Academia BERCEO Instituto Espanol de Salamanca |
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| Date Submitted: | May 4, 2010 |
| Language School: |  Academia BERCEO Instituto Español de Salamanca |
| Language & Location: | Spanish :: Salamanca, Spain |
| Classes & Instruction: | 8 out of 10 |
| School Facilities: | 5 out of 10 |
| Accomodation: | 5 out of 10 |
| Cost & Expense: | 6 out of 10 |
| Recommend: | Yes |
| Review: | Salamanca summer 2000 I studied here during the summer of 2000. I found the whole experience of living in Europe (Spain) exciting and felt it was one of the best times in my life. I met some very cool students at this school, from all over the world: Germany, China, Japan, Israel, Palestine, UK, US, Portugal, Italy, and more. Most of the international students spoke some English, but for the most part outside of the classroom, everyone in Spain speaks spanish and has limited Enlish speaking skills which is great for practice and immersion. There were some ups and downs during my stay in Salamanca, but overall it was great and life changing. If you are coming from the US, and not from a bigger city like NY or Chicago (or any urban/cosmopolitan area) you will soon see how most things are smaller in Europe (space) and some amenities do not exist. As far as the school is concerned, it had a small staff which was fairly friendly, but there were also some little skirmishes, but nothing severe. This should be expected at least a little, when your profession revolves around a formulated method of teaching "extranjeros" a new culture, history, and language. As far as "Anti-American" sentiment, you probably don't want to be THAT guy who hangs out with 10-20 other loud Americans and excludes himself from the other students. I traveled to spain alone so I did not have this problem. Most students also traveled alone, so this made getting to know people a lot easier. There might be a better school in the area, but I'm sure there will be advantages or disadvantages depending on the reviewer. Overall, the age of the avg student was early to mid 20's when I was there. There were some exceptions like couples and singles who were late 30-50's. The strong quality that I will say this school contains is that the instructors and staff are fairly "real." They do not pamper or put on appearances/facades of any sort, which can make for some interesting stories. They were always polite, friendly, and for the most part inviting. So, its not the "marriot" but a real taste of spain. If you treat people well, they usually reciprocate. One shouldn't go to this school or country expecting a "Disneyland" experience. Everything isn't always nice and tidy, people don't always smile and acquiesce to your whims, and mickey mouse doesn't come out to give you a hug and photo. Spain will be beautiful, it will also stink, the nightlife is energetic, almost everything closes for "siesta," there's tuna pizza and no peanut butter, etc. The school was only a part of my larger experience, but the language acquisition was fast and practiced seriously and daily. |
| Submitted by: | Brian 34 year-old :: Male Reviewer :: Texas and/or Chicago, IL; United States |
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