Tom: 4 week Spanish Course
Before arriving on the course I hoped that I would be able to achieve a firm grounding in Spanish in preparation for an EU work placement in Barcelona during the Summer. Having not enjoyed languages at school I had only a vague hope that I would be able to communicate in simple Spanish by the end of the month.
By the end of the course at the Spanish language school in Seville, my expectations were surpassed, linguistically and generally. I was still a long way off achieving anything close to fluency, however I had gained a great deal of confidence in terms of being able to try out the language at every opportunity.
The lessons were superb, challenging but very interesting and enjoyable. The class size was just right (around 8 people) and our professor (Alberto) encouraged everyone to participate. As well as the language we also learnt numerous interesting facts about Spanish and Andalusian culture.
The school is located in an excellent position right in the heart of Seville. Most of the classrooms had lots of natural light and generally it was very comfortable. There was also a roof terrace to enjoy the Andalusian sun or practise more Spanish.
The best part of the language course was undoubtedly meeting many interesting people from all over the world. This is a major advantage when practising Spanish because you do not always have the easy option of reverting to English.
The other students at the College were friendly and sociable. While most were between the ages of 18 and 30 yrs, there were also a significant number of older students who were equally as involved in the social and cultural activities.
Excursions and cultural programmes were very good. Everything from cooking to weekend trips to Morocco were offered. Having also studied at another College in the North of Spain I can say that the opportunities in Seville were much better.
Seville has since become one of my favourite European cities. It is large enough to offer all the amenities of a major city, but small enough to walk around and retain a friendly atmosphere. I always felt safe and discovered that Sevillianos are generally a very friendly and gregarious people and very willing to chat.
I stayed with Senora Garrido, she and her husband were a very friendly retired couple, always willing to chat and very welcoming. I would definitely recommend them to other students. My accommodation was basic, but very clean and comfortable.
Booking with CESA Languages Abroad saved me a lot of time and effort and gave me confidence that everything would run smoothly.
I would definitely go again and recommend the course to others. I would very much like to return next year during the Semana Santa and Feria de Abril de Sevilla.