International Day of the Book

As every year, we’ve celebrated the International Day of the Book (23 April), we’ve taken the opportunity to ask the school staff which book of the Hispanic literature they will read again. The literary works could be of any genre but originally written in Spanish.

The purpose of this poll was to create a list of our favorite books, by Spanish or Hispanic authors, to recommend to students and of course, enjoy ourselves. Throughout this work, we were able to confirm what we were already suspecting: the school staff has an exquisite literary taste!

Here is the result of this small public opinion poll (in strict alphabetical order, though...):

Aline : ‘Sin noticias de Gurb’  by Eduardo Mendoza.

Ana Andreu : ‘La tabla de Flandes’ by Arturo Pérez-Reverte.

Ana Cortina : ‘El manuscrito de piedra’ by Luis García Jambrina.

Ana Fernández : ‘El maestro del Prado’ by Javier Sierra and ‘La verdad sobre el caso Savolta’ by Eduardo Mendoza.

Ana Sáenz : ‘Retahílas by Carmen Martín Gaite.

Beatrice : ‘La sonrisa etrusca’ by José Luis Sampedro .

Carmen : ‘El tiempo entre costuras’ by María Dueñas and ‘Como agua para chocolate’ by Laura Esquivel .

Cristina Martin : ‘Cien años de soledad’ by Gabriel García Márquez, and ‘Retrato en sepia’ by Isabel Allende.

Cristina Ramos : "La Celestina" by Fernando de Rojas.

Elena : ‘Poesía completa’  by Alejandra Pizarnik .

Enrique : ‘La ciudad y los perros’ by Mario Vargas Llosa, and ‘Olvidado Rey Gudú’ by Ana María Matute .

Javier : ‘Los renglones torcidos de Dios’ by Torcuato Luca De Tena.

Lourdes : ‘Espantapájaros’ by Oliver Girondo .

Macarena : ‘La sombra del viento’  by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

Montse : "Bichos" by Miguel Torga .

Nela : ‘Poeta en Nueva York’ by Federico Garcia Lorca.

Rosa: ‘La Tía Tula’ by Miguel de Unamuno, and ‘Marianela’ by Benito Pérez Galdós.

 

We’ve also included the list of the 100 best novels in Spanish published by El Mundo newspaper in 2001, in which they’ve taken into account the opinion of both 20,000 critics and readers:

Top  100 novels in Spanish by “El Mundo” - 2001

We hope you come over just as well as us with these magnificent works. In addition to, we'd love to know your opinion. What book of Hispanic literature would you like to read again?

Unforgettable … My time in Salamanca.

I came to Salamanca for five months to learn Spanish, enjoy the city and maybe see some of the rest of Europe. I leave to go back to my country of Trinidad and Tobago fully satisfied that I have achieved my objectives.

When I first arrived in Salamanca I didn’t have much knowledge of the language beyond the very basics and I must say that while I have had some very frustrating moments I have also had a very rewarding experience.  Initially I was a bit shy to speak as I didn’t know the proper use of the grammar or have the vocabulary to adequately express myself. Surrounded by teaching Professionals like Vanessa, Beatriz, Alicia and the other staff has motivated me “Poco a Poco..”Now thanks to the dedicated teaching of the staff at Tia Tula, and from my time spent as an Intern being constantly encouraged by Ana and the rest of the Administrative staff, I am well equipped to communicate with other persons in the language. I also want to give many thanks to my room-mate Noriko and the many other students who I met while at Tia Tula who encouraged me and corrected me during our conversations.  Their input and motivating words really helped a lot. I now feel more confident in my ability to communicate in the language and I look forward to continuing my studies in my country.  My time here was well spent and I think that no other experience can top being immersed in the culture and language if you are trying to learn another language.

Salamanca is a beautiful city and this is an understatement. A well preserved historic city with truly stunning architecture and a wide variety of cultural activities keeps one from getting bored as there is always something new to do, discover or to see.  I felt warmly embraced by not only the school but also the city. The many events, concerts etc. that I attended in Salamanca showcases the city in such a positive way and it is heartwarming to see how proud Salamintos are of their city and its heritage.

When I came to Salamanca I was focused on experiencing Spanish culture but what I did not expect was to also become familiar with so many other different cultures as well. Being in Tia Tula I have met students from so many different countries and it has definitely improved my experience here.  One of the things I enjoyed the most was all the different foods that I learned to prepare from my international friends in Salamanca. I can’t wait to go home and show off my new found skills! To Noriko who taught me to make sushi, Nari who taught me Korean food, Valeria who taught me Tiramisu thank you for the pleasure! I also learned to prepare popular Spanish foods as part of the extra-curricular activities of Tia Tula. I’m going to be very popular when I get back home!J

This was my first time in Europe and being in Salamanca made it easy to travel around. I enjoyed visiting other parts of Spain and I also had the opportunity to visit Portugal, London and France.  All the countries were definitely beautiful in their own way and I will carry special memories with me from my first visits to these places.  I feel very blessed and as I embark upon another journey in my life I wish to truly thank the staff of Tia Tula for a phenomenal experience! You have added to the enrichment of my visit and I am grateful.

To everyone at Tia Tula, staff and students “Muchas gracias, buena suerte y mejores deseos!! Besos!!”

Debra, student at Tia Tula.

A student's experience in Tia Tula and Salamanca.

Today I decided to interview fellow student at Tia Tula Japanese national Miyuki, with whom I am sharing this experience of learning Spanish at Tía Tula. I asked about her experience in Tia Tula and her general experience in Salamanca. This is what she had to say.

Me: Why do you want to learn Spanish?

Miyuki: At the University I attended in Japan, one of the courses I took was Spanish. I wanted to learn to speak fluently and so I decided to further my studies, also I enjoy practicing the language with foreigners!

Me: How long have you been studying in Spain?
Miyuki: I have been here for one year.
 
Me: Why did you choose Salamanca?

Miyuki:  Salamanca is known as a place where persons speak fluent, clear Castilian and it is also a city where many foreigners study. For me it is ideal, I can focus on studying among other persons pursing the same goal. Also the price of living in the city is very affordable, which provides for a good quality of life.
 
Me: What is your objective during your time learning Spanish in Salamanca?

Miyuki: I want to pass the DELE B2 exams, as well I want to achieve fluency and to communicate in Spanish without any problems. In Spain I have many Spanish friends, which has helped me greatly in improving my communication skills.

 
Me: Do you want to leave a comment for prospective students who are thinking of coming to Salamanca and enrolling in Tia Tula?
Miyuki:  The atmosphere in Tía Tula is very intimate, I always feel like I am at home! The staff makes you feel very welcome and you will make friends with other international students throughout the school.  The teachers are very kind and patient and the school also offers a variety of activities each week. Personally I definitely recommend coming to study Spanish at Tía Tula!

Thanks Miyuki!!

Interview by Noriko, student internship in Tía Tula.

What advantages are there to learning Spanish today?

Spanish is the most spoken language among the Romance languages, both in terms of the number of speakers and in terms of the number of countries in which the language predominates. Worldwide there are over 400 million native Spanish speakers. 

Naturally, pronunciation and use of Spanish at the oral level vary by country, but regional differences are not so great as to make the language unintelligible to speakers of the different regions. Unlike popular belief, there is not a single Spanish. There are different dialects of Spanish due to language evolution in different regions.

The Importance of Spanish Today:

The Spanish speaking population is one of the fastest growing segments in the world, especially in the United States. The Spanish-speaking segment constitutes a huge community that shares products, services and culture, and offers to businesses and institutions a truly unique growth opportunity. 

Here are some important facts about Spanish language:

·         Spanish, the official language of twenty countries, is the most spoken language in the world after English and Mandarin.

·         Worldwide there are over 400 million native Spanish speakers.

·         Experts predict that by 2050 there will be over 530 million Spanish speakers, with 100 million living in the United States.

·         Demand for Spanish documents and information has grown exponentially. This becomes evident in the United States, where Hispanics recently became the largest minority group in the country.

My stay in Salamanca

I have been in Salamanca for a little more than one month and here I am, already halfway through my internship. Time goes by so quickly here! Between work, activities and travel, I do not have time to get bored. 

 

My internship in the office is very interesting and rewarding. My colleagues always take the time necessary to show and explain new things to me and the work matches well what I have to do as part of my studies of personal assistant. What I also appreciate is that there are always things to do, whether ad frequent tasks as welcoming new students, responding to emails or going to send mail or tasks over the long term as marketing tasks ...

 

Regarding activities, Tia Tula offers a variety of activities every week. These are always a good opportunity to spend time with other students and to get to know new ones that have just arrived. During these activities, we speak in Spanish, which allows everyone to practice outside of class; those who have a good level helping those who have more difficulties. 

Last week, I enjoyed climbing to the Clerecia towers. We were eight students of Tia Tula and got to see the whole city from the top of the towers, a gorgeous view! 
 

I also take the weekends to visit this region of Spain: on Saturdays I go visit surrounding cities or villages. As you will see if you search a bit on the internet, there are many places to go by bus. The rest of my free time, I hang out with students of Tia Tula or with other people I've already met. 

 
It is impossible to come to Spain and miss the famous Tapas, which are a very friendly way of eating. There are also regular events in Salamanca which you can attend for example these days there was the FACYL festival, you can also watch film in VO subtitled, or go to listen to concerts in bars ... 

 

For me, Salamanca is a city where you never get bored. As a foreign student, it is very easy to meet people and there is no better way to improve in Spanish!

Claire, Intern