Bienvenido a España
July 15, 2001 | 12:00am
In April a group of Povedans toured Spain and launched Poveda Learning Centre’s first student exchange program. I, along with Michele Aguas and Katrina Querubin, am a recent Poveda graduate, while two of our friends – Celine Patag and Rose Talaman – are currently in their second year. Chin Tubianosa graduated from Poveda in 1996 and just recently from UP joined our group. We were accompanied by our high school principal Beth Alcazar.
This program was the brainchild of the Poveda Parents Association (PPA). Plans were sketchy but encouraging. Initially, the parents had thought of a student exchange program where the school would send its students to study in its partner Teresiana school in Spain and these schools in turn would send some of their students to the Philippines. Poveda Learning Center is run by the Institucion Teresiana (Teresian Association), an association of lay people who promote human advancement through education and culture. The Association was founded in Spain by Blessed Pedro Poveda in 1911. It continues to fulfill its mission today in 31 countries, thereby providing links among school and education centers around the globe. Thus, the foundation for a cultural and educational student exchange program had long been laid.
The exchange program took off last February when the PPA issued a letter to the students to survey how many students would be interested in such an endeavor. The response was overwhelming. From a group of around 30 interested students, five were selected.
Before we left for Spain we visited the Spanish Embassy in Manila. Accompanied by Chari Cabral, Mr. and Mrs. Garcia-Morera, and other PPA parents, we met with Spanish Ambassador Tomas Pantoja.
Finally, departure day came. Armed with our background in Spanish (Spanish is part of the school curriculum) and our phrase books, we left on April 8. Our first stop was Madrid, where we were welcomed by a Spanish Teresiana and Señorita Aitziber Barrueta. We stayed in a Teresiana Center of Spirituality called Sta. Maria, in Los Negrales, a small town on the outskirts of Madrid.
Though some aspects of our culture are Spanish-influenced, there were other things which we had to get used to like having lunch at 2 p.m. and dinner at 9. Things also usually begin late in Spain (the sun sets at around 9 p.m.) and thus, they also tend to end late. Regular bedtime for young people our age is 1 a.m. And let’s not forget the siesta from 2 to 4 p.m. with most stores closed.
Before the Holy Week, we visited El Escorial, El Valle de los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen), the monuments erected for those who died during the Spanish civil war in Toledo. We saw General Franco’s tomb inside the chapel. On Holy Wednesday, 60 youth participants from all over Spain joined us in Los Negrales for the annual Pascua (Easter) retreat organized by the Teresianas. This was the first year that the organizers had an international group joining the Pascua and accordingly, they had to create an English group for us to facilitate group sharing throughout the duration of the Pascua. For Easter, we stayed up all night for the vigil, and afterwards, there was an Easter celebration with food, wine, games and presentations. Besides being a real spiritual experience so make new friends.
Right after Pascua, we took the train to the south, the Andalucian region of Spain. Our trip was dubbed The Povedan Route, since we visited towns and cities significant to Blessed Pedro Poveda. Our first stop was the small town of Jaen, about four hours by bus. We stayed in a girls’ dormitory run by the Teresianas. The same day we arrived, we bumped into some friends from the Pascua, Ana, Pili and Esther, who all live in Jaen. They took us around Jaen the next day, visiting the cathedral, Fr. Poveda’s house and a Poveda school. It was also in Jaen that we had our first sampling of real Spanish churros and paella.
Two hours from Jaen, was our next stop–Cordoba, a famous historical walled city in Spain made popular to tourists by the Mezquita which is basically a Mosque Cathedral. The striking feature of Cordoba is the obvious blend of Christian, Jewish and Muslim influences that are evident in the art and architecture of the city.
Like backpackers we hopped from city to city staying overnight in one town and leaving the next day. After Cordoba was Sevilla. We then went on to Guadix, particularly to the cave where the gypsies live. In 1902 Poveda established a school among the gypsies because he saw that education was the means by which they could uplift themselves from poverty. This school still exists today and is run by the Teresiana members who, like their founder, live among the gypsies in cave-houses. It impressed us so much that Poveda was ahead of his time because he did not resort to doling out but rather lived with the rejects of society.
During our trip we didn’t even have time to feel homesick. We came back being able to speak Spanish a little better, muy bien.
This program was the brainchild of the Poveda Parents Association (PPA). Plans were sketchy but encouraging. Initially, the parents had thought of a student exchange program where the school would send its students to study in its partner Teresiana school in Spain and these schools in turn would send some of their students to the Philippines. Poveda Learning Center is run by the Institucion Teresiana (Teresian Association), an association of lay people who promote human advancement through education and culture. The Association was founded in Spain by Blessed Pedro Poveda in 1911. It continues to fulfill its mission today in 31 countries, thereby providing links among school and education centers around the globe. Thus, the foundation for a cultural and educational student exchange program had long been laid.
The exchange program took off last February when the PPA issued a letter to the students to survey how many students would be interested in such an endeavor. The response was overwhelming. From a group of around 30 interested students, five were selected.
Before we left for Spain we visited the Spanish Embassy in Manila. Accompanied by Chari Cabral, Mr. and Mrs. Garcia-Morera, and other PPA parents, we met with Spanish Ambassador Tomas Pantoja.
Finally, departure day came. Armed with our background in Spanish (Spanish is part of the school curriculum) and our phrase books, we left on April 8. Our first stop was Madrid, where we were welcomed by a Spanish Teresiana and Señorita Aitziber Barrueta. We stayed in a Teresiana Center of Spirituality called Sta. Maria, in Los Negrales, a small town on the outskirts of Madrid.
Though some aspects of our culture are Spanish-influenced, there were other things which we had to get used to like having lunch at 2 p.m. and dinner at 9. Things also usually begin late in Spain (the sun sets at around 9 p.m.) and thus, they also tend to end late. Regular bedtime for young people our age is 1 a.m. And let’s not forget the siesta from 2 to 4 p.m. with most stores closed.
Before the Holy Week, we visited El Escorial, El Valle de los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen), the monuments erected for those who died during the Spanish civil war in Toledo. We saw General Franco’s tomb inside the chapel. On Holy Wednesday, 60 youth participants from all over Spain joined us in Los Negrales for the annual Pascua (Easter) retreat organized by the Teresianas. This was the first year that the organizers had an international group joining the Pascua and accordingly, they had to create an English group for us to facilitate group sharing throughout the duration of the Pascua. For Easter, we stayed up all night for the vigil, and afterwards, there was an Easter celebration with food, wine, games and presentations. Besides being a real spiritual experience so make new friends.
Right after Pascua, we took the train to the south, the Andalucian region of Spain. Our trip was dubbed The Povedan Route, since we visited towns and cities significant to Blessed Pedro Poveda. Our first stop was the small town of Jaen, about four hours by bus. We stayed in a girls’ dormitory run by the Teresianas. The same day we arrived, we bumped into some friends from the Pascua, Ana, Pili and Esther, who all live in Jaen. They took us around Jaen the next day, visiting the cathedral, Fr. Poveda’s house and a Poveda school. It was also in Jaen that we had our first sampling of real Spanish churros and paella.
Two hours from Jaen, was our next stop–Cordoba, a famous historical walled city in Spain made popular to tourists by the Mezquita which is basically a Mosque Cathedral. The striking feature of Cordoba is the obvious blend of Christian, Jewish and Muslim influences that are evident in the art and architecture of the city.
Like backpackers we hopped from city to city staying overnight in one town and leaving the next day. After Cordoba was Sevilla. We then went on to Guadix, particularly to the cave where the gypsies live. In 1902 Poveda established a school among the gypsies because he saw that education was the means by which they could uplift themselves from poverty. This school still exists today and is run by the Teresiana members who, like their founder, live among the gypsies in cave-houses. It impressed us so much that Poveda was ahead of his time because he did not resort to doling out but rather lived with the rejects of society.
During our trip we didn’t even have time to feel homesick. We came back being able to speak Spanish a little better, muy bien.
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