THE ENGLISH HOLLY

Photo by Davideño, taken from panoramio.com

“Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.”


Welcome to the English Holly (el acebo), the English department blog in Siles, welcome to your blog.


lunes, 24 de noviembre de 2014

miércoles, 5 de noviembre de 2014

Creative essays for unit 1 in 1º Bachillerato

After Unit 1, students of First of Bachillerato had to make up a story using some of these words from the unit: watch out!, foreign, exotic, goal, rural, tour guide, crowded, isolated, give up, rafting, face, journey, landmark.
Here are some of the best essays. We hope you like them.

The great rescue. (by Nerea Pérez)

Last summer, something that I'll never forget happened. It all began when my dad told me that we were going to go to a rural, foreign village in the mountains. The first thing I said was "Are you serious?" I didn't want to go to an isolated village. I wanted to go to a big city full of interesting landmarks. It was going to be the worst journey I've ever been on, but my parents had already decided.

We arrived at nine o'clock in the morning, and a tour guide was going to take us to a river to do rafting. I thought it was dangerous and I didn't want to do that, but I think it would be a great goal to achieve in that journey. We went hiking to the river. The route was very long, so I had time to speak with the tour guide. He seemed like a strange, but great man and I told him that I was afraid of doing rafting, but then he told me something that I'll never forget, "You have to face your fears and never give up."
When we arrived to the river, we got into the boat. It was crowded! There were eight people in each boat!
We began to go through the rapids, and suddenly a little girl fell from the boat. Everybody shouted "Watch out!" but it was too late. Nobody tried to help her, but me. Even though I was really scared, I jumped from the boat and I rescued her. It was amazing!

I just remembered the words that the tour guide told me. Now, I know that facing my fears can save a life. The girl was okay, and those were the best holidays of my life.

Untitled (by Raquel Carriquí)

Our goal was to go on a journey to a rural, but exotic place. It was very expensive, but we didn’t give up. We faced the problem, we looked for villages in foreign countries and they were cheaper! We decided to go to an isolated village in France. We did many activities there, such as rafting and hiking... Then, we wanted to visit one of the landmarks of the village, but we had to cross a crowded street. When we were crossing that street, someone shouted at me, “Watch out!” and then, I crashed into a cyclist. Luckily, I came out uninjured.

Untitled (By Alicia Martínez)

Have you ever thought how it would be the feeling after achieving a goal that everybody thinks is almost impossible? Kylie wanted to know, so she decided to set off a long journey all around the world from the most isolated places to the most cosmopolitan cities. One day she woke up and she said,  " Today is the day, " and she started organising the trip. Everybody thought that it would be a mistake and that she would give up in a few days, but all of them were were wrong. She travelled alone and she brought with her a video camera, but also a very important thing: a notebook. She decided to write all her thoughts and experiences during the trip, like a diary, but she didn't imagine that such an insignificant book would become one of the most famous books of the moment, many tv programmes and journalists would be interested in her. Kylie started visiting isolated and exotic places and rural areas because she lives in a big city and she had left it. She didn't want to hire any tour guide or do any guided tour. She had an idea in her mind, she wanted to achieve this objective by her own, without any help and by this way, show to everybody how independent a woman can be and also that if you have a dream or whatever, nobody must try to stop it, you have to face problems that life puts in your way. You learn from mistakes and experiences.”Try to improve the person you are”, this is one of Kylie's mottos, a woman who has seen the most important landmarks like Coliseum, Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and many more monuments which have been part of her amazing journey.
Now, Kylie lives in a crowded city in Germany and she continues writing; she has realised it is her passion. Don't stop dreaming,but watch out! Keep in mind that life is not like fiction.

SILES’ MEMORIES  (By Ramón Izquierdo)

The perfect place. An isolated village from the hustle and bustle of the modern city, amazing view points, colourful landscapes and the neverending list about things to cheer yourself.
Initially, the main landmark of the place is “El Cubo”, being an amazing building lifted in the arabic period. Across the village, I saw the people’s rural lifetime, who were taking conversations loudly window-to-window, hanging clothes on walls or eating the typical food. My journey was complete when an eloquent tour guide showed us what you can do in the Natural Park. The hilly landscape gives you the opportunity to do rafting, hiking, climbing, … you’ll never give up the chance to come again!
Moreover, in spite of the movement of the foreing people, the place is always relaxing, empty; never crowded. However… Watch out! Visiting strange earmarks can be fun while dangerous. Face your work problems, escape to the mother nature and achieve your goals !

martes, 4 de noviembre de 2014

Our new cultural assistant, Aimee, introduces herself

Hey!!! I’m Aimee, your local Canadian for the year! :)
A bit about me in case you’re curious: I’m from a small town in the North Peace Region of British Columbia, Canada. It’s usually cold and snowy here, for about eight months out of the year because we are so far north, but we still go outside and enjoy winter sports such as sledding, skating, floor hockey (hockey in a gym), and snowboarding. I love all of these sports, but my favorite is snowboarding. Also, we don’t live in igloos, but we make them for fun! It’s a beautiful region with a lot of farmland and the economy is maintained by a massive oil and gas industry.  
Currently, I live in the next province over, Alberta, where I’m pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and Education. This province is known for its farming and Alberta Beef. My city, Lethbridge, is a bit smaller than Jaén and has a train bridge with a unique structure that makes it the largest of its kind in the world. (You can see in the picture below ↓.)



During the school year, I’m involved in campus activities including managing a club, organizing and hosting events, playing sports, and engaging in cultural events throughout the season. Conveniently, I also live about two hours away from two of the most beautiful national parks in Canada. When I have time, I love to go to the mountains to hike. I also join friends and go bridge jumping or tubing in our local canals and rivers during the summer. In both places I’ve lived, there is a lot of wildlife and in the national parks you can easily run into moose, bears, and occasionally a cougar.
I love learning about cultures, playing sports, and exploring nature. I’m excited to learn life Spanish, well Siles, style. As this is my first time in Spain (and in Europe) I have a lot to learn. I speak a little Spanish, but I’m still learning, so I may not understand when you speak to me...yet! By the end of the year, hopefully I can speak as fast as you. :)
Everyone in Siles has been warm and friendly; thank-you for welcoming me into your community! I look forward spending this year sharing with you and meeting more of you soon! :) See you around!