Impressive progress with a language is possible in a short amount of time, given the right conditions: structured lessons with native speakers, complementary real-world experiences, and adventures undertaken side by side with Spanish peers. In our two-week Spanish language intensive we use both rural and cosmopolitan settings as fertile ground in which to quickly grow your language skills and develop a deep cultural appreciation for warm and welcoming Spain.
We begin by flying into Barcelona and visiting Gaudí’s nearly completed masterpiece of modernism, the Sagrada Familia Basilica. We follow with an orientation session to Spain, the program, and each other, as well as a one-on-one language goal-setting meeting, before an early night’s sleep, designed to help minimize the effects of jet lag.
The next morning, we say “hasta luego” to Barcelona and hop on a charter bus to head toward the French border to Espot, the town in the Pyrenees that hosts the beginning of our language immersion practice. We settle into the ski hotel that we call home for the next six days and introduce ourselves to the Spanish students who live alongside us as they participate in their own summer camp experience.
Explore Espot in the Pyrenees
In the Pyrenees, mornings are dedicated to language instruction in the classroom, while afternoons are filled with recreational activities like fútbol, hikes, mountain biking, and rafting alongside our new Spanish friends with whom you can put your morning lessons directly into practice.
When our time in Espot comes to a close, we descend from the mountains and head to Valencia to get to know a brand new, but equally Spanish, cosmopolitan environment.
Valencia, the third largest city in Spain, contains all the trademarks of the Mediterranean nation in an easy, open layout that is conducive to exploring in a group. The city is perhaps best known for the Festival de las fallas, for which local businesses and studios create giant cartoonish sculptures, often symbolizing cultural conversations of the day, and then burn them to the ground over the course of a week in March. But Valencia has a lot to offer all year round! Morning is your time for Spanish classes, in which we will practice writing, grammar, and speaking with native instructors in our Residence.
Mercat Central, Valencia’s vibrant central market
After class, the city is ours to explore with the group, and we have plentiful opportunities to put our language skills to work. Spend the afternoon on the beach cooling off in the Mediterranean, and the evening in the historic city center, sampling boquerones and patatas bravas from a plaza shaded by palm trees. Visit a paella teaching-kitchen in the Ruzafa neighborhood and learn from locals, in Spanish, about the typical Valencian dish; then, taste your creation. Explore the Ciudad de las artes to revel in Santiago Calatrava’s architectural masterpiece, and visit the Oceanografic, the world-renowned science museum and aquarium whose structure mimics the shape of a whale’s tail. Bargain with vendors at the Mercat Central in Castellano and pick out jamón serrano, manchego, and olives to share with your group.
Visit the Oceanografic and explore the architecture at the Ciudad de las artes
After six days in the city, say goodbye to Valencia and head back up north to Barcelona, where you spend a final evening with your group reflecting on all that you have learned over your two weeks in Spain over one final feast. Return to your classroom in the fall not only with better speaking and writing skills, but also with a revived sense of inspiration for the many doors that language learning opens.
Click here to learn more about Putney’s language immersion program in Valencia.
