Our Salamanca school has recently been featured in the July 2008 issue of the prestigious Italian magazine, Brava Casa!
The article titled “Lingue: Lezioni Con Charme” (Languages: Lessons with Charm) talks about various language teaching schools around the world in which the magazine considers to be of a charming nature, and our don Quijote Salamanca school made the cut!
You can visit Brava Casa’s official webpage to see a glimpse of the magazine. You won’t be able to read the entire magazine since it’s a preview-only online version of the printed magazine, but you’ll be able to skim through a few pages to get the general feel.
If you have access to purchasing the magazine at a newstand, then what are you waiting for? Go read about us!
Get to know our splendid school and see why it was dubbed by the magazine as “magical”.
Watch the following 2 videotours of our don Quijote Salamanca school:
don Quijote Salamanca Video 1
don Quijote Salamanca Video 2
And if you would like to see more of the city itself, here’s another Salamanca city video:
The D.E.L.E. (Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera) is an internationally recognized diploma of great value if you want to study at a Spanish University or if you are going to work in a Spanish-speaking environment.
It is the only official accreditation that certifies the degree of mastery of the Spanish language for citizens of countries where Spanish is not the official language.
You can obtain this internationally acknowledged diploma by taking one of the exams under the supervision of the Spanish Ministry of Education. The examinations take place once or twice a year at three levels: “Inicial”, “Intermedio” and “Superior”.
The "Inicial" exam lasts a total of 2 hours 50 minutes; the "Intermedio" lasts 3 hours 45 minutes; and the "Superior" lasts 4 hours. All three exams include reading comprehension, writing, listening comprehension, grammar and vocabulary as well as oral expression. All five parts of the exam are taken on the same day, so confidently preparing for it is the best advice that can be given to anyone wishing to take it.
Just remember: - You can take this course in any of the don Quijote schools in Spain and Guanajuato (Mexico). - don Quijote class start dates for August and November are 2, 3 or 4 weeks before examination date… - …and the next official examination dates (in Spain) are August 22nd of 2008, and in November 21st of 2008.
SPECIAL NOTE: For the August 22nd examination: Registration dates are from 14th of July to 1st of August.
Obtaining this diploma will eliminate any doubt employers or anyone might have about your level of Spanish, and will definitely enhance your curriculum, aside from providing you with an inmense personal pride for having accomplished it! Take advantage of this summer and use it as an excuse to study Spanish in Spain and to reward yourself by obtaining an official certificate of your proficiency in Spanish as proof of your efforts!
If you're contemplating on taking up a Spanish class, then now is the time to take advantage of this offer:
Only until November 1, 2008 you can book your 2009 course paying 2008 prices. Yes, that's right!
Book
your 2009 Spanish language course by November 1st and we'll reserve
your first choice of accommodation... and course... and destination,
while we only charge you 2008 prices!
This offer is available for don Quijote destinations in Spain only, including Pamplona and Cadiz!
The principal root of this celebration revolves around an ancient pagan tradition of celebrating the summer solstice. On this day, light is prevented from disappearing in what is considered to be the longest day of the year, therefore fire is used to substitute the sun as a way to keep the light from dying out.
Las Hogueras de San Juan (St. John’s Bonfires) is celebrated every year throughout the world and all over Spain with bonfires. In Spain, it goes on this year from June 20th -24th. It is a particularly special event in San Juan de Alicante, where a smaller version of Valencia’s Fallas takes place. There are firework competitions, medieval markets, marching bands, dancing competitions, flower offerings, street partying and much more.
The old way people celebrated this event and welcomed summer was by piling up useless materials and setting it on fire, as a way of getting rid of the old (winter) and welcoming the new (summer). After the founding of Christianity, the celebration incorporated the feast of St. John as the main reason to celebrate and to overshadow its pagan origins without replacing it. Nowadays, the focal point is a street procession, and the stars have been replaced by 100 intricatedly built wood and paper-mâchéd satirical sculptures. These gigantic sculptures sit atop the floats that are placed around all over the city center in what is knows as la plantá. On the last day, all floats and monuments are burnt to cinders during the intense midnight cremá as the grand finale after the palmera (fireworks display). People bathe in the sea to clean and purify themselves for good luck and jump over small bonfires to ‘burn their worries away’.
In 2008 the event celebrates its 80th anniversary, so expect an extra-special program of events for this year’s commemoration. We are positive that if you go, you will enjoy everything about the festival, especially the artistic, whimsical statues that are impressive during the day, but appear even more impressive and magical at night. It is an event well worth witnessing as well as the city makes for the perfect place to practice your Spanish!
Do something fun this summer! Attend las Hogueras while learning Spanish with don Quijote in Alicante.
Learn and practice Spanish with the lively Cuban locals as you discover the richness of Cuba and also experience a notorious latin culture activity... a CARNAVAL! more»
San Fermin is a religious festivity dating back several centuries honoring Pamplona’s patron saint. The typical San Fermin outfit is to be dressed in head-to-toe white and have a red scarf tied around your neck. The symbolism behind it is that the red represents the blood that was shed by the martyr when he was beheaded. But the most prominent event within this celebration is el Encierro (the confinement), made popular to the English-speaking world by American writer Ernest Hemingway in his novel ‘The Sun also Rises.’ San Fermin is a celebration that goes on for an entire week… so for 7 days it really does becomes the city that never sleeps.
It all starts with a blast-off on 12 noon of July 6 called ‘el Chupinazo’, signaling that the party has officially started. It is the moment where the entire city roars with joy while waving their red scarves in the air. Fireworks start booming, champagne corks go flying, bands start playing and people start dancing in the streets until midnight of the last day, July 14. The running of the bulls takes place on the second day and it goes on every morning at 8am sharp until the end of the festival. Even though San Fermin seems to be aimed towards adults due to the partying that goes on, there is also room for kids to have fun: the masquerade procession of Giants and Bigheads is a favorite. The Giants chase kids to playfully hit them with a pole-strung sponge and the Bigheads surprise them with a bow and a dance. Kids are also chased by a fake bull in a corral and many other folklore events can be seen and enjoyed by the entire family. The close of the festival is marked by the crowd singing a touching ‘Pobre de Mi’ in a night time candlelit procession finished off by fireworks as a grand sad farewell until next year’s event.
Intrigued? Then make your way to Pamplona for a perfect opportunity to see the San Fermines for yourself, while you brush up your Spanish skills. This year, don Quijote’s partner school in Pamplona will offer a special Spanish + San Fermines course during the festival. Learn Spanish, learn about the San Fermines and experience Pamplona during this exciting time!
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to see this legendary fiesta up close and personal Contact us for all the details!
It all starts with a blast-off on 12 noon of July 6 called ‘el Chupinazo’, signaling that the party has officially started. It is the moment where the entire city roars with joy while waving their red scarves in the air. Fireworks start booming, champagne corks go flying, bands start playing and people start dancing in the streets until midnight of the last day, July 14. The running of the bulls takes place on the second day and it goes on every morning at 8am sharp until the end of the festival. Even though San Fermin seems to be aimed towards adults due to the partying that goes on, there is also room for kids to have fun: the masquerade procession of Giants and Bigheads is a favorite. The Giants chase kids to playfully hit them with a pole-strung sponge and the Bigheads surprise them with a bow and a dance. Kids are also chased by a fake bull in a corral and many other folklore events can be seen and enjoyed by the entire family. The close of the festival is marked by the crowd singing a touching ‘Pobre de Mi’ in a night time candlelit procession finished off by fireworks as a grand sad farewell until next year’s event.
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