Tina Christopulos is an American writer in the process of writing her first book: a fictional story about a study abroad program taking place in Salamanca and the characters’ experiences in this wonderful city as foreigners – butshe is in need of some real-life accounts from real students!
If you would like to participate in the research, read on how… As an ex-study abroad student with firsthand experience, YOU can provide Tina with accurate “this-is-how-it-really-is-to study in Salamanca” and the study abroad experience for foreigners.
Because her entire work will be fictional, she will not write about an existing study-abroad program or mention any particular schools. However, she is particularly interested in Salamanca’s places of interest, such as plazas, monuments, and hangouts… places in the city or excursions where you, as a student who lived in Salamanca, went to!
Tina wants to give her characters and her story a realistic feel of the city – the places, experiences lived, the encounters and behaviors of the locals seen from the foreign student’s point of view, the students’ thoughts and sensations and most of all, the student’s perception, adjustment and discovery of a new culture. With this book, Tina hopes anyone who has studied abroad (or is planning to), especially American teenagers, could relate to her book and fondly reminisce in their memories… or look forward to making their own memories in their upcoming trip!
If her novel is published, she will give her thanks in the “Acknowledgements Section” everyone who aided her with research.
Below is a list of background questions that interested participants would need to answer. Email your list to tina_christopulos@yahoo.com and use “Salamanca Book Research Questions” as your email subject (otherwise, the email will get deleted).
QUESTIONNAIRE: 1. How is the student atmosphere/life in Salamanca different in the summer from the fall and winter? (My study experience was in fall, but my character will be studying in the summer). Where (which countries) do many of the summer foreign students in Salamanca come from?
2. Do many students rent cell phones? Where would they go for internet access?
3. Where would they buy school supplies? Would it be the type of store where you can browse and choose what you need, or do you have to go up to a person at the counter and specify what you want?
4. What aspects of life in Salamanca do your American students tend to find most surprising?
5. What are common linguistic or cultural misunderstandings?
6. What is/are the typical socio-economic background(s) for host families (types of jobs they have, types of places they live, etc)? Would a typical Salmantinian family have internet access in their home?
7. What kind of adjustment issues (serious and silly) do you typically see for students with host families?
8. What are some of the ways that students spend their free time?
9. What kind of orientation do the students receive?
10. I have not visited Salamanca since the year 2000, so my memories are outdated. How do you feel Salamanca ’s character has or has not changed since then?
11. What are common colloquial expressions, positive and negative (for being upset or happy), these days? How do people say something’s “cool” or “tacky?”
12. Are intercambios still popular? Where are typical places to post an intercambio request?
13. Any major, obvious differences you’ve noted in terms of style/dress/habits between American teens and Salmantinian teens?
14. Is there anything else you’d like to share about the study-abroad experience for Americans in Salamanca ?
Social networking sites are setting the pace when it comes to making it easier for companies to get closer to their fans on the web. We’ve caught on to the trend and are proud to announce don Quijote has launched its own Facebook page!
don Quijote Facebook is the perfect way for you to stay up-to-date with the latest information, photos and anything related to don Quijote schools.
Share with future students your own study abroad experience, pictures and stories, or simply write to let us know what you think! Come on over and share with the world (and with us!) how you've learned Spanish! Don’t forget it's also an easy way for you to keep in touch with your don Quijote classmates, too.
Twenty-three year old Felipe Petri of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), studied for 8 weeks in don Quijote Madrid. This is his story...
I had two
friends that went to don Quijote for a short term period. She studied in Madrid and Barcelona, he
studied in Barcelona.
Both really enjoyed the experience and recommended the school to me.
The school
is really a Babel
tower. There were people from Latin America, Europe, Asia, and North America all in my own class. The
teachers are mostly young and fun. That really helped relate to the new culture
we were facing since they were speaking Spanish but spoke “our language”.
Spanish
people are great to interact with! For Latin standards, maybe a little distant
at first but that’s a very shallow first impression. I still
have contact with all the friends I made in don Quijote. I visited Madrid again
after I left the school and was able to organize a little gathering between
those that were still in Spain and others that came back just for the sake of
getting back together again!
There’s
nothing compared to spending time in a country where the language spoken is the
one you’re trying to learn. It’s the fastest and most accurate way of learning. It is
really culturally fulfilling and an amazing experience to just experience the
differences between the regions of such a vast country that Spain is. I
visited Barcelona
and Santiago de Compostela and loved them both. I still want to go back and get
to know the rest of Spain.
I stayed at
a friend’s house, so I do not know what the school’s accommodations are like. But the school
offers good service and I’d recommend it. I had a great time and learned a lot
even though we partied a whole bunch!!! hehehehe
I want a
brochure to come back... please let’s rush it!
Auf der Weltausstellung in Zaragoza dreht sich vom 14. Juni bis 14. September 2008 alles um das Thema „Wasser und nachhaltige Entwicklung“. Deutschland präsentiert auf der EXPO eine attraktive Mischung aus Information und Unterhaltung und zeigt innovative Technologien, richtungsweisende Entwicklungen und kreative Ideen. Der Deutsche Pavillon nimmt Sie mit auf eine Reise in die wunderbare Welt des Wassers. Erleben Sie ein modernes Wassermärchen und entdecken Sie faszinierende deutsche Wasserlandschaften.
Kamila Hazdrová from the CzechRepublic has won a free 2 week Spanish course with don Quijote.
In September 2007, we held a contest in our Monthly Newsletter offering a student the possibility to win a free Spanish course at don Quijote. We are very happy to announce our winner.
24 year old Kamila Hazdrová from the Czech Republic, a subscriber to our Monthly Newsletter, participated in the draw and won a free 2 week Intensive Spanish course with accommodation. The destination Kamila has chosen for her course is don Quijote Granada school where she will study for two weeks in May.
Congratulations once again!
We would like to thank all our participants and remind you to keep your eyes peeled for future contests.
If you have not yet signed up for our Monthly Newsletter sign up to find out all about our special offers, programs and contests.
Do you also want to study abroad with don Quijote?Order your free brochure to get more information about our courses
don Quijote offers a Work & Study program which combines a Spanish course in any don Quijote destination followed by a job placement in Marbella, a resort town in southern Spain. You won’t get rich, but you will earn enough to cover basic expenses. This is a great opportunity to get working experience abroad while learning or improving your Spanish and most of all to have a really fun time and meet lots of new people. This program has had great reviews from many of happy students.
Check out a few videos of our student testimonials and hear about their experience working in Spain.
If you book before March 31st you will get an incredible discount on our Study and Work program. Find out more about this offer.
Here are 9 things to love about Salamanca, selected a couple of years ago by Christophe Rousseel, a Belgian student and writer who worked with don Quijote during his internship. Christophe spent at least 4 or 5 months here, enough to offer all sorts of advice about how to enjoy Salamanca - by day and by night:
9 things to love about Salamanca
1 Students
Nicknamed the Oxford of the Spanish world, the university of Salamanca boasts a student population of roughly 32000 Spanish students and some 6000 foreign students. There are even more students, since these figures don’t include the considerable number of Spanish learners attending private schools in Salamanca. The high concentration of Spanish and foreign students - there is one student for every 3 or 4 Salmantinos - bestows a unique atmosphere on the small city.
2 Nightlife
Insiders will tell you that Salamanca nightlife can rival any other city in Spain. Or as they say here: Salamanca por la noche, como ninguna. Perhaps it’s not as trendy as Barcelona or as acclaimed as Ibiza but Salamanca at night is custom-made for students. Prices are adapted to student budgets; 5 Euro for an open bar is no exception. The city is easy to get around: you can get anywhere on foot. It is also a lot safer than the bigger party capitals. And last but not least, nightlife is not at all limited to the weekends; you can go out seven days per week (although I advise against it). Notwithstanding the fact that it’s a small city, Salamanca offers a plethora of bars and clubs: progressive, laid-back bars like Birdland on Plaza de España (named after the landmark jazz club in New York) or Clave del Ocho (near Gran Vía), cosy sidewalk cafés for a quiet talk (like Erasmus on Rua Antigua), crowded discotheques like more»
We've added more videos to the don Quijote You Tube collection, including this Spanish television (Antena 3) news coverage of the reality show filmed at don Quijote and set to air on Finnish television in October. Watch it is a great chance to hear Spanish while you read English subtitles, too, all you beginners:
If you're not quite sure what to expect from an immersion Spanish language course, you might enjoy a read through this page on don Quijote's UK site. Britons who have studied with dQ in Spain tell their own "learning Spanish" stories. more»
Caroline, 21 years old from Sweden, writes about her don Quijote course in Tenerife:
Hola! I’m going to tell you about my time with don Quijote. I first heard about don Quijote from a friend that had been studying at dQ in Barcelona and recommended the school. I decided to study in Tenerife. It was the best time of my life! I have met friends for life and people from all over the world. The school is great with a cosy environment with the best teachers I have ever had. In class... more»
Agnes, 19 years old and from France, spent 7 months studying Spanish with don Quijote in Spain. She recommends combining cities during a Spanish course to see more of Spain. Here's her story:
I studied for 7 months at don Quijote schools, I first went to Salamanca, Granada and Sevilla and then more»
Francoise, 64 years old and from France, wrote to us about her recent stay with don Quojote in Salamanca:
A friend of mine, who has been a regular student of don Quijote for a couple of years already, informed me about the language school two years ago and I am very happy she did. I was already in love with the town of Salamanca, about two years ago I discovered it during a package tour and decided to stay in a Spanish family, giving me the opportunity to be in a typical Spanish environment all the time. I was very lucky with my hostess, who is a wonderful woman, cooks in divination and is cultivated , paints, dances, in short – just perfect! And then, the school: well, I was lucky too in this matter more»
Li Harlow travelled to Salamanca from her home in Marbella for a 1-week Spanish course. Here's how she tells her story:
Soon after Easter I suddenly decided to go up to visit my son in Salamanca. What better thing to do than get myself booked in for a five day intensive course to boost my Spanish.
Hello, after just arriving in Spain from Holland I am amazed by this city and its beauty. It has so much to offer. It doesn’t matter if you are a traveller, student, or live here the magic of Salamanca will draw you in.... more»
When you come to a different country there are certain things that stand out for you, but these things will not be the same for everyone. During my stay here in Spain I have gone around trying to find out what people from different countries think about ‘the Spanish way of life’. Here is what I found... more»
I’ve been collecting expressions in Spanish. As a further step in my neverending quest to improve my Spanish, I'm trying to pepper my castellano with slang. And colloquial expressions. I dream of sounding less like the books I read, which my Spanish teacher tells me just will not do. I dream of sounding local.
Tina Christopulos is an American writer in the process of writing her first book: a fictional story about a study abroad program taking place in Salamanca and the characters’ experiences in this wonderful city as foreigners – but she is in need of some real-life accounts from real students!
Auf der Weltausstellung in Zaragoza dreht sich vom 14. Juni bis 14. September 2008 alles um das Thema „Wasser und nachhaltige Entwicklung“. 
Kamila Hazdrová from the 
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