Spanish Learning Abroad

Huelva

Exactly what I dreamed it would be. Freedom. Family. Fun.

"Incredible trip! My Spanish family was the perfect blend of sweet, funny and understanding. They absolutely made this experience for me. This trip gives you a great sense of who you are." Danielle

"The aspects I loved the most were the dinner conversations with my family, and the sightseeing throughout España. I loved my host family. They were extremely sweet and nice, and also patient when I didn’t understand something. They were curious about life in the USA— which is a great environment for conversation!" Aylin

"I had the best time and learned so much about Spain, the Spanish language, and the culture. I also formed an amazing relationship with my family."

"Unlike other programs, Spanish Learning Abroad included less travel time and more time with the family—which was great". Graham

"My trip was an unforgettable experience. I value the most my extraordinary family and the great things we saw. Also, the numerous amounts of new Spanish friends we made. ¡Fue perfecto!" Carla

We begin with a three-day tour of Madrid and nearby sites of great historical importance, like Segovia Toledo and Cordoba. These days will also be used to give students an orientation and introduction to cultural mores. The heart and soul of the program –as always- will be the home stay experience in Huelva.

This program is designed for students with a language base of Spanish 2 or higher, who are committed to developing their Spanish language skills. One-on-one tutoring is also available.

TENNIS AND SOCCER PROGRAM AVAILABLE. Click here for details.
COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM AVAILABLE. (coming soon)

Need a shorter/longer program? Different dates? We have built the onsite teaching schedule in weekly units, which can accommodate alternate dates. Click here to contact us.

Huelva is new this year. We are very excited to offer this program in this delightful Andalusian city on the Atlantic. Best known as the departure site of Christopher Columbus’ voyages, Huelva is ideally situated near many quaint towns and historic sites, some of them dating back to the celtiberian tribes that first inhabited the peninsula. Students will visit a number of these towns, especially Niebla and Aracena, with their historic castles. One of the highlights of this program is a weekend visit to Portugal.

The other treasure of Huelva is our friend Nohemi Sánchez Limón. Raised by educators in a typical Andalusian home, she spent many summers abroad in England and Ireland learning Enlish as a teen. Her professional life has reflected this, as she has worked for almost 20 years with students in immersion situations.

She has been an integral part of our program for over a decade at Los Geranios in Dos Hermanas, and was always a favorite of our students, who especially loved her “guided shopping trips”. Our alumni continue to correspond with her and visit her when she comes to the US, or when they go back to Spain.

Host Families are drawn from the language school communities. For almost all our students, the relationships they develop with the people of Spain are what they value the most about this program. At the top of their list is their host family and the other Spanish friends that they make. Both in Granada and in Dos Hermanas, we select families that are authentically interested in getting to know our students, and incorporating them into their normal lives. Many of these families have hosted students before, and are within walking distance of the language school. Students will be primarily housed one per family, in some cases in pairs. Students should expect to eat all their meals with their host families; we have found this to be the key to developing a relationship with them. Whether it’s the host family, their friends, or the young people they meet, we strongly encourage our students to spend their free time getting to know the people of Spain.

Students usually wake up between 9:00 and 9:30, have a light breakfast (juice or coffee, toast or fruit) and go to school. Classes start at 10:30am. There are four, 40-minute classes per day, with a 20-minute break between the second and third classes. Classes end at 1:30pm and students go home for lunch. Lunch is the main meal of the day, usually starting at 2:00 pm. Afternoon siestas are common, and some students become enthusiastic practitioners. Usually there is a programmed afternoon activity that will start at different times, often around 5 or 6 pm. These activities will usually finish by 8 pm. Suppertime varies, often starting when the sun goes down, which is around 10:00 pm. Students will sometimes meet friends after that. PLEASE NOTE: In Andalucia it is common for young people (and families with children) to be out much later than in the U.S. (after midnight). There is also significant variation among families on curfews. In all cases, we expect our students to adapt to the norms of their host family. Our recommended curfews are 11:30pm weeknights, 1:30am weekends.

Activitiestake place in the afternoons, and are designed to expose students to a wide variety of typical features of Spanish culture and customs. On some afternoons there will be visits to places of interest in Seville or Huelva, or to wonderful sites nearby. We will climb up castle walls for a sentry’s view, walk down into caves to see prehistoric paintings that are 25,000 years old, and stand in the sands of a Roman amphitheatre and imagine what it felt like to stand, sword in hand, ready for gladiatorial combat. In between we will learn to prepare some Spanish tapas (and eat them!), make some flamenco moves, and hang out with our Spanish friends.