Benalmádena: Flamenco and Spanish by the Sea

I recall when I first started learning Spanish I flew out of my hometown and was heading straight for Benalmádena. During that time I had no idea of the journey I was about to begin. I’ve been learning Spanish now for approximately four years. Although, I can say ‘I speak Spanish’ and ‘the experiences have been amazing,’ I can’t speak it exactly like a local. I’ve made friends that I would never have met if I didn’t set out on my Spanish trail and it has changed my life. The initial down lay for learning Spanish, in time and money, is not always an attractive deal, but I have to say I think the money I spent learning Spanish was regathered during the first week of living in Spain. Without Spanish it can be very difficult to organise anything such as an apartment, mobile phone, gym membership or just about anything.

Benalmádena is a safe resort style city to the south of Spain, known for its beautiful Spanish style buildings and best of all, it’s by the sea. The city has approximately 80,000 resident and has had a 20,000 increase in residents during the past 40 years. The city is home to a very relaxed lifestyle and if you’re in the hands of a good Spanish family, experiencing the family dinners and things that come with a Spanish vacation, the location offers a great opportunity for immersion into the Spanish culture. Benalmádena is a wonderful setting that will surely accelerate your new language learning curve. While living with the family you will have an excellent opportunity to study Spanish through daytime classes in language lessons and you will be give
Flamenco and cooking lessons on top of that. During school excursions will also be included to give a good feel for some of the local secrets. Not a bad way to learn a language if you ask me.

Being immersed into a country you get all the qualities and regular experiences of living and requiring the necessities to get by. Things can go wrong at times, such as ordering the wrong meal, or finding two cups of coffee turn up to your table, and you’ve only ordered one. These experiences all add to the beauty of being away from home, I must say, and how you handle the stress is often what gives you the Spanish you eventually take home. There are many positives involved in living in a foreign country and it is a perfect way to learn a language in record time.

It’s not an easy journey cracking the Spanish code. There a different levels of achievement when studying Spanish and the leveling goes as follows: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 to C2 and the list goes on until you finally have your black belt in Spanish. Well, actually there is no black belt but at least up until you can do what your heart desires with the Spanish language. The majority of students who study languages generally pull out or get to level B2 and become satisfied their achievement. There can be many things that contribute to students dropping out and the city is an important issue to consider when starting out with Spanish. Some cities can offer strenuous conditions for learning Spanish such as problems with safety and other issues that can make not having a native language up your sleeve a very unpleasant experience. Learning Spanish in Spain is very different in that Spain’s cities have minimal crime and a wonderful culture. A beautiful city like Benalmádena is a perfect example of why it’s not only enjoyable to learn Spanish but also beneficial.

http://www.steinstudyabroad.ie/about-us/transition_year_language_programme