By Isabel Erickson, Year 10

Towards the end of last term, the Year 9 and Year 10 Spanish classes had the incredible opportunity to attend a cultural event organised by the embassies of several Spanish-speaking countries. Each country set up an exhibit showcasing unique aspects of their culture, providing us with an interactive learning experience that was both educational and fun. We joined with schools such as Canberra Girls' Grammar School, and we split into groups of seven to nine students, to rotate through the countries.

The staff from the Mexican embassy engaged us with a memory game featuring Mexican food, culture, fashion, music, traditions, and more. This helped us broaden our language skills and cultural knowledge of the Mexican heritage.

El Salvador's stall highlighted their surfing culture, a significant sport in the country, and lifestyle along their coastlines.

Guatemala introduced us to Pok-A-Tok, an ancient ball game played by the Mayans, where players use their hips or knees to hit a ball through a hoop. This was a very challenging activity, and I only saw one person get the ball through the hoop!

Venezuela taught us how to play Perinola, a traditional game that, while difficult, was a great way to understand more about Venezuelan recreational activities. Perinola requires players to flip the “spinning top” onto the stick, which I’m sure took many attempts for most of us – or at least me!

Panama hosted a game of musical chairs game, where we danced to reggaetón, a popular music genre combining Latin American rhythms with hip-hop and reggae beats.

Spain shared a variety of Spanish idioms with us, providing insight into the Spanish language.

Ecuador organised a lemon and spoon race and a sack race, which was not only fun, but also highlighted traditional games often played during local festivals and gatherings. I however, found the sack race very challenging!

Paraguay ran a clapping game called "ritmo" that involved listing typical dishes and places, offering a rhythmic way to learn about different aspects of Latin American culture.

Peru's exhibit taught us about its diverse culture, delicious food and famous landmarks such as Machu Picchu. I was so shocked to find out that guinea pigs are considered a Peruvian delicacy called cuy! We then participated in trivia and cup stacking, which added a fun element to our learning.

In between each exhibit we were given a card with a trivia question to answer, that would help guide us to the next country, and to top it all off, we were treated to delicious churros!

Overall, this event was a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries, making our study of the Spanish language all the more enjoyable!