Today we talked to Jeroen, our student from the Netherlands who has traveled with Dencanto Community to Malaga and Madrid to study Spanish and immerse himself in the culture of the country. He is happy to share his experience and give a couple of valuable tips to those who are still doubting whether it is a good idea to take a Spanish course in Spain (Spoiler alert: of course it is! 😉)
My name is Jeroen Gerritse and I live in Hilversum, the Netherlands. I love hiking, especially long distances and multi-day hiking trips. Besides the outdoors, I love to travel and discover new things.
Since January 2023, I have more free time and in May I decided to go to Malaga. In the Netherlands, I have been taking Spanish lessons for over three years and I wanted to dive deeper into the Spanish language. In Malaga I followed an intensive Spanish course for 2 weeks. The city and the lessons in the language school in Malaga were a success: really fun and educational!
After that, I did not want to stop yet. I travelled to Madrid: what a fantastic city it is! From there by train to Leon (northern Spain) to walk my first Camino: el Camino del Salvador. I got a taste for it, as this was followed by the Camino Primitivo to Santiago de Compostela. I even walked on to the end of all caminos: Finisterre. Literally: end of the world).
After seven weeks in Spain, I flew back to Amsterdam and even before I got on the plane, I had already decided to go back in September for four weeks of Spanish lessons in Madrid!
While walking the Camino, I got talking to a fellow hiker from Madrid. He told me that Madrid is ideally suited for learning the language because Spanish accent there is neutral. After my many trips through Spain, I can confirm this.
Besides, I just have something with Madrid: when I walk through the magnificent Retiro Park or sit on a terrace with a cerveza, I feel completely at home. There is just so much to do there too. Did you know that I even stood at the finish line of the Vuelta a España (cycling race)? And that one Sunday I ended up in the middle of a manifestation between some 65,000 Spaniards singing and waving flags?
I enjoyed the two excellent language schools in Malaga and Madrid. I found both schools to be of high quality. The lessons are very informative and are taught by competent teachers. They also only speak Spanish so you become even more familiar with the beautiful Spanish language.
In Malaga, they did organise amazing activities outside the lessons. For instance, I hiked the Caminito del Rey (the King’s Route): an impressive hike at high altitude through a canyon. Definitely recommended!
What I like about the Spanish life style? I can be very brief about that: everything!😍 The Spanish lifestyle is unique: beautiful, sensitive, special, sunny, connecting, interesting, tasteful, exciting, colourful, temperamental, I could go on and on. You can experience this especially if you spend longer periods of time in Spain. So not a week on the Costa but travelling around and immersing yourself in Spanish culture for a longer period of time.
To keep up with my Spanish in the Netherlands, I do Duolingo, listen to Spanish radio (Cadena Dial) and watch Spanish-language films and series such as La Casa de Papel, Las Chicas del Cable, Entrivias, El Silencio De La Ciudad Blanca. Furthermore, I go through my lessons regularly; I find that I need to keep repeating. I also go to a meeting café where Spanish is spoken.
My advice to others would be: You are never too old to learn! I am 66 years old and was regularly among youngsters in class. But that went very well, I had nice contact with everyone. I just need a little bit more time to learn. So what?😂
For those who are having doubts: don’t! After requesting information at Dencanto Community, I received a call from Linda (education advisor). We had a real nice conversation and she sent me more information. I was very excited about that and I booked right away! The process was very smooth and easy.
Both in Malaga and in Madrid, everything was arranged perfectly. And during my stay in Spain I was in regular contact with Linda from Dencanto Community. I really appreciated that.
So I can definitely recommend Dencanto Community if you want to learn the Spanish language in Spain. It was a particularly nice and instructive time for me. ¡Muchas gracias!
If you are interested in taking a Spanish course in Spain, do not hesitate to contact us. We offer 14 destinations in Spain and different programs for all tastes: from general courses to thematic courses such as Spanish with flamenco, Spanish for foodies or cultural programs for adult students (50+) and much more. Fill out the form below and we will be happy to assist you and create your next immersion experience in Spain!