Spanish Magazine

Back to Basics, July 2005

There's no better (or faster) way to learn Spanish than out in Spain, where you'll find plenty of classes in various cities. Lisa McGee dusts down her satchel and goes back to (language) school in Barcelona.

Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm a massive fan of Barcelona (the city not the football club. . as far as futbol is concerned, I prefer a bit of Bristol Rovers action, but that's another story). I try to get out there as often as I can (not as often as I'd like} and I love the contrasts of this amazing city the historic Gothic quarter, the Modernista architecture, the laidback beach, the bustling touristy Ramblas, the heady scents of Boqueria market... and then there are the wonderful restaurants, cafes and tapas bars.

However, on my latest visit, I found myself disorientated, nervous, scared and just a little out of my depth. You see, this time round I'd come to Barcelona to go back to school. Language school to be precise. I admit my Spanish has never been fluent, but I've always got by, thanks to a combination of frequent visits to Spain, evening classes, conversations with my Spanish colleagues in the office and a fine repertoire of restaurant and bar vocabulary. But now I wanted to get my Spanish up to scratch, and where better to do that than in Spain itself? 

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION 

There are language schools in cities all over Spain, and most have courses aimed at alt kinds of learners, whether you want to spend a week or two learning some basics, polishing your existing knowledge or picking up some business Spanish, or maybe send your children to learn the language and live with a host family for the summer.

I chose Barcelona mainly because I already know the city quite well, and also knew that it would be a mix of nationalities in the classes. As it turned out, I was the only English person in any of the classes I was put in! Mind you, if you end up in a city that you don't know, most schools organise trips to attractions and nearby sights, so that you can get acquainted with your surroundings and your fellow learners in one fell swoop. So, having had one night to settle into my apartment and fall in love with my favourite city all over again, the next day I got my books and pens (and a Spanish dictionary) ready, and was ready to go back to escuela!

CLASS ACT

My first port of call was the School, on a course arranged through Cactus Language. Hidden away in the Eixample district it's a metro ride (or a very long walk) from the centre - the school is on three floors with about 20 classrooms, a computer room (students get free net access), canteen and a sun-drenched roof terrace. Yep, sun in April is yet another of the reasons I love BCN!

After being shown round, feeling strangely old next to all these students who all seemed barely out of their teens, I joined my class. I'd been put in with the intermedia alto group (halfway up the skill ladder), but after a few minutes grappling with the conditional ten and some quite advanced Spanish, I asked to be moved down a notch (intermedia bajo). Although it was a tad embarassing, I did feel more comfortable... in other words, I actually understood most of it!

Although the majority of students here are in their early 20s many are on gap years, I did spy plenty of older learners around the place, and the professors in charge said some classes are specifically aimed at over 40s and over 50s. Whatever your age, two classes take up the morning, one dealing with reading, writing and grammar and the other with conversation and listening. In the afternoon, there's an hour-long 'culture' class, where you learn about Spanish traditions, background, history and people. At the school, there's also a busy schedule of excursions and outings; the week I was there, I could have visited the Gothic quarter, toured Gaudi's Casa Mila or the Pueblo Espanol, had flamenco classes, played five-a-side football, taken a daytrip to Valencia or gone skiing in the Pyrenees.

That afternoon, we went off to our culture class, about modern art and architecture in Barcelona. Fairly appropriate seeing as the following afternoon I joined some other students on an organised trip to Gaudi's inspiring Parc Guell and Sagrada Familia cathedral. After the third day, not only was I meeting lots of people, but also my Spanish was coming along in leaps and bounds. I found myself deciphering signs and menus much more quickly, and was able to hold a conversation (albeit a fairly short one) with the man on the newspaper kiosk that I bought a copy of !Hola¡ from. It made me realise how important it is to have even the slightest grasp of a language when you'My first morning was great fun and by lunchtime I was already gaining more confidence - isn't that half the battle?  and getting questions right. Over sandwiches in the canteen, I chatted to my fellow students, who hailed from all parts of the globe. In slightly stilted Spanish plus a smattering of basic English, German and French, we talked about Barcelona and its attractions, and also about the school. Tord and Anna from Sweden had the cushiest story, as the Swedish government pays for all students to spend a year abroad learning a language (after Swedish and English)... no wonder then that they could afford to buy up half of the tuck shop!re in a foreign country. Suddenly everything around you becomes easier to understand, and even if you utter a stilted sentence in Spanish, the positive reaction you get from people - whether a newspaper seller, waiter, taxi driver or a passer-by is well worth that extra effort. 

INTERNATIONAL RESCUE 

Having picked up quite a bit from just three days at school, I bid my new-found friends a reluctant 'hasta luego' and headed to a second school, this time just a few blocks from Placa Catalunya. Squeezed on to a tight corner opposite Urquinaona metro station, the school is housed in an impressive building that looks like a miniature version of New York's Flat Iron Building (well, sort of). With a bright and breezy lobby (and bright and breezy staff) it felt immediately relaxed, although glancing into the library showed a lot of intense revision and study being done!

A couple of weeks before, I'd done a written test (marking me out as a second-level beginner), been assigned a tutor and worked out a timetable of classes over my last two days in Barcelona. However, that morning I was given a quick revision test which showed I'd improved enough to be moved up a notch. . thanks, no doubt, to my in-at-the-deep-end learning over the last few days. On arrival, I was taken on a tour round the five floors. There's no lift, so thank goodness I wasn't going straight into class or I wouldn't have been able to speak for huffing and puffing! I was then introduced to my tutor and we made our way to an airy room on the third floor. It's no wonder they call these classes 'intensive'. When there's just one of you, the attention is full-on, forcing you to speak out and make conversation. No room for shrinking violets here! 

Although the sessions were just an hour long, we squeezed loads in: covering grammar, doing role-play conversations and deciphering that morning's copy of El Mundo newspaper (well, the front page anyway). And after two days with a session each in the morning and afternoon, I felt my confidence and Spanish improving even more. These classes are really focused and intense, and can be tailored to exactly what you want to learn: rounding out what you've picked up in group lesson, revising for an exam or looking at a specific subject. Apparently, someone the previous month had asked my tutor for some welding vocabulary! However. I'd prefer to do these sessions alongside group classes, so I could enjoy the social aspect of those combined with the one-on-one learning. 

CATCHING UP 

Needless to say, after two days of lone lessons, I was glad to meet up for a night of tapas and cervezas in El Born with my 'old' school friends. After just one week, I felt like a different person. I was comfortable chatting to my amigos, I understood everything the waiters said and I could even eavesdrop on bits of other people's conversations! Most importantly, though, I was able to see Barcelona in a different light, giving me another excuse to come back to this beautiful city yet again! There are language schools all over Spain and there are plenty of classes aimed at the older as well as younger learners. 

Barcelona Language School Factfile 

GETTING THERE

fly to Barcelona with...1 flew from Bristol with easyjet (09058 210905; www.casyjet.com) which also flies from Gatwick, Liverpool, Luton, Newcastle and Stansted from £30.98 return flights, Air Lingus, bmibabv, British Airways, ELI Jet, Globespan, Iberia, Jet2, Monarch Airlines, MyTravelLite or Thomsonfly all fly to Barcelona from various regional airports.

WHERE TO STAY

I rented a comfy apartment in El Born through intoBarcelona (00 34 620 586655; www.intobarcelona.com) where an apartment for two starts at £70 a night. Manager Carrie Krais also offers wine or art tours, walking tours, shopping trips and Spanish lessons.

WHERE TO EAT

Just a short walk from the school is Placa Catalunya when: Cafe Zurich is a great place to hang out. A boiodillo de jamon y queso will set you back about €3 and a cerveza or cafe is around €2.

El Born area is packed with tapas bars and we met up in Taller de Tapas on Carrer de I'Argemeria where dishes cost from €1.80.

LANGUAGE SCHOOLS

Cactus Language runs classes in the UK, Spain and 16 other countries. Prices start at £149 per week (£90 for extra weeks). Its Spanish and Salsa week break in Barcelona costs £529. 'Young At Heart' two-week courses for older students start at £369. (01273 725200: www.cactuslanguage.com)