Spanish students visit PA for a taste of Saskatchewan culture

A group of 12 students from Spain are vising the Prince Albert area this week to improve their English skills and learn about life on the Canadian prairie.

Although the delegation is a long way from their Madrid-area schools, chaperone and translator Miriam Mateos said they have been discovering commonalities.

“It’s important to know about different cultures,” Mateos said during a break in class at the PA Multiculutral Council.

“It’s important for us to learn English and Canada is very far away from Spain and people here are a little bit different, but similar. (We) can learn about your routines and how do you live, the weather, nature.”

The visit is organized by Global Partners, a Canadian student exchange agency. Jeannette Eddolls is the Saskatchewan regional manager of Global Partners Canada. For 14 years she has been bringing students from Japan, Australia and New Zealand to the province, but this is her first time welcoming a group from Spain.

“The goal is first of all to follow what they want. They wanted a cultural exchange and they wanted to learn more English so I’m trying to bend that together. So for this particular group they’re getting a focus on First Nations culture in our area, a focus on agriculture, a focus on forestry and the community,” Eddolls said.

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