Taylorian 2020

73 T he U13s travelled to Holland over the October half-term break, enjoying four hard-fought games of hockey against some of the best and largest hockey clubs in the world. The boys were fortunate enough to play at the Dutch National Hockey Centre — a stunning venue — against AmsterdamHC. Other highlights included go-karting, laser tag, the Tikibad Water Park, and a trip to the theme park. This annual hockey tour is a real highlight and the pupils enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Well done to all the players involved, who were a real credit to the school and their year group. Mr M J Penny Trips Trips Holland Hockey Tour 2020 Spanish Exchange H aving previously met our exchanges when they came to London, it was finally our turn to test out our language skills. We left a rainy London for a sunny Malaga. At the weekend we did various activities with our exchanges’ families and tried different Spanish food before starting the week in Novo Anoretta School. Their school was based in the mountains and was very different from MTS. We got to experience how they spent their day in school: we had lessons and lunch with them, and maybe even learnt something! Tuesday took us to Granada, a great city just outside of Malaga. It was a long day with lots of walking, but we saw some amazing things which we would never see in London. On Wednesday we learnt how to cook a traditional paella using different seafood and chicken. Everyone took part, and together we made an amazing lunch. It was followed by free time in the city, where we explored shopping centres and went in groups to see different things. Then came the best part: chocolate con churros, the best Spanish dish. On Thursday we spent the morning at the amazing Nerja caves and then, as it was our last day, had a more relaxed finish. We were given ice cream, went to Burrinda beach, and sat there in the sun. It was a great way to end the trip. As we said goodbye to our exchanges, we left with a smile but also wanted to be back in London. That changed when we saw the weather! Overall, the Spanish exchange was a great trip, and it is fair to say that we learnt quite a lot of Spanish from our families during our time there. Ishaan Shah (Divs)