Where to study Spanish in Spain AFTER the Camino?

[audge]

Hi All,
I am thinking about taking a few weeks to do some type of immersion Spanish language study AFTER the Camino. Of course I realize it would makes more sense to do this before I walk the Camino so that I could converse a little better, but because I will be walking in June and early July, I don't want to walk later in the summer. I was thinking of finding a school right in Santiago and just staying there for a few weeks. I welcome suggestions of good schools in Santiago, or other cities in Spain. It might be nice to find one with a home stay possibility or a sense of community. I am over 50, female and traveling alone.
Any suggestions? Or do most people find that after the Camino they just wan to get home? I am a teacher, so summer is my time.

 

[piogaw]

Hi All,
I am thinking about taking a few weeks to do some type of immersion Spanish language study AFTER the Camino. Of course I realize it would makes more sense to do this before I walk the Camino so that I could converse a little better, but because I will be walking in June and early July, I don't want to walk later in the summer. I was thinking of finding a school right in Santiago and just staying there for a few weeks. I welcome suggestions of good schools in Santiago, or other cities in Spain. It might be nice to find one with a home stay possibility or a sense of community. I am over 50, female and traveling alone.
Any suggestions? Or do most people find that after the Camino they just wan to get home? I am a teacher, so summer is my time.

hello audge,

welcome to the camino forum,

there are language schools in santiago. you can also try the unibversity of santiago. or you can seek nadbvice from john at the amigos in the oficina del peregrino in santiago.

another one i can highly recommend is to go to salamanca and sign up with one of the numerous language schools. salamanca is a center of learning with 2 unversities, one of them the second oldest unibversity in europe. it is a university town with a population of 70,000 and 35,000 students.

buen camino.

 

[LTfit]

I can't give you any advice about Santiago but maybe @ivar or @JohnnieWalker (currently walking the Vía de la Plata) can do that.

People from all over the world go to Salamanca to study Spanish. It is also a wonderful place to be. If you google language school Salamanca you will find many options but I unfortunately can not give you advice on a particular school.

 

[ivar]

Hi All,
I am thinking about taking a few weeks to do some type of immersion Spanish language study AFTER the Camino. Of course I realize it would makes more sense to do this before I walk the Camino so that I could converse a little better, but because I will be walking in June and early July, I don't want to walk later in the summer. I was thinking of finding a school right in Santiago and just staying there for a few weeks. I welcome suggestions of good schools in Santiago, or other cities in Spain. It might be nice to find one with a home stay possibility or a sense of community. I am over 50, female and traveling alone.
Any suggestions? Or do most people find that after the Camino they just wan to get home? I am a teacher, so summer is my time.

Here is one alternative, they have a course that is Camino related ...
http://cursosinternacionais.usc.es/Template2.asp?UID=1D1A4991-86C3-41FF-A5F3-F94FB620D700
Here is another one: http://ifspanish.com/

..try googling for "cursos de español santiago de compostela"

Good luck!
Ivar

 

[audge]

Thanks Ivar and everyone for the great suggestions. I am looking in to all of them and open to more. I am leaning towards more of a private conversational language school than a big university with younger students. Part of choosing is where I want to hang out for two or three weeks after the Camino. The place is just as important as the language study.
Is Santiago a nice place to spent a few weeks?

I could just play it by ear, and let the end of my Camino guide me.

 

[ivar]

Is Santiago a nice place to spent a few weeks?

I could just play it by ear, and let the end of my Camino guide me.

Santiago is a nice place, but it is small.... why not write to them and ask what types of excursions/program/activities they might offer...

 

[whariwharangi]

I took courses with Don Quijote in Granada and Salamanca. I took other courses with Enforex at Alicante.

Of the three cities I would recommend Granada ... after 3 months I could still head off walking in a new direction and find interesting things to see. You could spend a week just visiting the Alhambra.

 

[RobS]

Hi Audge: I am teacher/admin here in PDX, too!
I did SJPP to S de C in 2012. I finished much faster than I thought I would and had several days to wait for my previously-booked travel. I saw ALL of S de C in the first couple of days. Had I known how small it was I would have lingered more in the small towns along the Camino. I would recommend traveling, after the Camino, to somewhere larger.
We may be on the camino at the same time: My wife and I are planning to walk Lugo to Santiago from July 9-15, or so.
Rob

 

[Anniesantiago]

I took courses with Don Quijote in Granada and Salamanca. I took other courses with Enforex at Alicante.

Of the three cities I would recommend Granada ... after 3 months I could still head off walking in a new direction and find interesting things to see. You could spend a week just visiting the Alhambra.

Whari, how did you like those Don Quixote courses?
I've looked into their courses, but never spoke with anyone who has actually done them.

 

[whariwharangi]

Whari, how did you like those Don Quixote courses?
I've looked into their courses, but never spoke with anyone who has actually done them.

I took Don Quixote courses on three occassions at Granada, Guanajuato Mexico, and Salamanca.

I transferred first week from Salamanca to the Enforex School in Alicante. All the balconies on an 8 story apartment building crashed onto the street just before I walked under them on my way to accomodations from classes ... so I didn't feel much like staying in Salamanca.

I found the quality of instruction in all of the schools was very good. There were frequent school activities and there were optional cultural classes in the evenings. I would recommend the schools to anyone.

Downside is I was 45 when I started learning Spanish. Most of the student body was considerably younger. People in my peer group were only there at Christmas break.

You can opt for family stay accommodation ... which deepens the immersion process.

I stayed in apartments arranged for by the school and shared with other students. There were issues with smoking and flat mates who wanted to party into the wee hours. Maintenance was always an issue. Furnishings were in falling down poor condition in 2 of the 4 apartments. I won't be attending another school until I can figure out how to arrange for low cost accomodations on my own.

My spanish is now good enough to get on the right bus ...

 

[Stellere]

I would love, love, love to study Spanish in Santiago after finishing the Camino! Unfortunately, the timing won't work. I guess I'll have to stick to my Skype lessons for now. If you decide to study in Santiago, please post about your experience on the board - I would love to read all about it.

 

[whariwharangi]

I would love, love, love to study Spanish in Santiago after finishing the Camino! Unfortunately, the timing won't work. I guess I'll have to stick to my Skype lessons for now. If you decide to study in Santiago, please post about your experience on the board - I would love to read all about it.

One thing to remember is that Spain has 4 official languages. You might find a good Spanish language school for extraneros in Santiago ... however, while everyone in Spain is required to learn Castellano (which we know as Spanish), the population in Santiago speaks Galacian ... similar but not the same ... and that is the lingua franca. Same Same for Catalan (Barcelona) and Euskara (Basque area).

 

[indyinmaine]

Hi All,
I am thinking about taking a few weeks to do some type of immersion Spanish language study AFTER the Camino. Of course I realize it would makes more sense to do this before I walk the Camino so that I could converse a little better, but because I will be walking in June and early July, I don't want to walk later in the summer. I was thinking of finding a school right in Santiago and just staying there for a few weeks. I welcome suggestions of good schools in Santiago, or other cities in Spain. It might be nice to find one with a home stay possibility or a sense of community. I am over 50, female and traveling alone.
Any suggestions? Or do most people find that after the Camino they just wan to get home? I am a teacher, so summer is my time.

Hi,
I would recommend, without reservation, Idiomas de Nerja. Nerja is a bit of a trek from Santiago (just east of Malaga), but well worth the time. I've done business with them for over ten years and never had anyone who was disappointed. If you're serious about it, start a conversation and I'll put you in contact with them.

 

[Anniesantiago]

All of my Spanish has come from immersion on the Camino and from Rosetta Stone, which I love.
But thanks for the info on Don Quixote.
I've gotten emails from them for years and always wondered...

 

[audge]

Thanks for so many good suggestions. I am listening to the Pimslar CD's in my car, but I hope to find some Rosetta Stone at the Library. From what I have heard, they are somewhat different. As far as studying afterwards, I have decided to wing it. I will look in to a few possibilities before I go, and make the decision once I am on my way and getting closer to Santiago. I want to give myself extra days and maybe short walking days as well along the way, so what ever time I have left when I am done will help me decide where to study.

 

[kacu.katka]

I can highly recommend to study Spanish in Alicante. It is a very nice city on the coast. There are no dialects. I have studied in Elcano Spanish school. (http://www.escuela-elcano.com/) There are good teachers, the prices of the courses are very favorable. They also organize a lot of activities and trips and they can offer you accommodation in a shared flat or in a family.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi All,
I am thinking about taking a few weeks to do some type of immersion Spanish language study AFTER the Camino. Of course I realize it would makes more sense to do this before I walk the Camino so that I could converse a little better, but because I will be walking in June and early July, I don't want to walk later in the summer. I was thinking of finding a school right in Santiago and just staying there for a few weeks. I welcome suggestions of good schools in Santiago, or other cities in Spain. It might be nice to find one with a home stay possibility or a sense of community. I am over 50, female and traveling alone.
Any suggestions? Or do most people find that after the Camino they just wan to get home? I am a teacher, so summer is my time.

I did a lot of research on this question about 10 years ago when my son went to study in Spain for a year. For me, one of the most important factors was to find a city where there isn't a big English language community and where there wasn´t a huge English speaking "junior year abroad" community (which is what took Salamanca out of the mix for us). This is of course more important for a teen than it would be for you, a motivated adult. But I still think it's good to look for a place where people aren't as likely to jump in in English when you flounder. In other words, a big component of the learning is outside the classroom too. Also ìmportant was to find a city where Castilian was the only language spoken; galego, catalán, Basque, etc., make those out of classroom experiences more complicated.

Our "finalists", from which my son chose, were León, Oviedo, and Santander. In the last ten years, I would say that León has probably acquired more English fluency than Oviedo has. Though they are both Camino cities, Oviedo is the start of the relatively untraveled Camino Primitivo. My son chose Oviedo and it was a terrific choice. I also think Santander would be a great choice. Oviedo is a gorgeous city, close to mountains and ocean, where clear Castilian Spanish is spoken. It´s got a good university, all the amenities you´d want from a major city, and he managed to earn 28 college credits in the US from a one year course for foreigners at the University of Oviedo that cost us all of 1500 € plus living expenses. I doubt college credits are an issue for you, but I would encourage you to scope out Oviedo. I also have a good friend in Oviedo, who might be able to help with finding a homestay.

Great idea, I hope you find the right place for you. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[alexwalker]

I can highly recommend to study Spanish in Alicante.

Thank you VERY much for that link: Just what I needed. Alicante is a very nice, not too big city by the Med. sea. I am seriously considering 2 months study. Very favorable course prices/housing. And: There are direct, cheap flights from Norway... When I was there in March I paid 70 Euro for a oneway trip...

 

[Mark Francis Auchincloss]

I would recommend Academia Iria Flavia which is only two minutes walk from Old Town of Santiago. Outside Santiago but still in Galicia I also really like Spain Vox -Academia Vox Populi from O Grove which is also a nice place to stay as the owners can arrange your accommodation, one to one tailor made course etc. Any problems please let me know.

 

[Whalleyranger]

It was a long time ago but I did a course at the Centro de Lenguas Modernas at the University of Granada. Learners of all ages and in Granada which is a brilliant city. And at the end of it all, if you can understand the accent in Granada you'll manage anywhere else in Spain easily.

 

[Bryan87]

Hi All,
I am thinking about taking a few weeks to do some type of immersion Spanish language study AFTER the Camino. Of course I realize it would makes more sense to do this before I walk the Camino so that I could converse a little better, but because I will be walking in June and early July, I don't want to walk later in the summer. I was thinking of finding a school right in Santiago and just staying there for a few weeks. I welcome suggestions of good schools in Santiago, or other cities in Spain. It might be nice to find one with a home stay possibility or a sense of community. I am over 50, female and traveling alone.
Any suggestions? Or do most people find that after the Camino they just wan to get home? I am a teacher, so summer is my time.

I found this website time ago: gogoespana.com

Apparently they are use to work with Spanish Language schools all around Spain, so probably they can give you a good advice!

Good luck!!