Summer Spanish course in Granada

Sally Gray : 2 weeks Spanish course

I’d been on a language course before and was expecting it to be the same with a good broad cover of all aspects of the language – reading, writing, listening and speaking.  I wasn’t expecting to mix with the other students much and thought the work would be very much from text books and focused more on grammar than on “real-life” sources.

The reality was terrific!  What a wonderful way to learn Spanish, in Granada. We certainly covered all aspects of the language  and used more texts from newspapers/articles from magazines that were more interesting.  The class size was really good (three people) and the teachers spoke to each person the same amount.  The Spanish lessons were very well co-ordinated, allowing student input into the subject matter being studied. We also covered a broad range of topics such as literature and styles of writing.

The Spanish language school was in really convenient location (although on a hill!) and only 10 minutes walk from our apartment.  It owns a swimming pool which we used a lot and the teachers were friendly and mixed well with the students and the admin staff were always good about sorting out all your problems!

The best things about the Spanish course in Granada for me were the small groups and therefore the friendly and un-pressured atmosphere, and also the range of subjects covered in the space of a week.  I liked the way that the teachers rotated, so you experienced a variety of teaching methods every day.

The other language students were really fun and we formed a close group over the time we were there.  The Spanish school organised lots of activities throughout the week – almost too many, I couldn’t do all of them!  The BBQ and the international supper were my two favourite events – fantastic social events!

Granada is spectacular and good value for money, especially lunch and tapas – I loved getting free tapas with our drinks!  The Albaicin and a terrific mix of Moroccans and Spaniards and the Granadinos were really chatty and interesting to get to know in the bars.

Granada’s night life was really good – one of the clubs and an incredible view of the Alhambra.  The tapas bars were always a popular choice each evening and with great food on offer that was either free or really cheap therefore they were usually packed!

I didn’t want to stay with a host, I fancied a greater degree of independence so when looking at the accommodation in Granada, Katherine at CESA suggested the student apartment option and that worked out really well for me.  I was in the apartment with the school swimming pool which was a fantastic way of cooling down in the boiling summer heat.  The apartment was well placed, shared with great people,  near the school and within easy reach of the city centre, in the heart of the Albayun.

Thanks CESA – I’d absolutely go again, tomorrow if I could.  I’m already trying to plan how to fit in all the things that I want to do in Granada on my next Spanish course with you guys!