Day 4 Experiencing Town Twinning and Benicàssim culture

The 4th day of our student exchange programme focused on the anniversary of Bad. Salzdetfurth and Benicàssim’s 40 years of Town Twinning friendship.

First, we met Rosa Maria Gil, First Deputy Mayor of Benicàssim and Councilor for

Education, Culture, Social Affairs, Senior Citizens, Language Integration and Town

Twinning, in the Town Hall to learn more about city politics, her work, and the friendship between Bad Salzdetfurth and Benicàssim.

Many of us used the opportunity to ask the questions we had prepared in the fourth workshop the day prior. It was interesting to learn that she only speaks Spanish, despite her function as Town Twinning Councilor. Rosa Maria Gil was first elected in 1990. Her interest in politics was first sparked by her parents, who took her along to town hall meetings from a very young age. Because of this, she aims to inspire young people tomcare about politics by dedicating her time to topics like education and student exchange programmes.

We also learned that Benicàssim is a town of international interaction, where people come together to learn more about Spanish culture and tradition. The beach, the restaurants, and the town’s main attractions are bringing the locals and the tourists together. This not only boosts the local economy as the town’s main source of income, but also helps to forge new international friendships. Rosa Maria Gil told us that the friendship between the two towns began when a German family with a baby found themselves in a difficult situation and a local family came to their aid. This was the start of our Town Twinning which has flourished since.

After the interview we set out to explore the spots where people from all over the world come together in Benicàssim in a rallye through town. We explored a church, main city buildings and of course the beach of Benicàssim. With these new impressions of our twin town our day ended at school where we met our host families again