In this presentation which was given at the beginning of the school term, allowed me to introduce myself and the island of which I was travelling from. 

We discussed several themes; the island of Ireland, how Ireland is split into two states, the troubles in the North of Ireland as well as the ongoing issues surrounding governance.  

This gave us an opportunty to examine historical and contemporary issues in relation to Ireland. 

In this presentation we looked at the significance of the national Thanksgiving celebration in the United States. 

Inicially discussing the origins of the tradition historically, we then looked at the manner in which it is celebrated, analysing what foods are typically eaten and how people spend their time during the holiday. 

The presentation was followed by a quiz and a  general discussion in which students put forward their own knowledge of the issue or asked questions pertaining to the topic. 

In terms of the topic of Halloween, I opted to highlight the celtic origins of the tradition, discussing the old superstitions and ceremonies of 'Samhain', including myths of Celtic Ireland that have shaped the custom. 

We moved on to examine how Halloween is celebrated in the modern context in Ireland and elsewhere. 

This was also followed by a quiz in which the students were split into groups and competed to see who could get the most questions correct. 

This presentation was interesting and fun for the students and myself alike. I outlined the main staples of Irish cuisine - Stew, the Irish fry (breakfast), wheaten bread etc as well as some of Irelands most famous products such as Guinness. 

We found it interesting in comparing the gastronomy of Ireland and Spain as a small number of the students had visited Ireland previously.

I presented the topic of St.Patrick to the students across all levels. 

We examined who St.Patrick was in terms of his roots and how he brought Christianity to Ireland as well as moving on to look at how St.Patrick´s day is celebrated in Ireland and other places around the world with significant Irish immigration. 

We encouraged students to wear an item of green clothing for the occasion and marked the day with a staff photo sporting green clothes and other accessories.  

We finished up each presentation with a quiz and some questions in which the engagement from the students was always great.

We talked about Halloween and the different festivities it comes with: candy, costumes, Trick-or-Treating, etc.

I taught the students a little bit about Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day. We also did a debate: Columbus Day vs Indigenous Peoples' Day. This made them practice speaking, forming arguments, organizing their thoughts, etc.

We talked about the American military 

and Veteran's Day

Usually celebrated on November 11th in the U.S.

Though it wasn't Valentine's Day, I talked about it the week before the holiday. At the end we had a debate...Is Valentine’s Day too commercialized, or is it still a meaningful holiday?

What do you think?

If I remember correctly, I genetically have a little bit of Irish in me haha, but no I'm not really Irish. Though, many Americans are Irish American and have roots there. Due to many events and colonization from Britain, many Irish people had to flee and escape the man-made famine. We discussed the fact that this holiday actually originated in the U.S. from those Irish Americans celebrating their Irish pride. Nowadays, it's a very festive holiday to come together for everyone and have fun, but it's also important to remember the history of this holiday.

We talked about Easter and Holy week in the U.S. and the similarities and differences between them and Semana Santa in Spain. I learned a lot about Spanish traditions and the best Samana Santa desserts. I ate some amazing torrijas at La Gamba de Oro in la Urba near my apartment.