Samantha studied a Spanish course at Euroace for 1 month, taking 100 hours of classes in 4 weeks! She recently graduated with her Bachelor’s in Mathematics and Business and wanted to enjoy traveling before starting a job with a top consultancy firm in January next year. She shared her experience of living in Valencia and studying Spanish at Euroace with us.

Why did you decide to learn Spanish and why did you choose to come to Valencia to do so?

I studied Spanish in high school, but unfortunately, I could not continue with it at university. But my connection with Spanish never broke – I love Spanish music, I have been on vacation in Spanish speaking countries, I love Spanish food and I have family members with whom I could practice a bit of Spanish.

I was primarily looking for a good language program and this is how I found out about Euroace – it became my first choice due to the flexibility of the program and the good price. Once I chose Euroace, I was doing some research about Valencia and it seemed to be the perfect choice – medium/big city with lots to do, but not too hectic and overcrowded!

Why did you choose to study an intensive program?

I am starting my job with a consultancy firm with a delayed start in January 2020 and one of the conditions to delay the start was to complete a language course for specific languages that would help me in my role in the company. My experience studying at Euroace has been amazing and invaluable, due to the small-sized classes, flexibility of the teachers, interactive classes with lots of talking time, with the chance given to students to choose the topics and vocabulary areas in which they wish to improve – like I needed to go to the bank and asked the teacher if she can teach us related vocabulary and make role plays of conversations at a bank. It was a truly tailored learning experience!

What did you like most about Valencia?

I love the weather, I was surprised about the variety of things you could do, like visit the old town with its nice small streets and medieval style buildings. And within 20 minutes from the old town, you are in the City of Arts and Sciences complex which is awesome and really modern.
In the same time you can reach the beach or you can go to Albufera lake to see the lagoons and see where paella originated. I planned to do lots of weekend trips and I still did some, but many weekends I stayed in Valencia as it has a lot to offer.

What was the best as well as the most difficult part of your stay?

The best part was that I met many people from Spain and from other countries, I made lots of friends, stayed with a very nice host family and this helped me immerse in the Spanish culture!
The most challenging part was to start speaking at first after a long gap of not speaking Spanish. The teachers are very patient, they helped me a lot making me feel comfortable to express myself, even though I made mistakes and took a while to form my thoughts in Spanish. I also saw that the other students were feeling at ease to speak even though they were making mistakes too.

Would you give any advice to students planning to study abroad in Spain?

Yes, I would advise them to use every chance to immerse in the culture and to speak Spanish– in the shops, on the street, with your Spanish friends outside of class or with your fellow students, no matter if they are native or non-native English speakers.

Would you recommend Euroace?

Yes, I would warmly advise people to consider taking a Spanish course as it will boost their career opportunities, help them improve their spoken Spanish tremendously, help them understand the culture and enjoy the wonderful Spanish cuisine. When people are taking vacation, be it a few weeks or a few months in Europe, this is an absolutely worthwhile experience.
I would definitely recommend EUROACE to other students if they are looking for small class sizes, professional, flexible and patient teachers, a learning experience tailored to students’ needs, kind and reliable staff, central location of the language school, and the variety of after- class activities to let us experience Spanish culture, customs and tasty cuisine. I also think that studying abroad can help you to build connections and friendships with fellow students!

For more info on our Euroace Spanish courses, click here.