Last week we received this year’s first group of teenagers in our Spanish School Instituto Mediterráneo Sol in Granada. Eight students from different nationalities (Irish, American, Turkish, Canadian…) have come to iNMSOL in order to learn Spanish during their stay of a minimum of 2 weeks.
Our first Spanish course for teenagers this year started on Monday last week. Our new students, aged between 13 and 17, arrived the day before at their Spanish host families, where they’ll live during their stay in Granada and where they’ll be able to submerge themselves profoundly in the Spanish language and culture. The next day they started already with their Spanish classes: divided into different groups, according to their current level, our students have 4 Spanish lessons per day where they will improve their grammatical, lexical and communicative skills.
But of course they don’t have to swot all day! We from iNMSOL attach great importance to our program of extracurricular activities, during which one may learn Spanish in a more dynamic and interactive context together with the other students.
On their first day at iNMSOL, our students had the possibility to discover the city during a guided tour through the center. And it was of course also a great opportunity to get to know the other students. The game workshop on Tuesday was a good way to practice their communication skills in a more animated and fun setting. On Wednesday we went on the “graffiti route”: we had a little walk through the Realejo, the neighbourhood where our school is located, in quest of the graffiti of the in Granada well known artist “Niño de las Pinturas”. On Friday we went to discover the world of science in Spanish. We all had a lot of fun during our excursion to the Science Park of Granada and looking at the stars and constellations in the planetarium is surely a memory we won’t easily forget. Saturday was also fun – we went on an excursion to the Alpujarras: visits of several villages, wine- and typical sausages tasting, visit of the museum in Pampaneira and of a typical ham dryer in Trevélez… what a great day full of Spanish culture!
We started this week’s program with a little walk through the most picturesque area of Granada, the Albaicín and the Sacromonte. Walking through the little alleyways between the white houses of the Arabic neighbourhood and climbing the famous hill with its typical cave-houses, our students were able to discover the special charm of the city. The week continued with us following the traces of the Arabic past which transform our city in such an unusual place. So, yesterday we visited the famous Alhambra, the Spanish fortress sitting above the city on its hill, with its decorated palaces, gorgeous gardens and a fantastic view. A place full of history, and we can’t deny it, also of a unique magic. Our “Arabic route” will end on Thursday with the visit of the Carmen de los Mártires, a park full of beautiful gardens next to the Alhambra. We will end the week more quietly, with a movie afternoon in our school. And for those who still stay a week, on Saturday there’ll be an excursion to Cordoba with visits of the most beautiful places and of the famous mosque.
We really had a great time with our first group of teenagers and we hope to see them again at iNMSOL!
And we’re of course also looking forward to meeting our new students next Monday!