Te Kura o Tititea Mt Aspiring College (MAC) students are hosting a Spanish-themed dinner and celebration later this month to help raise money for a four-week cultural exchange to Spain. 

MAC Spanish teacher Caitlin Harvey said the September trip would start on the Costa Brava before the group heads to Montserrat, Barcelona, Pamplona and San Sebastian.

The cultural exchange is offered every second year through the school.

Year 13 MAC student Nina Lee Smith said she was excited to practise her Spanish in a Spanish-speaking country and take in all the sights and experiences the visit would offer.

“I think being in another place with a different culture is such an amazing experience and it opens your eyes to how different the world can be,” she told the Wānaka App. 

“You figure out how different people live and how different their lifestyles are to yours but you find how you can still relate to similar things.”

Jackson Duguid, another Year 13 student who will be heading to Spain in September, is also looking forward to being immersed in a new language and culture.

“The best way to learn the language is through immersion,” he said. 

“Aside from when we’re talking to each other about organisational things or in certain situations like helping the people there learn English, we’ll be speaking Spanish as much as possible.”

Nina and Jackson are among the students who have been fundraising for the trip since the start of the year.

The Spanish Fiesta event, which will take place on July 29 at the Lake Hāwea Hotel, will be one of the last fundraising events before the group heads off. 

It will feature a three-course Spanish themed dinner, a presentation from students, Latin music, salsa dancing, as well as an auction with prizes like ski passes, spa and massage vouchers, skydives and accommodation packages up for grabs.

Tickets are $145 each (and include return coach transfer from Wānaka or Albert Town) but bookings of six or more people are being offered an 18 percent discount if booked together.

Find all the details for the Spanish Fiesta fundraiser and book your tickets here or message the Facebook page here for bookings of six or more people.