Have a worthwhile Spanish immersion experience!
¿Cómo están todos?
In last week’s blog about immersion programs, I mentioned some things that should to be considered before picking a destination. Today we are going to look at things that are important once you are in a school. Here are some tips on how to have a worthwhile Spanish immersion experience!
First of all, and this is probably obvious, make sure the place you chose has conversation classes. It’s good to attend reading classes and grammar classes, but remember that speaking is essential, so just in case, double check.
Immersion programs are very diverse, in content and in length. I recommend choosing a school that has at least 4 hours a day of classes. After 4 hours you’ll be definitely tired, but in an immersion experience it is important that you are learning and using Spanish constantly, specially if you’re only going to be there for a week or two.
While you are abroad, avoid using English as much as possible; unless there’s an emergency or you are on the edge of a nervous breakdown :). In those cases English is ok. Otherwise you should try to speak only in Spanish in order to have a worthwhile Spanish immersion experience. I admit that sometimes you might feel exhausted and overwhelmed. In those moments I recommend staying in your room and resting or doing something where you don’t need to speak to anyone. At least, you won’t be speaking English.
Most immersion programs include many activities outside of the classroom. Make sure you participate in them. It’s good to be out in the city and interact with the locals. You should experience real spoken Spanish, and not only the one your teacher uses. Besides, those activities are a good way to get to know other students better, to make friends and to have a worthwhile Spanish immersion experience! Don’t stay in your room every day, get out and explore!
If you are the kind of person who enjoys staying home, you can practice even when there’s no one else around or you don’t feel like going out. Remember that you can read a book or a magazine in Spanish, and if that’s too much when you’re tired, you can watch TV. It doesn’t matter if you are paying attention, just having the TV or the radio on helps. Create an all-Spanish environment.
This is it for today’s blog, everyone. Now, if any of you has been to an immersion program abroad, we would like to know about your experience! Tell us about your experience!
For those of you who are interested in studying Spanish in another country: See what other students have to say about their study abroad experiences!
Thank you for your cooperation! It’s always good to read other people’s opinions before deciding on a school or program :). Let us know in the comment section if you are thinking about going somewhere to study Spanish, or if you liked the blog. ¡Muchas gracias!
See you next week,
Octavi
