Padel is the fastest growing sport in the world and the second most played sport in Spain. It is always played in doubles on an enclosed court about half the size of a tennis court. The court is surrounded by walls which the ball can be played off and so the best way to describe the game is a cross between tennis and squash. The game is hugely enjoyable and very addictive and anyone who takes part will be sure to want to play again. Read More
Het is een spannende week voor mij en Spark. We hebben een advertentie in Nederland lopen. Iedereen bij Spark heeft hard gewerkt aan de voorbereiding voor deze ad. Hiervoor hebben een speciale pagina gemaakt op onze website om al onze Nederlandse klanten te voorzien van informatie over de Spaanse taalreis. Wij zijn trots op onze fantastische taal reizen in Spanje en gaan het aan heel Nederland laten zien.
Al onze Spark vrienden neem nu een kijkje op de website en vertel ons wat je ervan vindt.
http://brightsparkspanish.com/nl/spaanse-taalreis-in-spanje/?ap_id=vakantie
WOENSDAG – MARIO’S
Woensdagavond is het altijd Spark en Español. Dat houdt in dat iedereen de hele avond Spaans moet praten. Na drie dagen Spaanse les werden we deze avond gelijk voor de leeuwen gegooid. Iedereen uit mijn groep (de beginners) was er van overtuigd dat we hier helemaal in zouden gaan falen. Want ondanks dat we in een hele korte tijd veel nieuwe woorden geleerd hebben, is het maken van een correcte zin nog totaal niet in zicht. Vanavond gingen we naar Mario’s, dit is een klein winkeltje/barretje waar veel verschillende wijn, olijfolie, ham en typische Andalusische delicatessen verkocht worden. Het is gebruikelijk bij Mario’s dat je staand een glas wijn aan de toonbank drinkt en daarbij verschillende hapjes op een schaaltje besteld. Zo ook wij, in de ochtend hadden we tijdens de les al de namen geleerd van de vijf hammen en worstjes en de twee kazen die we die avond zouden gaan proeven.
We werden opgedeeld in twee teams en de uitdaging was om zo veel mogelijk informatie te verzamelen door het stellen van vragen aan Mario, de eigenaar van de winkel. Zo moesten we onder andere ontdekken wat ‘alcachofa’ was, welke kaas typisch is voor deze regio en wat het verschil is tussen de wijn die we dronken uit Cadiz en de Rioja. Wie als eerste de informatie compleet had was de winnaar van de avond. En er was ook een individuele kampioen, degene die het meest zijn of haar best deed om Spaans te praten. Na heel wat verkeerde woorden en vervoegingen van de werkwoorden stonden we toch versteld dat we met elkaar en de gasten in de bar aan het praten waren met alleen maar Spaans! Mario’s is één van die typische plekken waar je zonder kennis waarschijnlijk gewoon langs zou lopen, maar omdat het Spark-team hier al een tijd woont weten zij beter waar de echte Spanjaarden vertoeven. Onze ervaring bij Mario en het praten in het Spaans, zorgde dat wij ons net iets minder buitenlander voelden dan daarvoor.
Mijn naam is Martine en ik wilde graag Spaans leren in het buitenland. Ik wilde best een intensieve cursus Spaans volgen, maar wilde tegelijkertijd ook genieten van een typisch Spaans plaatsje, zo kwam ik terecht bij Spark in El Puerto de Santa Maria. Voor mijn resterende dagen heb ik bedacht elke dag een kleine update te geven over mijn ervaringen bij Sprak. Aan de ene kant omdat dit een beeld zal geven over hoe het leven bij Spark is als student zijnde, en misschien omdat ik ook wat tips en aanbevelingen kan doen voor aankomende studenten!’
Saana en Martine
MAANDAG – TAPAS
De Spaanse lessen beginnen hier elke dag om tien uur, dus hebben we alle tijd om rustig op te starten. Omdat voor mij een dag moeilijk kan beginnen zonder koffie, loop ik naar de overkant van de straat naar el Pescaillia om een ‘cafe con leche para llevar’ te bestellen. Dit zinnetje heb ik tot in den treuren uit mijn hoofd moeten leren omdat ik nog geen woord Spaans spreek. Ik bestel dus een koffie verkeerd om mee te nemen. Als ik hoor hoeveel ik moet betalen vermoed ik dat ik toch nog niet tot tien kan tellen in het Spaans. Maar het blijkt toch echt ‘un euro’ te zijn. Ik neem mijn koffie mee naar dakterras van Spark en laat de zon het werk doen. Alle lessen worden hier helemaal in het Spaans gegeven, in het begin vind ik dat heel moeilijk maar onze docente legt alles graag een paar keer uit en haar handgebaren maken vaak al duidelijk wat ze bedoelt. Doordat er alleen maar Spaans gesproken wordt, wen je wel snel aan de klanken en dwing je jezelf op zoek te gaan naar woorden die je wel al weet. In de pauze verbazen we ons er over dat we nu in het Spaans al kunnen zeggen hoe we heten, hoe oud we zijn en waar we vandaan komen. Het tweede deel van de lessen zijn iets actiever, in de zin dat we minder uit het boek leren maar door spelletjes en oefeningen weten we hetgeen wat we in de ochtend geleerd hebben ook praktisch te gebruiken.
Zodra de lessen afgelopen zijn druppelen alle studenten langzaam de keuken in om een goede lunch te bereiden. Het is even wennen, maar warm eten rond drie uur is hier heel normaal. Omdat het best lekker weer is en de meeste studenten daar ook wel een beetje voor naar zuid Spanje zijn gekomen gaan we naar het dak om elkaar wat beter te leren kennen.
Met uitzondering van één avond is er elke week ook een cultureel programma in de avonden. Hierbij is het de bedoeling dat we ook wat van El Puerto de Santa Maria zien en ons Spaans wat meer kunnen oefenen met de locals. Deze uitstapjes zijn vrijwillig, maar ik ontdek al snel dat iedereen zich al voor elke dag ingeschreven heeft. Vanavond gaan we tapas eten. De menu’s zijn nogal verwarrend en roepen veel vraagtekens op, de camarero (ober) heeft dit door en stelt voor dat we even een rondje door het restaurant lopen waar foto’s hangen van enkele gerechten. Meteen is iedereen geïnspireerd en binnen no time staat de tafel vol met verschillende bakjes tapas. Het leuke hiervan is dat je heel veel verschillende gerechten kan proeven en wanneer je vol zit, is er altijd wel iemand die het eten met liefde op wil eten. Sommigen van ons besluiten nog naar de Irish pub ‘O’Donoghue’s’ te gaan, om ons toch nog een beetje veilig te voelen door ook Engels te kunnen praten. We kunnen lekker buiten zitten en de mensen op de straat bewonderen. We vragen ons af of we binnen drie weken ook zo bruin zullen zijn. Na twee drankjes bedenken we toch echt terug naar Spark te moeten gaan, omdat het immers pas maandag is.
In mijn bed besef ik hoe makkelijk het is gegaan om het nu al zo gezellig te hebben met mensen die ik pas één of twee dagen ken.
¡Hola chicos!,
Nosotras somos dos chicas de Holanda y Finlandia. Aquí están una recomendaciones para El Puerto de Santa Maria:
Tomar el sol en la terraza, comer tapas en el bar ‘Avenida’, ir a la compra las frutas y las verduras de ‘Frutería Salvi’, ir a la playa, escuchar Neil y Nico tocando la guitarra y cantando en Sparkville, hablar con las personas en español, y simplemente disfrutar de la vida!
Les deseamos todo lo mejor,
Besos,
Saana y Martine
Nosotros experiencia con estudiamos Español en Spark en El Puerto de Santa Maria es muy bien.
Los profesores tienen mucho energía y tienen mucho entusiasmo. La ciudad de El Puerto es bonito y tiene acogedores bares y restaurantes.
En Spark ellos organizan muchos eventos culturales interesantes por la noche.
Vico y Kalevi
December. Yep, still on the beach, but the swims are few and far between, and also my first experience of the Andalucian rain. It’s as if it still has an English quota of rain but likes to throw it all down in a few hours, and rapidly return to the relaxing, tranquility of the sunshine.
My Spanish learning was steadily, but far from quickly, improving, and I felt a lot more confident. My vocabulary was developing and I was continually adding to my ‘bag of tricks’. I found I could hold a basic conversation if the topic was about food, football or England. There is nothing more rewarding for a language learner than those first few conversations where you can put across your point of view and follow and develop a certain line of discussion, even if it is the tenuous, impossible, clutching at straws argument that ‘England can and will win the Euro’s this year’. I took a week of Spanish lessons at Spark with the *insert numerous positive adjectives* Nico. The classes involved lots of speaking and activities and I found my Spanish in the classroom was a little ropey but I was by no means out of my depth, and from here I was introduced ‘El elephante Trompita’, cheers Nico. The classes were always really interesting and full of energy and I always left brimming with new words and phrases which I couldn’t wait to replicate out in public.
Andalucía is famous for many things and their adoration for ‘dressing up’ is a major one of them. They seem to exploit every opportunity possible to don their disfrathas (costumes) and it is quite normal to see a pack of ‘monkeys’ pass you in the street on a Tuesday afternoon in Cadiz. Being an Andalucian adoptee it was only a matter of time until I had to kit myself out and head out to a ‘casa rural’ for a party. It was my housemate’s cumpleaños (birthday) and I found myself dressed up as a Roman, as you do. The party was filled with cows, geishas, cheerleaders, transvestites , transvestite cheerleaders, transvestite cheerleading cows etc and was surreal to say the least. I got plenty of practice as the night wore on to review and regurgitate my ‘Me llamo Adam’ (my name is Adam), ‘Soy de Inglaterra’ (I’m from England), ‘Si, me gusta España’ (Yes, I like Spain). Most importantly though I was introduced to the Andalucian hospitality and watching them in party mode really is like watching the masters at work. The BBQ laid on was also incredible, the simplistic combination of carne (meat) and pan (bread) was a winning combination and kept the party going, (of course with the aid of a fair few beers), until the first signs of light and beyond. Superb.
My mum arrived towards the end of December and after negotiating a hire car and setting off from 
Cadiz at 5.30am with little to no ‘right hand driving’ experience, i met her in Malaga airport. Driving over here is a pleasure as the roads are, on the whole, quiet and the drivers are, on the whole, respectful and patient in comparison to other European countries. The drive from Cadiz across to Malaga is incredible and the journey not only hugs the coast in places but also takes you through the sierras and gives you a brief tease of the mountains of the Sierra Nevada.
I was looking forward to witnessing my mum relive my initial buzz of arriving here and it was fascinating to see all the things I saw for the first
time, being seen by somebody else again for the first time. We took a leisurely drive back from Malaga, which included a failed attempt to get into Gibraltar (Policeman: ‘Where’s your passport?’ Adam: ‘What?’) and a lazy afternoon in Tarifa watching the waves roll in. The day was trumped though back in Cadiz with a faultless Atlantic sunset that throws out the most amazing colours and is a must ‘must- see” for anybody visiting. I didn’t let my Mum rest on her laurels, she was going to learn Spanish with me, I immediately gave her the tools she needed for café communication and I made no attempt to let her take the easy way out, ever the teacher. Within the first few days she was ordering ‘Café Americanos’ and successfully negotiating ‘la cuenta’ (the bill) and even got chatted up by the butcher in the local supermarket.
The natural friendliness of the Andalucians (with the exception of the bus drivers) makes this a fantastic part of the world and to use a sentence quoted by most visitors, ‘I will definitely be coming back her very soon’ is no surprise to hear for those of us who are lucky enough to live here. School term had ended and I was heading back to England for Christmas, I couldn’t wait to see everybody back home and indulge in a typical ‘all you can eat’ style visit. As I sat on the plane before take-off reminiscing of the three-month adventure, I had a revelation; I had never seen a Spanish person catch a fish.
The start of November was incredible, it was ‘November’ it should be cold, dark and miserable but instead I was having to dose myself in sun cream and consistently cool myself down with a swim in the sea. If this was how winter in Spain is then I was definite I had made the right decision. My first big Spanish language challenge was to find an apartment, difficult enough in any circumstance, let alone with the language barrier. I had a scrappy piece of paper with ‘where’ (donde), ‘how much per month’ (cuanta por mes?) ‘can I see the apartment’ (puedo ver el piso) and ‘when’ (cuando). Easy?
Most of my conversations ended up with a barrage of Spanish in my ear followed by a mumbled ‘lo siento, repetir por favor’ (sorry, repeat please). After consistent mutual misunderstandings and confusing spluttering’s, not to mention my precious credit, I had to, on a number of occasions, simply apologize and hang up. The more successful calls ended up with an address and a time…brilliant…although either the address didn’t seem to exist or I ended up spending an hour outside an address where nobody had turned up. Both of these issues I have no doubt was down to my misinterpreting the information.
One Sunday however I hit the jackpot. Everything sounded great, I had checked the address beforehand and the location was ideal and when the girl on the phone told me that her dad would meet me outside McDonalds, I knew it was looking good. When he turned up I was so happy to hear him greet me in English and hold the conversation solely in English, this isn’t a regular occurrence down here. Despite my determination to practice and learn Spanish, I was relieved that the important job of landing an apartment could be communicated in English.
I accepted immediately once I had viewed the place and soon met my new housemates. There are four of us here in total, two guys from Andalucia and one from Vigo up in Galicia. From a Spanish language point of view I could immediately tell the huge differences in accent between the two locations. Learning Spanish here with them is great for picking up the local dialect. The Andalucians tend to use a much more laid back approach to talking, and they are especially fond of the ‘th’ sound for the majority of the letters of the alphabet. This has been a touch difficult to understand throughout my stay here but I now occasionally find other non-Andalucians looking at me strangely when I pronounce a word induced by my 5 month Andalucian upbringing.
All was good, I was settling in nicely at work at Spark, I was going to Spanish classes there on a general Spanish course and my daily bus commute over the luscious, pristine turquoise waters of Cadiz was and still is always a pleasure and never a chore. However, I started to make enemies, wherever I go in Spain I always make enemies, and they are always in the form of little men sat at the front of a bus with a steering wheel and a ticket machine, bus drivers. They pretend to not understand ANYTHING I say even if what I am saying is ‘El Puerto de Santa Maria’ and where the bus is going is ‘El Puerto de Santa Maria’, there price is only ever a string of vowels whispered into the window with the back turned, followed by an exaggerated and patronising repeat in my direction and a return to the back of the head treatment.
On the whole though I was very happy, and my Spanish learning was definitely improving, this month was by far the month of greatest improvement , as I was constantly being exposed to certain words and phrases over and over again, this ‘casi-total’ immersion always gives you access to the things you need and hear on a regular basis. I had managed to open a bank account, change my phone tariff and my trips to the supermarket were becoming much much easier, most importantly I had mastered the ‘sin hueso’ (without stone) olive purchase, so no more crunched teeth when tucking into an experimental bocadillo. December was on it’s way and was sure to bring some new challenges and some festive fun, and also my Mum was coming over from England so it would be interesting to see how she fared.
Decai – Sala Mucho Teatro – C/ Luna, 16 – Saturday 14th, 23h
This group from Cadiz, and one of the most popular bands in Spain, blends Flamenco and Pop-Rock for a great night of music.
“El Eje Imaginario” Rosario Troncoso Book Presentation – Fundacion R.I Alberti, C/ Santo Domingo, 25 – Thursday 19th, 20:30h
Rosario Troncoso reading and signing her latest book.
Flamenco – Tertulia Flamenca Tomas El Nitri – C/ Diego Nino, 1 – Saturday 21st, 22:30h
Spectacular Flamenco show with a special Feria performance with “Las Tomasas”.
“MIrar de Amor” Julio Rivera – Thursday 26th, 20:30h
Poetry recital at Fundacion Rafael Alberti.
Illustraciones de Maria Fernandez Lizaso – Cafe Bar Blanco Y Negro – C/ Ricardo Alcon, 10- Until Sunday 29th
A cool art exhibition in one of our favourite bars in town.
Our innovative “español en acción” programme is designed to teach students the appropriate Spanish language to use in a cultural event, whether it’s an evening eating tapas at a restaurant, Sherry tasting or Flamenco shows, then set challenges that must be achieved throughout that event. Our friendly rule of Spanish only means the amount of Spanish used is incredible and it makes for a fantastic evening! See how it worked at Mario’s Jamonería below:
October: Una Cerveza MasI flew into Seville in October without a job, without much money, without a plan and most dauntingly without an idea of the Spanish language. I got off the plane, the heat that hit me was so welcoming that briefly everything fell into insignificance… In Spain, I was sure all would fall faultlessly into place.
Arriving at my hostel, fully psyched up to start learning Spanish, I pulled out a shy and under the breath ‘buenas dias’ to be replied with a ‘good morning’…the Spanish would have to wait. The hostel way of life is brilliant but they aren’t the best place to learn Spanish and practice speaking but it was the first few days and I wasn’t too concerned. My first question was to a Spanish waitress outside the enormous Seville cathedral ‘’is it ‘una cerveza mas or una mas cerveza?”…“una cerveza mas” she replied, lesson one.
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Met a friendly Brazilian girl on the second night who was learning Spanish in Seville. After once again clawing at an affirmative answer to a whispered ‘tu habla Ingles’ I was welcomed into the world of ‘no, nada’. Oh. Well Spanish it is then.. with such a low level I was astounded I was able to hold a conversation, with massive aid of my orange sidekick (my bulky English to Spanish dictionary) all was good and it felt amazing to be speaking another language, be it very simply and packed with errors. I still have the dictionary now with ‘despues’ (after) ‘antes’ (before) ‘ayer’ (yesterday) and ‘manana’ (tomorrow) penned into the front cover from the second night in Spain, lesson two.
I parked myself in the local ‘100 Montaditos’ for the majority of my first week’s dinners, with a menu of, well, 100 montaditos (small sandwiches). They all supported different fillings, none of which I could understand, but every one came with a big beer for only 1 euro, I got to practice the lucky dip, occasionally striking lucky with a delicious gastro delight and occasionally peering at some smudged tomato on bread, I quickly learnt. The mental notes went along with my favourite ‘gambas’ (prawns) and the failsafe ‘pollo’ (chicken). I also made a conceited effort to learn ‘aceitunas’ (olives) which for some reason wouldn’t stick, I have since found out ‘olivas’ would have sufficed.
The first month was all about the basics, ‘por favors and gracias’s. The almighty ‘una cerveza’ and occasionally braving a hasta luego (which I have since stripped from a five syllable goodbye to a two syllable Andalucian ‘luegoooo’. Language-wise I quickly mastered the ‘I want’ (quiero), ‘I have’ (tengo) and ‘I need’ (necesito) verbs followed by a directed finger, this seemed to get me by in most situations although now I look back i probably sounded a bit self-interested.
All was good and I managed to get an excellent offer to work at Spark in the beautiful, sea surrounded El Puerto de Santa Maria. Absolutely perfect. Next step, find an apartment..
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¡Hola Chicos! I just want to put some words to this great semana, as we say adios.
We started in tune; learning when to hug and laugh, when to andar casually through beautiful Spanish towns and when to eat más helados.
El jueves, after a brief explanation done by a friend from the Plaza de Toros and completing the first yincana challenge, we headed to the Museo Municipal of El Puerto. Could you please tell me what you saw inside of the museum? The sunny vibrations guided the whole group back outdoors in less than diez minutos and directly to the caballo and carriage in front of the Iglesia Mayor. Then, a spontaneous tejas tasting and a visit to the Castillo de San Marcos were followed by wise palabras: “be good and, if you can’t be good, be careful”. Inspired, we arrived at Da Massimo, our first helados encounter. We juggled along the Paseo Marítimo on our way to the beach, where it was beautiful to see your joyful faces by el océano in those dos horas! Through sunset, we had more fun practicing language activities with Spark’s English academy estudiantes.
El viernes we found shelter from the storm and the explanation to a very controversial art form in the Maestranza. The sounds of Sevilla changed from a peaceful river, where we had our bocadillos, to the narrow and lively calles; full of color, horns and personajes únicos. Whispering, gathered in our perfectly shaped circles, we visited the Catedral and Giralda. En el patio de los naranjos we respectfully sang together ‘Three Little Birds’ and ‘Let It Be’. Magical musical moment! The visits to the Alcazar and Plaza de España tasted like, of course, ¡más helados!
Hopefully, you experienced a culturally different fin de semana with your host family around El Puerto de Santa Maria and are ready to continue on your journey to Barcelona!
Muchas gracias for sharing such a beautiful time! We loved to get to know you and the Prairie High School group. ¡Un gran abrazo!
Nico and the rest of your Spark friends!
Julia Koggelmann, 21, Germany
Au Pair Life in El Puerto de Santa Maria
Being an Au Pair can be one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences that people can have after leaving school and searching for something new. You are exposed to a new culture, new lifestyle and a new language. These things can help you develop as a person, allowing you to become more independent, more confident and discover new skills and talents that you never thought you had. There is also plenty of opportunity to travel, meet new friends, who are in the same stage in their lives as you, and party! It is also a great way to learn the language of the country you are living in as you are constantly interacting with your host family and the locals. You are also forced to pick up certain aspects of the language you may not have the chance to learn in a textbook and you can experience the authentic, natural way of speaking the language.
Julia Koggelmann, 21, is a former Spark Spanish student from Hamburg, Germany who is currently living and working as an Au Pair in El Puerto de Santa Maria. Julia and I were actually in the same Spanish class at Spark in September for 4 weeks after we both arrived in El Puerto around the same time and we both wanted to kick-start our new lives being able to speak a little bit of Spanish. Being a very close friend of ours, she was happy to catch up and update us about her life as an Au Pair in Spain…
Me and Julia enjoying El Puerto
What’s the best thing about being an Au Pair in Spain?
“Being an Au Pair in Spain gives you the opportunity to live in another country and enjoy a new culture and gain so many experiences. For me the best thing is learning Spanish while working with the children in a nice family environment.”
What’s it like being an Au Pair in El Puerto de Santa Maria?
“Living as an Au Pair here in El Puerto is so nice. You have nice and relaxed people, beautiful beaches, so many traditional and cultural things (like Flamenco, the Osborne Bodega, old tapas bars,…) to do and visit…and great places to party on the weekends!”
What’s the best moment of your experience so far?
I was lucky enough to get the chance to be a guest at a Spanish wedding! It was so much fun and there was so many people there! There was a long ceremony in a beautiful church with an amazing dinner for everyone but It was a lot more reserved than I expected. It was very traditional and I felt very fortunate to be there. Let me tell you this: it was a lot different to a German wedding!”
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What is an average day like for you?
“I normally get up around 7:30h and prepare breakfast for the girls, something nice but simple, they like to have toast with olive oil and sugar and they love their drinking chocolate in the mornings! I then help them to get dressed and ready for school. Between 9am and 4pm I am free and I can do whatever I want, If the weather is nice I may go to the beach and relax or visit friends and go shopping. At 16h I pick the girls up from school and we go to the park or the beach until 18/19h when we have a big meal all together.I then prepare them for bed and from 20h30 I am free again!”
What would you say to someone who is considering becoming an Au Pair in El Puerto de Santa Maria?
Living as an Au Pair with a Spanish family is a great way to experience Spanish culture and to learn the language. El Puerto de Santa Maria is a beautiful town with lots to do and see and it is ideally located near to other cities like Cadiz, Sevilla and Jerez for fantastic trips away. I have had one the best times of my life and I still have the warmer weather and the Ferias to look forward to!”
How well do you think your Spanish has improved since you moved to El Puerto?
“When I first got here 6 months ago I had no Spanish at all and I was quite nervous about it. Now my Spanish is good and I feel comfortable having long, natural conversations with the family and with the locals. The 4 week Spanish course at Spark really helped me to get the basics and help me to get ready for life as an Au Pair. Now I am able to practice everyday in real situations and I am really enjoying learning Spanish.”
Muchas gracias Julia for speaking with us, the next drink is on me!
If you are an Au Pair in the El Puerto de Santa Maria area and want to learn Spanish check out our special courses designed to meet the needs of Au Pairs. Or if you are interested in becoming an Au Pair and would like Spark to guide you through the process click here for more information. Perhaps you would like a less intensive Au Pair experience as well as learning Spanish with us, find out how to become a Demi-Pair!
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