Taste of Spain : Comments from Travellers and their Parents

The Students' View (2006)

1) How much have your Spanish skills improved? (Scale of 1 - 10, where 10 = one full year at school)

8 (Most frequent answer; 91% responded 7 or higher)

2. How much impact did these factors have on your improvement in Spanish? (scale of 1 - 10)

Talking with families	9 (Median); 91% responded 8 or higher.
Talking with Spanish friends	9 (Median); 72% responded 9 or 10.
Classes at Los Geranios	7 (Median); 72% responded 7 or higher.

3. How would you rate your own use of Spanish?

	Less than 40% of the time	40 -60% of the time	60 - 80% of the time	80 - 100% of the time
% of answers:	5%	18%	59%	18%

4. Comments

This program REALLY helped me improve and learn Spanish. I loved going to different parts of Spain.  My host family was wonderful!  Stephanie

This was a great way to experience a completely different culture. Also, you avoid the question “when am I going to use this?” and “why do we need to learn this?” because you are in Spain and everything is used here in daily conversations.  Pamela

I’m so happy that I’m more comfortable speaking Spanish. I can also understand much, much, much more than I used to.  Also, I had more fun than I could have imagined.  Rachel

I was really excited to meet my family and see how the style of life was different from what I thought was normal.  I really value the friends that I have gained and the time I spent talking to my (Spanish) mom, Loli.  Yasmin

It was fun to learn a language without the pressure from school, it was great to experience a different culture, and it was fun to meet Americans and Spaniards.  My host family was great.  Luke

I wish I could have stayed longer. I had a lot of fun and my Spanish improved a lot. My family was amazing.  Cole

This trip has been an exceptional balance of cultural immersion, historical education as well as grammar and free time for fun and making friends. All the while greatly improving my Spanish skills.  My host family was excellent: very welcoming and accommodating. My brothers were friendly and fun.  Everyone was nice. Ben

It has been one of the most fun experiences of my life. I loved my host family and everything about them.  Erica

I’ve made such great friends here. It’s this totally different experience in which I’m not the one who fits in, and it’s humbling while fun at the same time.  My host family was one of the best, I think.  My mom was an incredible cook.  Lea

It’s a great opportunity to experience new things, practice Spanish, and get a great taste of Spain that you wouldn’t get if you were a tourist.  My host family was really fun. Angel was the best brother in the whole program.  Will

I had a lot of fun, made many new American friends, saw and experienced an entirely new country, and spent the month living with a very kind family.  I also improved my Spanish speaking skills.  Tucker

I value the ability to test our language skills in real live situations the most, also, the aspect of independence and flexibility.  Ethan

The most important thing for me was making friends with Spanish kids my age.  They were really nice and had a really good sense of humor.  I loved finally being able to have legit conversations with them and make jokes in Spanish.  My host family was amazing.  There were tons of people living in my house, so that was nice.  And Mr. Thomas was an amazing chaperone!  Samantha

I felt it was almost a complete immersion into Spanish life.  As hard as it was to completely change my lifestyle for a whole month, it was great to experience an entirely new culture and improve my Spanish skills greatly.  PS: Mr. Thomas is the most intelligent, cool, smart, handsome person ever … Thank you, Alejo!  Robin

I had a lot of fun on this trip and have become much more comfortable with using Spanish in daily life.  My host family was fantastic!  Abigail

It was one of the best experiences of my life.  I improved my Spanish and made a lot of friends. Willie

I learned a lot about Spanish language and culture while having an incredible time.  I can speak and comprehend the language much more easily.  Alex Thomas is INCREDIBLE!  Alexandra