Small get together

Friday night Josh (another intern at Tia Tula) organized our own intercambio activity. At 9/10 o clock we got together in his apartment with students from the Spanish and ELE courses.

ELE courses are for professors (whether native or non-native Spanish speakers) who want to improve their Spanish and their teaching skills.

Intercambios are activities involving a mutual exchange of knowledge. Normally an intercambio exists of speaking Spanish half of the time and the other half of the time the conversation will be in English.

However in this case we had the chance to practice Spanish with the ELE students all the time, in the case that they are not here to learn English. At the beginning it was a little awkward, but soon the students were mixed and trying to keep the conversation up in Spanish. This was a perfect opportunity to practice Spanish in a pleasant and natural way, in combination with homemade Sangria. We finished the night in the centre.

Liane - Student Tia Tula

Trip to Zamora

In this post I’ll talk about the visit to Zamora we did with some students.

Zamora is a city in the northwest of Spain, near the frontier with Portugal. It is crossed by the Duero river and they actually offer boat rides on the river, but sadly they only start those boat trips at the end of March. But there was of course more than just a river in the city. Zamora counts 24 Romanesque style churches, which makes it the city where you can find most churches of that style of all Europe.

We did a walking tour through the city and I think we passed like 15 of them.

Before our visit I looked up some information about the city and while doing that I found an article about the Holy Week in Zamora. During that week all the inhabitants of the city are celebrating and enjoy the organized activities. When I visited the city last week, people of all ages were already practicing the songs that they are going to play during the festivities!

We all took lots of pictures but I took one that is kind of special to me. On this special picture you see a connection between 2 buildings. I can’t really say why, but I really liked this. It connected two buildings, of which one was completely different of the other one. It made me think about the group I was visiting the city with. We are all completely different persons, of all different countries (Belgium, Korea, Japan, United Kingdom, Czech Republic & United States), but even though there are so many differences between us, we still connect, and we had a great time together!

 

 

Carnaval del Toro in Ciudad Rodrigo

On Saturday we went with a group of 8 students of Tía Tula to ‘el carnaval de Ciudad Rodrigo’. It was amazing! A lot of people were dressed up in a really original way, so for us it was an nice opportunity to take lots of pictures.

I think it’s amazing how the people who were at the event were dressed. I really loved the group which consisted of dices and other casino accessories! The second best dressed group for me were the price tags! They showed so much enthusiasm and be honest, who of you would ever think about dressing as a price tag during the period of sales?

The donuts were also pretty cool, but I felt a bit sorry for them, because I’m sure that it was so hard to walk with the box around them. I do admire them though because they really stood there as a team.

The people in the third picture were really like a big family. I’m not sure I counted right, but I think they were a group of 21 persons. I saw them walking on the street, and they all seemed so happy. The kids were also incredibly proud walking around in their cute little suit.

 

I would give the price of the most funny duo to the 2 ‘abuelitas’ (= grandmothers). When our group was looking for some food during the afternoon, we spotted them dancing and entertaining all the people around them! We just adored them!

Next to all the people who were dressed as those amazing characters, we also saw a bull fight and for the most of us, it was the first time that we saw something like that!

 

Four bulls were killed during the fight that lasted almost 2 hours. Every time the animal was dead people started cheering of happiness. It felt a little weird for us, because we actually felt sorry for the bull, but we could have expected that on beforehand! We surely don’t regret going though!

 

After the fights they also let some bulls running freely through the streets and when that happened, people went crazy! We didn’t stay for watching them because we had to take our last bus home.

 

In the bus there were a lot of Spanish students singing and laughing, so it was actually a nice ride home too.

I’d like to thank all the students who came for making this day so amazing!

 

Salamanca ? Salsa!

I’m here in Salamanca since a few weeks now and I had the opportunity to take part to a salsa lesson. At the east of the city, there’s El Parque de los Jesuitas where I followed a dance lesson with my friends. That was a pretty special lesson actually…

We arrived in this big park and we instantly felt this convivial atmosphere: nice music, people motivated to dance and amazing sun to top it all! The dance teachers directly told us not to be afraid because they wanted each one of us to have fun and not to feel ridiculous… very useful when you try a new dance style for the first time!

The lesson began and we learnt the basics, around the teacher in the middle of us. It was very technical, but the festive atmosphere helped us to appreciate the lesson. We had to dance in couple with people that we didn’t know. It was mainly a great occasion to meet people from different ages and cultures. The salsa teacher danced with each girls and everybody participated and enjoyed.

The first goal wasn’t to dance until the perfection, but to have fun and have a good time together.

What I’ll remember from this salsa lesson is certainly not the basics! Indeed, I’ll keep a great memory of this experience because I discovered a new side of the Spanish culture that I didn’t know. I’ll also remember the people’s behavior: teachers and students of the day. During this nice and convivial hour, and because of them, I’ve never felt uncomfortable.

In one hour, I’ve learnt a lot about the Spanish culture. People are welcoming, warm and lively!

Justine Pons

Autumn is here!

As you’ll have all noticed, autumn has arrived in Salamanca. Autumn in Salamanca isn’t just the return off all the students to Salamanca but the change in the weather too!

I personally love autumn; it’s the time of year when you can finally get your boots and big coat out. It’s the time when you arrive home to a warm house and of course, start preparing for the winter. Autumn in Salamanca is different, at least from where from where I come from. The temperatures drop quite suddenly but there is still the chance of fine days, just that they’re not as warm as the days in summer.

Salamanca has a moderate climate with hot and dry summers followed by cold winters. Autumn and spring go pretty much unnoticed, as they don’t last very long.

So if you’re a new student to Tía Tula or you’re packing getting ready to come to Salamanca, don’t forget to pack something warm, just in case.

Spanish language school of the year in Ireland

The annual reward ceremony for Spanish education was held at the Spanish embassy in Dublin this year. Every year the Ministry of Education in the UK and Ireland elect and reward the best Spanish language schools and students to promote the teaching of Spanish in Ireland. Tía Tula had a direct presence in the awards this year.

The best students in Ireland were selected with reference to the assessment scores on the Junior Certificate exams (high school) and the Leaving Certificate exams (pre-university). The best students of the Spanish language in Ireland this year were Daniel Coleman (St. Conleth’s College, Dublin) and Michael Angland (Ashton Comprehensive School, Cork).

The best Spanish school of the year is chosen based on different criteria such as the number of students enrolled in Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE) courses, the use of innovative methods in teaching, participation in international projects where Spanish is the mean language, the visibility of Spanish and the Hispanic culture and extracurricular activities dedicated to the promotion of the Spanish language.  This year’s best Spanish school in Ireland was the Beaumont National School for Girls (Beaumont, Co. Cork). The school received two completely paid Spanish summer courses in Spain at Tía Tula and the academy, Mester (also in Salamanca). Teacher Elizabeth Corcoran and director Margaret McCarthy will be the lucky ones that get to study Spanish in Salamanca during the summer.

The awards were presented by S.E.D. Javier Garrigues (ambassador of Spain in Dublin) and D. Gonzalo Ceballos (director of the Spanish Tourism Office in Dublin).  About 50 guests from the world of education in Ireland, national agencies and language associations of Spanish teachers attended the ceremony.

Tía Tula would like to congratulate all winners, especially Elizabeth Corcoran, who contacted us, of the Beaumont Nation School for Girls. A warm welcome is waiting for you at Tía Tula!

You can read more about this subject on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.

Salamanca´s book fair 2012

From the 5th to the 13th May, Salamanca has it´s annual book fair which takes place in the Plaza Mayor. This year happens to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the death of Miguel de Unamuno.This means that the fair will based around him and his work and there will be many activities and exhibitions. 

There will also be a tribute to Germán Sánchez Ruipérez who recently passed away. He was an editor who was best known for his work in the dissemination of literature in Salamanca.

Like most years, many writers will be there signing there books and there will be live music playing. Children are also welcome to the event and can join in with the children´s workshops. 

Let´s hope the rain stays away so that people can really make the most of this exciting festival!

Extra-curricular activities 16th-20th April

Monday 16th: 19.00:  FREE EVENING: It is an exclusive public holiday in the province of Salamanca. It´s always held on the Monday after Easter. On this day people gather in the countryside to enjoy the traditional hornazo, a pie filled with sausage and boiled egg. The origin of this festival dates back to the sixteenth century, when King Philip II gave orders under which the prostitutes who lived in the brothel House of Salamanca, were to be taken, during Lent, out of town. From Ash Wednesday, the prostitutes left their residence and were moved across the river Tormes. The person responsible for monitoring, care and attention to prostitutes was the "Father of the prostitutes". This character accompanied the students to pick up the prostitutes, always the Monday after Easter (Lunes de Aguas).

Tuesday 17th, 19.00: Foosball. You´re going to play foosball in a games room. Let´s see which team wins! Price: your consumption + your participation in each match (between 1-2 euros) Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration:1h

Wednesday 18th, 19.00: Cooking class. You´re going to learn how to cook tapas Vascas and then you can eat it. Price 8 euros. Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h

Thursday 19th: 20.15: Cinema. “LA MISIÓN”. Roland Jossé (1986)- cinema and religión. Price 1 euro. Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 125 mins.  In the theatre of la Plaza de Santa Teresa

Friday 20th: 20.30: Theatre. Homage to the work of Jardiel Poncela Eloísa, incorporating humour and social themes from the XXI century. Ciclo de Muestra Universitaria de Artes Escénicas – Theatre Juan del Enzina Meeting point: Tía Tula  - Approximate duration: 1h30

Remember to sign up for the activity at reception beforehand (the minimum number of people needed for each activity is 3). If the cost is not stated then the activity is free. We recommend our students to participate in the activities so they can get to know other students in the school, so they can broaden their knowledge of Spanish culture and to practice and improve their Spanish in a fun way.

April, a perfect month to sign up to courses in Tía Tula

April is the perfect month to sign up to a Spanish course in Salamanca with Tía Tula. This month we have many special offers available that make it easier for you to come and carry out a course. It doesn´t matter when and for how long you want to do the course, the only thing you have to do to benefit from these offers is fill in the registration form today or throughout this month.

On TíaTula´s official website, you will find the offer HOY that applies an attractive discount off the price of intensive Spanish courses, especially this month. The catch with this offer is that the discount reduces everyday which means the faster you fill in the registration form, the more money you will save - waiting in this case means lost money.  

You will also find on our website our 4 x 3 offer which means for every 3 weeks you sign up for, we´ll give you a fourth free. In other words, for every 4 weeks of the course, you´ll get one of these free. This is another great offer that you can apply to the original price of the course (quote) to get a great discount. Between the two offers you can see which one works out the best for you.

So, if you were thinking of coming, coming back to Tía Tula soon, or if you know anybody interested in coming, now is the time to sign up. Don´t miss these great offers!

Don´t forget to change your clocks this weekend!

This weekend, on Saturday night, we will change our clocks to adapt to the summer time. At 2 o´clock on Sunday morning, 25/03/2012, we will have to put our clocks forward by one hour so that it´s 3 o´clock. It´s one hour´s less sleep but it´s a well known reason that it´s a price we have to pay to better align our work schedules and sunlight and to save energy.

In this way the light will favor the spring solstice: the days will get longer (like they have been doing already but now it will appear more abrupt with the extra hour), it will go dark quite late and the nights will become shorter. We already know that with more light, people cheer up and are happier, right? This is what biochemistry says and it can be seen on the faces of people in the street and by their choice of clothes...

Don´t forget to change your clock because if you do, you´ll arrive late to class!

Flashmob Salamanca: Erasmus students jumping around like frogs

No chance anyone could have missed the massive crowd in Salamanca, this weekend the city of Salamanca was absolutely packed with people and activities. At the left of Plaza Mayor young musicians were playing their violins. A bit further at the right, acrobats were juggling their diabolos sky-high – without any problem. And in the middle of Plaza Mayor: huge 'frogs' happily jumping around. Hundreds of students were dressed like frogs, some even with green painted faces and green fluffy costumes. Although Plaza Mayor and Salamanca are well known for crowded evenings and students, this weekend was not like any other.

Erasmusstudents from other Spanish cities during the flashmob at Plaza Mayor. Source: http://www.elnortedecastilla.es/multimedia/fotos/castilla-leon/94324-flashmob-erasmus-salamanca-6.html

For the first time, Salamanca was the proud host of the National Erasmus Student event. ESN is an international student organization that caters the well-known Erasmus exchange students in Spain. And after almost a year of preparation, Salamanca could show its beauty and grandeur to Erasmus students that are currently residing in other Spanish cities. More than 1200 students were attracted by this and could be seen at every corner of the city, participating in a range of games and activities. Obviously, the so-called ‘frog-act’ had everything to do with it as the famous frog is the symbol of Salamanca. The myth goes that only the ones who can find the tiny frog (hidden in the huge façade of Salamanca’s university building) will be blessed with a prosperous life and excellent study results. No wonder why people stare at the façade every day and why the frog is one of the best sold souvenirs of Salamanca. The frog jumping was a so-called flash mob. A flash mob, mostly organized through the means of social media, usually takes place in a big public place where a group of people come together and suddenly start dancing. After a couple of minutes, the group falls apart again and life goes on as nothing ever happened. Plaza Mayor turned out to be an excellent location for the frog jumping act of hundreds of students. Check out the small ESN video below to get an idea of the bustling life in Salamanca! So where are you waiting for? Come over!