are Muslims, the first ever Christian church was located in Antioch, Turkey!

Though Christmas is not celebrated in Turkey, Santa Clause is called Noel Baba in Turkish, who is believed to bring gifts on New Year’s Eve. Ironically however, St Nicholas - the man we know as Santa Claus - was born in Patara, Turkey in around 300 AD! Yasemin

Sudan As-Salam Alaykum. Did you know that while Egypt gets noticed for its pyramids, Sudan is known as the place with the world’s largest collection of pyramids? There are over 200 recorded pyramids in the country.

With an area of 1,886,068 square kilometres (728,215 square miles), Sudan is the 15th largest country in the world, and the 3rd largest in Africa.

In 2014, the population of the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, recorded at 5 million. Over 97% of Sudan’s population is Muslim. 115 languages are spoken in Sudan, but none of these is spoken by all Sudanese. Arabic is the official

language. Also, January 1 is a national holiday in Sudan and locals celebrate its independence from Egypt and the UK in 1956.

Sudan is filled with desert conditions and rainfall is rare. The biggest river in the world, the Nile River, runs through Sudan. Did you know that many Sudanese households keep some livestock, particularly in rural areas?

Donkeys, goats, poultry, cattle, and sheep are the most commonly raised animals.

Ibaa

Belgium I grew up as a “frontalier”; there is no direct English translation for the term - it means a person who lives in the close proximity of a border and crosses the border regularly, for work, education...

Families often have members who live on both sides of the border or in the case of my area, on three sides of the borders as I grew up in the part of Belgium that tapers between France and the Great-Duchy of Luxembourg.

The rolling country landscapes extends smoothly through political borders and you only have to walk or cycle a few miles before finding yourself in a different country, without even noticing it. When I am in Belgium, a drive to the supermarket takes me to France, going

in and out of both countries several times as the road meanders along the border.

There are quirks to living in a “frontalier” area; it once led to an embarrassing conversation with a French customs officer, as I made my journey in and out of France in a British car with no ID on me to … buy a baguette! People whose houses straddle the border and may happen to have their kitchen in one country and the dining room in another. In these instances, it is the location of the front door that decides where the property is actually situated!

Mrs Humblet

Bahrain Did you know that Bahrain was home to the first ever Grand Prix in the Middle East?

In 2004 Bahrain put the region on the map in terms of large sporting events, making it an international multicultural hub.

To add to this, you can also find the world’s largest underwater theme park in Dive Bahrain,

spanning an area of 100,000 square metres!

It even has a sunken Boeing 747. You can also find the Tree of Life in Bahrain, a single mesquite tree planted in Bahrain’s southern desert in the mid 1500’s. How it remains is still a mystery as there are no obvious water sources!

Waseela

Ireland Dia dhaoibh! People in the UK absolutely love to complain about the rain, however Ireland receives roughly twice as much rain as Hull.

Because of this, vegetation is able to thrive, hence the Emerald Isle.

The island also features many beautiful geological places: the Giant’s Causeway, the Cliffs of Moher, and the fourth-largest stalactite in the word, the Great Stalactite. Ireland has its own language – called Irish, not Gaelic

– which is compulsory for students to learn in school from ages 6-16. They may find it difficult as it contains a lot of grammatical features not found within English, such as grammatical gender, a noun case system, and initial consonant mutation.

James

Mexico Did you know that the largest pyramid in the world is in Mexico, not Egypt?

The Great Pyramid of Cholula is nearly twice the volume of Giza’s great pyramid.

It’s a great example of the influence left behind by the Aztecs, a fascinating part of Mexico’s history. The Aztecs also left behind Nahuatl, an

indigenous language still spoken by millions in the country, as well as others in Central America. Nahuatl, as well as other indigenous languages, are all official languages of Mexico too, not just Spanish!

Chris

China China is the world’s 3rd biggest country by territory, and has the largest population.

China’s national day is 1 October and the biggest national festival is Chinese New Year. China has the largest population in the world with a population of over 1.4 billion!

There are about 35 million people who live in caves in China. China’s railway lines can loop around the world thrice. The 7th largest square in the world is Tiananmen Square. The longest wall in the world is The Great Wall of China. In Chinese culture, colours have lucky and unlucky meanings. In China, numbers that sound like words with lucky meanings are considered lucky numbers.

China is known for its wide variety of unusual and delicious foods, for example ‘chow mein’, also known as ‘ Another thing that is associated with China are giant pandas which literally translates to ‘big bear cat’. The main language in China is Mandarin (a language that English speakers can find very difficult to learn), but there are roughly 300 dialects that are spoken in the country. Officially China has 56 ethnic groups and 7 major dialects of Chinese, but most minority groups have their own distinctive and unique culture. Some also have their own language and writing system!

Amy & Alice

Romania Bunǎ This country has many wonders of which people do not know. Many remember it as a communist country or a poorer country, but let me assure you - that is not the case.

Here are some facts about this foreign land so you can get a glimpse of what Romania is: 1. Romania was the first Communist country to ever win the European Cup. 2. The Danube Delta is Europe’s bestpreserved delta. In 1986, the Romanian soccer club Steaua Bucuresti became the first Eastern European club ever to win the prestigious European Champions Cup title.

3. Spreading over 1,500,000 acres, the Danube Delta is Europe’s largest and best preserved delta.

4. Romanian Gymnast Nadia Comaneci was the first to ever score a perfect “10” in the Olympics and won three gold medals, one silver and one bronze, all at the age of 15.

5. Romania has reached the Davis Cup finals three times.

6. Romania has its own Arc de Triomphe; it’s an identical replica of Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile in Paris.

7. There is a Romanian Version of ‘Mount Rushmore’ on the Danube River The modern jet engine was invented by a Romanian; Henri Coanda was a Romanian aerodynamics pioneer and engineer.

In 1910 he developed an experimental aircraft that used the world’s first jet engine. During the time of the 2nd World War, there have been many different inventors who tried to perfect the original model of the jet engine invented by Henri Coanda.

Thanks to Coanda’s inventions and discoveries, flying is possible today. The first European city to have electric street lights is in Romania Romania has a perfectly round-shaped village; Just 40 km away from Timisoara is the only circular village in Romania: Charlottenburg (or Sarlota).

Alex

Hungary Did you know that Hungary is one of the oldest countries in Europe, established as a Christian Catholic kingdom in 1000AD? The name of the country does not come from huns (being hungry) but from the Latin Ungri. There are around 14 million Hungarians worldwide and 9.6 million of them live in Hungary. Hungary’s language is known as ‘Magyar’ and it is very unique and distinct from other European languages.

The language is notoriously difficult to learn with its difficult grammar and 44-letter long alphabet! Even though Hungary is a landlocked country you can still enjoy a beach holiday at Lake Balaton - Central Europe’s largest lake. The country has had a famous spa culture since the 1500s when thousands of hot springs were discovered which are recognized to have relaxing and curative properties. Some things we use daily were invented by Hungarians including the Rubik’s Cube (Erno Rubik), Vitamin C (Albert SzentGyorgyi), ballpoint pen (Laszlo Biro), digital computing (Janos Neumann), and holography (Denes Gabor).

The most recent scientific achievement was when Katalin Kariko invented the mRNA technology on which the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine is based. Hungarians also excel in sports as well; fencing, swimming, kayaking, water polo, and modern pentathlon produced the most Summer Olympic medals. Hungary has a rich football history: in 1953 Hungary beat England 6:3 at Wembley, which became known as the Match of the Century. In 1986 the Hungarian Grand Prix was the first Formula One race that was held behind the Iron Curtain.

Finally, Hungary has made many contributions to the fields of classical, folk, and pop music.

Folk music and dance are an important part of the national identity. The two most famous composers Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly used folk themes in their work. Ferenc Liszt - composer of Hungarian Rhapsodies - was among the major composers of the late 19th century. Nowadays, Sziget Festival in Budapest is one of Europe’s largest popular music and cultural festivals.

Kinga

Germany German culture is about so much more than the Oktoberfest and the (obviously only perceived) lack of humour.

You can find strange traditions like Gründonnerstag (literally green Thursday which is Maundy Thursday in English), requiring people to eat a meal that includes green vegetables on that day.

There are odd rules regarding the need to respect authority whereby addressing a Police Officer using the familiar “Du” instead of the more formal “Sie” may incur fines up to €600! For some people it might also seem odd that although there are no laws in place regulating the naming of children, the Registrar’s Office can and does frequently oppose first name choices, particularly those considered offensive or harmful to the child (rejected names include Batman, Dracula, Ferrari, McDonalds or Pinocchio).

Another firm favourite of German speakers and German-learning students alike are

compound nouns, combining single words to a longer, more complex one. The longest word officially recognised in the dictionary is Kraftfahrzeughaftpflichtversicherung (liability insurance for vehicles) but there are no real limits to the words that can be combined and the lengths of the words that can be created – providing they still make sense of course!

There are also more than thirty main dialects in Germany in use today and they can change drastically depending on where you are.

When learning the language, a standard version of German, hochdeutsch, is being taught which everyone will understand but might not speak. Some dialects can be very difficult to communicate in, for example Bavarian is often described as the German that even Germans don’t understand!

Mrs Lawson

Canada “The winters of my childhood were long, long seasons.

We lived in three places – the school, the church, and the skating rink – but our real life was on the skating rink.”

This quote from one of my favourite books growing up, the Hockey Sweater, truly encapsulates winters in Canada.

Playing ice hockey on frozen ponds were some of the happiest moments of my childhood. Hockey culture is ubiquitous in Canada. Did you know every winter the Rideau Canal freezes to become the world’s

largest and second longest skating rink at 7.8 kilometres? People come from all around to skate down the river and enjoy some of our favourite foods, such as beaver tails (not real beaver tails!) and poutine. There is no doubt hockey is part of Canadian identity, whether from early morning Timbit practices to cheering on our Olympic team, it is in our blood stream and part of our national pride.

Dr Main

Italy In modern Italy the population mainly speaks Italian, but hundreds of years ago, the Romans - who spoke latin - were building an empire.

This empire stretched across Europe, and the Romans even occupied England (which was then called Britannia).

This means that in modern day Europe and England, some words are heavily influenced by or taken from Latin. Italian culture heavily involves the arts, architecture, music and food.

It was a major centre for the Renaissance in the 14th-16th century.

Now, Italy is known for its architectural achievements, such as the building of aqueducts and temples during the period of Ancient Rome. This includes the Colosseum in Rome.

Florence

Greece

Did you know that Greek is one of the oldest languages to date? Spanning over 34 centuries the Greek language is a continued language that has developed over many centuries, hence why some of the earliest philosophers and inventors are Greek.

Greece has more than 2,000 islands but only 227 of them are inhabited, and in 1963 a guy named Onassis bought the island of Skorpios for 3.2 million drachmas (£7,725.03).

There are a small proportion of Greeks that have immigrated to different countries such as America, England, Australia, Germany, Ukraine and Cyprus (hence why Cyprus has

a Greek side and a Turkish side). Did you know that Greek’s don’t tend to celebrate their birthday? This is because they celebrate their name day instead, a name day is like a birthday that people celebrate after the Saint, which they were named after. For example I am named (Vasiliki) after (St Vaslilis) and his name day is the 1st of January.

Kiki

Sri-Lanka Did you know that Sri Lanka was originally called Lanka?

Even though there have been many wars throughout the country, it still thrives to be a well-known country in the world.

A major fact is that the first ever female prime minister was a Sri Lankan lady! Sri Lanka is known for its natural wonders scattered across the entire country; the cooking here is a different story. The food ranges from samosas to dosas to rice and curry - there is a whole variety to choose from. Coconuts are the main thing used for cooking and it has been for many years. One of the oldest languages is still spoken mainly in Sri Lanka; this is Tamil. Tamil is a famous language

known for its extraordinary literature and grammar and its the only language to be personified as a God. Additionally, a lot of history from the Hindu religion revolves around Sri Lanka such as the Ramayanam story, which led to the ideology that Sri Lanka was the kingdom of Raavanan!

Sri Lanka is a small island underneath India it has many different cultures like Buhudism, Islam, Christianity and many more they speak other languages as well like Tamil and others the Island is very beautiful with wonderful mountains and safaris also it’s has amazing views and places to go.

Luxmy & Raaid

Hong Kong Le hao! Did you know that 40 percent of Hong Kong territory is made up of country parks and nature reserves, perfect for a hiking weekend?

But if that doesn’t suit you, then why not venture to view the famous towering skyscrapers such as ‘Bank of China Tower’ or ‘Central Plaza’.

Chinese cuisine is the most prolific in the world, in fact, it is the only cuisine to be found in all seven continents. Hong Kong’s speciality in the food industry is sweet and sour pork

and wontons but it can vary into the more sophisticated dish like roast goose. The native language is Cantonese with over 97% of all citizens speaking it, the vast majority being bilingual with English or Mandarin - over 50% speaking both.

Megan

England The first postage stamp was created in the UK. Queen Elizabeth is the Queen of England and the longest living monarch in history.

England is famous for many things: Fish and Chips, Red Buses and Black Cabs.

Since the 18th century, the United Kingdom has been one of the world’s largest tea consumers and there are over 1,000 tea flavours in Britain.

There are 14 indigenous languages used across the British Isles. In England 92% of the population speak English as their first language, except in London it’s much lower.

Annabelle

Thailand Did you know that Thailand is one of the most visited countries in the world, seeing over thirty-five million travellers annually?

It’s no surprise as it is known for its incredible nature and how it plays a massive part in their culture.

Buddhism is the main religion in Thailand in which 93% are a part of and have beautiful temples to celebrate this.

Temples play an important role in Thai everyday life as it is where you can pray for good health, good fortune and wealth.If you go to Thailand you will always see symbols

of elephants popping up everywhere as the national symbol the elephant are admired for their strength, endurance and intelligence.

Thailand has some of the best dishes on offer due to their fresh produce and unique tastes and flavours that you can’t get anywhere else. In Thai culture food brings community together, so if you meet up with someone you will normally cook and prepare a meal to share with them, and they will do the same thing so you can eat a dish together.

Stella

India Located in the northwest region of India, did you know that Punjab means ‘the land of five rivers’?

The name has been derived from the Persian words panj (five) and aab (water).

The five rivers namely: Beas, Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi and Sutlej ran through pre-Independence Punjab, and are now divided between India and Pakistan. The presence of the five rivers are the reason why Punjab’s soil is conducive

for crop cultivation, and hence it is also called ‘the Granary of India’ or ‘Bread Basket of India’. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that agriculture is the largest industry in the state; estimates show that about 84% of the land is under cultivation!

Amrita

In India, you can find lots of diversity in culture, for example, although Hindi is the most spoken language, there are 23 official languages spoken.

India also has the highest number of vegetarians because of Hindu beliefs, and if people aren’t vegetarian, they will most likely not eat beef because cows are considered sacred in Hinduism. This is also the reason why you will see lots of cows in India roaming around.

Vedansh

Colombia ¡Hola! Did you know that in Colombia we don’t have any seasons?

In some places it’s nice and warm but in others, it’s quite cold all the yearround.

Colombia is the most biodiverse country on the planet with lots of animals, plants and food and, with 1826 species, we have more species of birds than any country on Earth.

We are the home of the ‘liquid rainbow’: the Caño Cristales river which is 100km long

and changes its colours. The colours range anywhere from shades of red, blue, and yellow, to orange, and green. This does not occur anywhere else in the world.

Even though 95% of the population speak Spanish, we have more than 60 different indigenous languages spoken around the country!

Luisa

Scotland Scotland occupies about one-third of the island of Great Britain and is known for its unique culture, wild beauty and extreme weather!

It boasts miles of unspoiled beaches, sea lochs, impressive mountain ranges and over 900 offshore islands.

The largest city in Scotland is Glasgow but Edinburgh is the capital.

English has been the main language in Scotland since the 18th Century but there are a wide range of different accents and dialects spoken across the country. The ancient Celtic language of Gaelic (from Ireland) is also still spoken, especially in the Highlands and

Islands, with bilingual road signs in some areas and a dedicated Gaelic TV channel.

Turn on your television (invented by Scotsman John Logie Baird) and you will hear the wide range of different accents from famous Scots such as Sean Connery, David Tennant, Alex Ferguson, Ewan McGregor, Chris Hoy and Kelly McDonald and get a feel for Scots dialect by discovering the wonderful works of Robert Burns, regarded to be the National Poet of Scotland.

Mrs Grantham

Costa Rica With 16 different microclimates, Costa Rica is a paradise for animals and birds. Here you can see sloths, hummingbirds, scarlet Macaws and giant iguanas.

Costa Rica is located in Central America which has its own dialect and can sound very different to the Spanish we learn at school.

One phrase people will hear around used all the time is pura vida which means pure life but is rarely used to describe that. Pura vida is the go to answer to any Costa Rican for most questions, a typical conversation between two people might sound like:

A: Hi! How are you?

B: Pura vida!

A: Have you tried Gallo Pinto? (A typical Costa Rican dish of beans and rice - it translates as Spotted Rooster because of the darker beans mixed with the lighter coloured rice!)

B: Pura vida!

Daniel

Spain Did you know that Spanish is not the only language spoken in Spain? And, in fact, Spaniards will rarely refer to the language they speak as español or ‘Spanish’ but instead will call it castellano or ‘Castilian’.

The language takes its name from the ancient kingdom of Castilla or ‘Castile’ in which the modern language we study today in school gradually evolved from Latin and Arabic. This is the language spoken by the majority of Spaniards in modern Spain and is the lingua franca.

Aside from Castilian, 4 other languages are recognised with co-official status: Catalan: spoken by around 11 million people in Catalunya, Valencia and the Balearic Islands.

Visitors to Barcelona over the holidays may wish to learn a few sentences! Gallego is the language that is spoken in Galicia, in the North West of Spain. It is closely linked to Portuguese. Euskera is spoken in the Basque Country and some areas of Navarra. It is the

only language spoken in Spain that doesn’t come from Latin. Its origin is still a mystery; it is a hugely challenging language to learn as it doesn’t share any similarities with romance languages. For example, to say ‘1, 2, 3’ is bat, bi, hiru.

Finally, Aranese is spoken by a small community on the border between France and Spain.

Perhaps unsurprisingly as a result of the variety of languages spoken in Spain, the Spanish National Anthem is one of a small number in the world which does not have any lyrics. Following Franco’s Dictatorship into the 1970s, it was decided that an anthem without language would be the most inclusive for all citizens. This fascinating topic is studied by our A level students in greater depth - feel free to chat to them about it!

Mr Calvo-Garcia

Did you know that the first ever novel was written in Spain?

It was written by Miguel de Cervantes and is called Don Quixote and to this day it is still read.

Although many people assume that in Spain the only language that is spoken is Spanish, there are in fact five, Spanish, Basque, Galacian and Aranese. In Spain there is no tooth fairy! Instead there is el ratoncito perez which is a small mouse which collects

the teeth and leaves money in their place.

In spain there are also a lot of weird and wonderful festivals like los San Fermines, a week long event in which people need to run away from bulls and then fight with them.

There is also a festival where people dress up in massive costumes of big headed people.

Pablo

Spelling Bee The Year 7 French Spelling Bee competition In January all Year 7 students were given the chance to take part in the French Spelling Bee competition.

The task consisted of translating a series of words from English to French and then spelling each one out using the French alphabet. Working against the clock, each student had one minute to perform. At the end of the first round 14 students were selected to go through the finals.

Miss Humblet and Miss Daflon were both very impressed with the enthusiasm and the application displayed by all candidates.

After a very tight competition, the winner was Mahathi G, who translated and spelled 14 words in one minute.

In second place, there were 3 runners up: Joseph P, Georgina W, and Riya K who each spelled 13 words correctly.

Well done to everyone who took part.