Spanish Standard Course in Granada

Located in the centre of Granada the school offers a variety of activities to do during the break between the Spanish lessons or after your classes have finished. The classes are very small which provide an excellent working atmosphere as well as an ambience of familiarity.

I was really happy when I got the confirmation for my two-months internship from the Spanish school Escuela Montalbán. My work consists of translation and web design of the school’s web site. Furthermore, I could calculate costs and complete data bases. The school offers a perfect opportunity for people who want to do an internship in the administration area. It never get’s boring.

In addition to my internship I got offered language courses in order to improve my Spanish. When you are in the classroom it does not feel like lessons. The hours of class are filled with humour and exiting topics to talk about. You will not notice how one and a half hour will pass by. Of course, the educational part is not missing, and you will see progress like I did after one week only. Complex topics are explained very clear and the teachers do their best to make a complex topic transparent.

Let me tell you about accommodation now. I shared a flat with students from all over the world and different ages. It is an unforgettable experience which I totally recommend to everyone. Meeting new people -for some people- might cost some overcoming but people who travel in order to learn a language are nice. Another advantage is that you get quicker in touch with new people and create a friendship which lasts beyond your stay here.

Apart from the fact that Granada is a fantastic city for university students because it offers historical heritage as well as a good night life, Granada has a lot of parks where you can you can just hang out or have a good time with your friends. Some parks are really easy to reach but for some you have to make a little effort, but it is totally worth it. When you are in Granada you definitely should not miss the park Carmen de los Martires. From there you can see the town from the birds-eye-view and the park has a lot of beautiful flowers and fountains. It is right next to the garden of the Alhambra.

The garden of the Alhambra is called Generalife. It is composed of the Lower Gardens, the Generalife Palace and the High Gardens. Nowadays the denomination of the Generalife is commonly accepted as the Garden or Gardens of the Alarife, meaning the garden of the constructor or architect. First you will see the New Gardens of the Generalife, which connect the Generalife with the Alhambra, integrating them with nature.

The language school Escuela Montalbán in the center of Granada is a cosy and matey place. It is situated in a small building on two levels with three small class rooms each. You get to know all the staff very quickly as there are about 15 people working here and some of them are – good for them – on holiday as it is high summer time at the moment.
The first and third week I took part in regular courses with only three students plus, of course, the teacher. We had two classes per day starting with a grammar class followed by a conversation class. The school’s administation goes to great length in organizing the courses concerning the students‘ language levels. They really strive to form courses consisting of people with a similar level of Spanish in order to make the classes effective and useful. I also took private lessons during one week which I can recommend because it is super-intensive and very effective when the teacher concentrates fully on you.
As far as I am concerned, I do not only study at this school but I also do an internship under supervision of Margret Fortman who is the school’s marketing and public relations manager. Therefore I review or write texts for the school’s website. I have to admit that these texts are in English or German (I am from Berlin) as my Spanish is by far not yet good enough for professional purposes.
When I arrived I was classified level A2 in Spanish, certainly an accurate classification in theory but in daily life I felt like level zero basically. That has significantly changed in only three weeks thanks to the lessons I took and thanks to the teachers that gave them. All teachers are professional, highly motivated, kind and funny at times, too.
As I enjoy biking a lot, I bought a bike second hand and so I am exploring the city and the countryside in my spare time. The landscape has flat terrain when you go along the river Genil that flows through the city into the plains and there are of course hills and the Sierra Nevada. A mountain range that goes up to about 3000 m (9000 ft). And for all of you who like biking, too or who are into a little challenge: To the second highest peak leads a path suitable for bikes with an average gradiant of only 5 percent.
The learning gradiant is for sure higher at Escuela Montalbán.

I followed classes here for about 3 months, and I absolutely loved it. I have never been the kind of person to enjoy going to school, but here they make the classes fun and interesting. The teachers here have tons and tons of experience in teaching and that shows in class. classes are 1.5hours twice as day with a little break inbetween. Before i started i was worried that on my little "mini-vacation" the classes would seem like they would last forever but in reality they passed by in seconds. The teachers use fun games and constantly keep you engaged through a variety of different tactics, which always made me excited to go class. Besides the awesome classes they also have a great cultral program which gives you the opportunity to practice your spanish but also to get to know your fellow students. All with all I loved my 3 months in Granada and I cannot wait to go back there sometime.