On Tuesday 27th January, we arrived at the University of Bath and entered the large lecture hall filled with students from several different schools in the area. We all sat down in our allocated seats while the lecturer started to introduce herself and the language program we were involved in, “Routes Into Languages”. This is a widespread language program that encourages pupils to travel abroad, learn about different cultures, and continue learning foreign languages in secondary and higher education. We were led to our individual lectures, which were Spanish or German, and in my case, French. The class was very interactive as the lecturer asked many questions and made sure we understood exactly what we were being taught. I found the lecture eye opening, as it was my first time experiencing a lecture at a university. Following the one hour-long lecture, we had lunch with the university ambassadors, who were all extremely friendly. After lunch, we had either Japanese, Italian, Arabic or Mandarin lessons in smaller classrooms; these were all picked at random. I had the pleasure of learning Italian and found it fascinating to be able to learn so much about another language in such a short amount of time. There was an amiable atmosphere in the classroom as everyone was eager to learn, whilst asking challenging questions and participating in class activities set out by the teacher. The rest of the day consisted of another lecture back in the large hall, where several students at the university talked about their experiences on Erasmus placements, and how wonderful it was to learn more about different cultures and being able to make friends and memories they will never forget.
Overall, this trip had encouraged me to continue learning languages in the future, whether it be as a main option in university, or as an additional language. I would also like to spend more time abroad in order to learn about the different cultures around the world and gain unforgettable experiences that will stay in my memories forever.
Anthea (Year 10)
