Rocket Spanish Community

Hi, my name is Darren. I am a 39yo Australian and I have recently decided to take a year of work and do some travel and learn Spanish. I have been looking at doing this through the don Quijote organisation in Spain. Has anybody already had experience with this organisation? If so, were they positive? Also, I am thinking about doing it intensively for 6 months at a maximum of three locations. The choices are Barcelona, Granad, Madrid, Salamanca, Seville, Tenerife, Valencia and Malaga. As I have only passed through a few of these places on short holidays I am wondering whether anybody would recommend any of these areas as a place to learn Spanish.

Hello,

I've studied Spanish in 3 countries: Ecuador, Costa Rica and Guatemala. I'd done research about places in Spain one year (the year we ended up going to Ecuador instead). Here's what I found out: To try to stay out of the big cities, especially Madrid, because so many people will speak English to you! I found a little city something like 45 minutes west/northwest of Madrid as I recall, that had a good program. It was a darling little town, and few people speak English there. I've just looked on a larger map of Spain, but unfortunately I'm not seeing a name I recollect in that spot of the map. I may need a more detailed map. I'm pretty sure it wasn't Salamanca, which appears to be a couple of hundred miles from Madrid. From this town, you'd be able to go into Madrid easily, for weekend fun and trips to other museums, etc. I have found the immersion issue real important, which is why I chose homestay programs. In the hotels they all speak English. People want to practice it on you!

Best of luck!

Virginia wrote:Hello,

I've studied Spanish in 3 countries: Ecuador, Costa Rica and Guatemala.

Virginia,

Can you say a bit about these places where you studied and whether you would recommend them?

Thanks,

Tony

I'm aware of Don Quijote and know that they're pretty big, but other than that can't say much about them. It does seem to make some sense to study at a big school if you are going to be travelling through various different cities and want consistency in the company you deal with.

The other option would be just to travel and study independently at schools you find in the places you go to. This offers you the flexibility to go where you want, when you want, but perhaps more organisation hassle as well. I assure you, finding language schools is not difficult in Spain. The thing that is difficult is joining a class of the right level for the exact time period that you are in a certain city - this is where private classes might be best for your situation.

I study at Abla Lenguas escuela de idiomas in Valencia. They also have a school in Barcelona. They specialise on private classes (i.e. 1 to 1) which I find very good. You might want to consider the issue of class size in any case - my experience was better in individual classes but my only experience in group classes is from school/uni so I don't know if that's a fair comparison. Anyway the flexibility of private classes is probably quite suitable for you as a traveller because you can start and finish when you want, have your courses as frequently as you like, and the level of the class is of course always exactly at your level! Of course it's also a matter of price but certainly Abla Lenguas isn't too expensive really.

Anyway I think whatever option you go for you'll learn a lot and have a lot of fun!