The Program

We begin with a tour of Madrid, Spain's exciting capital city, which will include visits to Segovia and Toledo. Students will have an introduction to Spanish history and culture and an orientation to practical aspects of living in Spain. The heart and soul of this immersion program - as always - will be the three-week home stay experiences in the Seville area. Each group of students will stay in one of the small cities surrounding Seville (Dos Hermanas, Utrera, Montequinto and Alcala de Guadaira) where they will receive Spanish language instruction and participate in cultural activities and tours.

Main features of this program:
· Live in a Spanish home and adapt to their life.
· Get to know Spanish teens and make new friends.
· Three hours of Spanish language instruction, five days a week.
· Visits to Madrid, Segovia, Toledo, Cordoba, Granada, Cadiz, Huelva.
· Afternoon activities include bicycle tours, visits to historic sites, beach days, flamenco dancing, sports, and cooking (and eating!) Spanish tapas.
· Special Barcelona weekend tour available.

This academic 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 CLASSES AVAILABLE. Click here for details.

Program Dates:

These departure dates are from the USA. There will be chaperoned flights for each session departing from Washington, DC.

Dos Hermanas, Utrera, Montequinto and Alcala de Guadaira

Ideally located a few minutes away from the historical center of Seville, these small cities provide our students with a more intimate, small-town flavor and a vibrant social life, which allows our students to make many Spanish friends.

Spanish Language Instruction
For over 25 years the Los Geranios Institute has been directing Spanish language instruction for American and European students in this area. For over 15 years, they have worked with Spanish Learning Abroad and Learning Abroad Programs to provide instructional programs tailored to the needs of our students and our academic programs. Upon arrival, our students are tested for placement and grouped by levels of proficiency. Students have 3 hours of classes each weekday, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. The Spanish classes are designed to develop students' vocabulary, applied grammatical skills, and knowledge of the history and culture of Spain. The classes also provide students the opportunity to ask questions about phrases they have heard in their conversations with their host family, or other Spanish friends.

Home Stay

Spanish Hosts 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 are their Spanish host and the other Spanish friends that they make. Los Geranios selects Spanish hosts that are interested in getting to know our students, and incorporating them into their daily life. Many of them have hosted our students in previous years, and are within walking distance of the school. Students should expect to eat all their meals with their hosts; we have found this to be the key to developing a relationship with them. Whether it’s the Spanish hosts, their friends, or the young people they meet the primary goal for students in this program is to get to know the people of Spain.

Daily Routine

Students start the day with a light breakfast of usually juice, coffee, toast or fruit. The classes begin at 9:30 am every week day. There are four, 40 minute classes per day, with a 20 minute break between the second and third classes. Classes end at 12:30 pm. Lunch is the main meal of the day, usually starting at 2:00 pm. Afternoon siestas are common, and some students become enthusiastic practitioners. Afternoon activities usually start around 5:00 pm. These activities will usually finish by 8:00 pm. Suppertime varies, often starting when the sun goes down, which is around 10:00 pm. In all cases, we expect our students to adapt to the norms and routines of the Spanish host.

Activities

Activities take 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 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, make some flamenco moves, and hang out with our Spanish friends by the pool.