French course in Martinique: a first-hand review

Cactus’ Alessia Ungari decides to learn French in one of our most exotic locations, Martinique, and doesn’t regret it for a minute…

Having started my French Elementary 3 evening course in Brighton with Cactus, I felt it was time to enhance my language skills with an experience on the spot. I wasn’t sure where to go; there were many cities in France that I could have chosen from. But browsing the Cactus website I realized that France wasn’t the only option if I wanted to improve my French. How many of you knew about MARTINIQUE? An island in the Caribbean sea, where the official language is French. The choice was irresistible!

Cactus helped me plan my trip: language course in the mornings, accommodation in a modern and bright residence in the Village Creole and airport transfer from Fort-de-France airport.

This is the perfect schedule for a language holiday, since it gives you the chance to learn the language every day in the morning, and leaves you free time for the rest of the day to discover the local culture, to explore the place and of course to boost your skills by practicing what you’ve learnt in class with the natives. Also, the school’s staff were always happy to advise about activities: every day was a new adventure!

One day we decided to rent a car, heading to the south of the island. I enjoyed driving whilst observing the amazing landscapes on our way: small villages where the locals’ hospitality and friendliness was beyond words.

An alternative to the car is the funny trip on the Taxico (Taxi collectif): a sort of shared taxi, smaller than a bus, that usually departs with no timetable, but when all seats are filled. We found it a convenient and cheap solution to go to the black-sand beaches of the North and to the east Atlantic coast where we enjoyed a whole day on the crystal-clear waters and trying to join a very traditional Caribbean party in the bar nearby.

One afternoon we managed to book, through the school, a diving lesson, called baptism in my case, as it was the first time. What an awesome experience to be 8 metres under the sea: colours, species and shells that I’ve never seen before. Cactus offers both diving and kite-surfing to combine with French lessons, and it’s definitely worth doing one of these activities if you are in Martinique. Also, it could inspire you for future hobbies – for example in my case I’m now planning to sign up for a diving course in my city!

Something that you can’t avoid if you are in the Antilles is the fascinating rhythm of zouk and compas, the two traditional dances of the Caribbean islands. In Martinique I was overwhelmed by this music while buying mangos and coconuts at the Grand Marché, walking in the street, and even during the last day at the school where the teacher showed us the basic dance steps and involved all the students in a fun dancing session. All this, followed by a traditional lunch with poulet Colombo, tropical fruits and local wine. We had lots of fun and unconsciously my French was progressing minute after minute.

Not far from the school is the Jardin de Balata, a botanical garden which contains many varieties of tropical plants and exotic flowers from around the world. As part of the tour in the garden, we did a walk on a bridge between the treetops. How exciting!

In a word, everything about my experience was perfect. I only wish it was longer. Thanks Cactus for this fantastic opportunity! I can’t wait to leave for another exciting language holiday soon 🙂

Cactus offers French courses in Martinique, France and Canada. We also offer French courses in the UK to help you learn the basics or brush up on existing skills before you head off.

Cactus case study – the story behind 13 courses in 8 years

Cactus talks to Naomi Sharp about her impressive history of 13 courses in 2 languages over 8 years with us

It’s not often that we get a client who has taken more than a handful of courses, so to find one who has taken 13 courses, in not just Spanish but also French, is an exciting rarity. I was keen to chat to Naomi to find out her motivation behind studying two languages and where it was all taking her.

The inspiration behind Spanish

For Naomi it all began after a holiday to Costa Rica back in 2004. Inspired to take up Spanish, she enrolled on an Open University course and decided to supplement this with immersion trips abroad through Cactus. Her first trip was to Alicante and since then there has been no stopping her, with Spanish courses now taken in Cuba, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina and even Bristol, to keep up the language on home soil.

In this time Naomi has progressed through the levels from elementary to intermediate and even thrown dancing into the mix, taking a Spanish & Salsa course in Havana, a Spanish & Salsa course in Malaga and a Spanish and Tango course in Cordoba, Argentina. She admits that this is what first attracted her to Cactus – the ability to learn a language and enjoy the local culture at the same time. She has thoroughly enjoyed her dance classes as many were on a one-to-one or small group basis with dance professionals – and of course they provide a perfect excuse to practise the language further.

A change of career paths with French

So where does French come in? Naomi’s long term goal is to teach English overseas with the voluntary service, and for this it is useful to have knowledge of French. Naomi used to be in the Air Force and as part of her resettlement package, in 2012, she enrolled on a 3-week French course with Cactus in La Rochelle. Subsequent courses in Antibes and Vichy last year took her up to intermediate level, equivalent B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

Naomi has clearly had a wonderful few years visiting different parts of the world and working towards her long-term goal of teaching abroad. Language-wise, her sights are on the DELE and DELF diplomas in Spanish and French, while work-wise her next step is to teach English in Sri Lanka before heading to Spain or Latin America.

Tips for other language learners

Given all her experience learning languages over the years, I asked Naomi if she had any tips or advice for anyone else learning a language. First and foremost she recommended spending time in the country where your target language is spoken, and taking every opportunity you can to speak with the locals. People are always friendly and willing to chat, and it doesn’t matter if you make mistakes as this is all part of the learning process. Having said this, Naomi found her evening classes in Bristol to be a good complement to her overseas courses, as the class size was small and the teacher a native speaker, making it not too dissimilar to her overseas experience.

One other factor that is likely to have helped Naomi’s immersion into the many cultures she has experienced has been her preference to stay with local families where possible. For her, living with a host family gives an extra opportunity to chat in the language, coming together at mealtimes for example. Some people may shy away from this option, believing their language isn’t good enough to stay with a family, but Naomi pointed out that families are used to receiving students of all levels and as such they know how to speak to you.

If there was ever a way to combine your love of languages with work and travel then surely Naomi has found it. The great thing is that there is never really an end to language learning and there are many different ways to make it work for you, wherever you are – of which Naomi is a perfect example. Many thanks to Naomi for taking to time to talk to us and we wish her all the best with her future globetrotting and linguistic adventures!

Cactus offers language courses in over 20 languages in destinations all over the globe. We also offer 10-week evening language courses in London and across the UK which are great preparation for an overseas trip and ideal for long-term learning.

From beginner to proficient in Italian: one client’s journey through 12 evening courses

After 12 language courses with Cactus, Mark Holden tells Sarah Watkins about his rather unplanned but highly satisfying journey from complete beginner to proficient in Italian.

As a language lover myself, it is always exciting to find a student who has taken not just a couple but an impressive TWELVE courses with us. To see that someone has progressed from basic to advanced knowledge over the course of a few years is the perfect story, and I couldn’t wait to chat to Mark to find out more about his language learning experience.

The beginning of the journey…

For Mark, there are several reasons for learning Italian, and it all started some four years ago at work. As a chartered engineer working for the European company Airbus, there were a number of Italians working in Mark’s office. What started as a few friendly exchanges of language tips – Mark lending some help with English and learning a few Italian phrases in return – led to dinner at an Italian colleague’s house and the opportunity to discover more about the language.

This, combined with the motivation of an upcoming trip to Ponza, a general love of art, culture and ancient history, and useful prior knowledge of Latin, sowed the seed for Mark and his wife Carren, who also works for Airbus, to take a local evening course in Italian with Cactus in Bristol. For them, learning Italian is pure recreation – just two hours each week to do something for themselves and a fun challenge at the 50-something mark.

Of course, what started out as a beginners’ Italian course ‘for fun’ back in 2010 has taken Mark and Carren much further than they ever expected. Seeing that they were making progress and enjoying the feeling of the language starting to make sense, they moved from one course to the next, taking the odd break here and there, but successfully moving up the levels until now, in 2014, they have 12 courses behind them and have reached the linguistic high of understanding and being understood. Mark is quick to say that he’s not ‘proficient’, as his course title might suggest, but that he no longer has to think about what to say in Italian. He tells me he still has a long way to go and we agree the great thing about learning a language is that it’s an ongoing process and one that can easily become a life-long passion.

Using his Italian in real life

Mark’s courses have been punctuated by a series of trips to Italy and further afield – a real chance to put his Italian to the test. He recalls a trip to Sardinia early on as something of a breakthrough, as it marked the moment when he realised he could actually go somewhere and speak Italian, feeling confident enough to travel around and chat to the locals. Another trip to the Sicilian town of Taormina last summer, where he and Carren took an Italian immersion course, proved just how far they had come with their Italian: they had the satisfaction of chatting to and becoming familiar with the locals, getting recommendations for where to visit, where to eat or what local produce to try and above all feeling like they were part of the community rather than just tourists.

I was particularly impressed to hear how Mark and Carren had managed to combine their passion for Italian with their love of scuba diving on a diving trip to the Maldives. By specifically choosing an Italian-based company, rather than one of the many English-speaking ones, they were guaranteed a good number of Italian guides and guests on board with whom to practise their ever-improving Italian. It goes to show that learning a language can be incorporated into daily life in all different kinds of ways, and it is no doubt this regular exposure to the language both inside and outside the classroom that has fuelled the couple’s progression and enthusiasm over the years.

Mark’s evening course & learning tips

You don’t always have to travel far to make a difference, however. If there is a secret to any of this, Mark tells me, for him it was committing himself to the homework outside class. He found that a 2-hour stint of homework in addition to a 2-hour class each week made the world of difference, being the perfect opportunity to gain a better grounding in grammar. It gave him the time to consolidate what he’d learnt and make sure that he had properly understood, enabling him to go back to class the following week ready to move on to the next topic.

It goes without saying that the success of any course is also down to the teacher, and Mark is quick to pay tribute to his teacher, Valentina, who he and Carren were lucky to have for all but a couple of their twelve courses. He has only positive things to say about Valentina, who he describes as extremely creative, enthusiastic and interesting, tailoring the classes to the students’ interests (even though these were quite varied) and maintaining a fun, relaxed environment. She has certainly been a significant factor in the group ‘gelling’ and in the overall enjoyment of the courses. Although the number of students has naturally fallen as they have progressed through the levels – going from 10 at beginners’ level to 4 at proficient – it is testament to Valentina to have kept such a strong group going.

As for what lies ahead, he feels that two hours each week is no longer sufficient for someone of his level, as he’s reached a natural plateau: he and Carren are hoping to spend more time in Italy to immerse themselves in the language and of course reap the benefit of all their hard work.

They might not have had any grand plan to begin with, but I think if there was ever proof that an evening course can change your life – even if unintentionally – here you have it.

Many thanks to Mark for taking the time to talk to me, and I wish him and Carren all the best for wherever their Italian might take them in the future.

Mark has been learning Italian in Bristol with Cactus. Cactus offers Italian courses in other locations across the UK as well as in Italy.

Cactus Teacher Awards winner & runners-up: Jan-March 2014

Thank you to everyone who submitted a comment about their teacher for the Cactus Teacher Awards last term (January-March 2014). As usual we received many wonderful comments about our teachers, and would like to thank both our students for taking the time to send in feedback and also our teachers for continually delivering such excellent courses.

We’re delighted to announce that our winning teacher was Lucie Prior, who taught our French Beginners 2 course in Victoria, London. Lucie wins a £100 voucher plus a certificate from Cactus and her student, Sophie Johnson, wins a free 10-week evening course.

Below are Sophie’s comments, along with three more of our best entries.

* Teacher Awards Winner: Lucie Prior (French Beginners 2, London Victoria) / Student: Sophie Johnson *

“My teacher, Lucie Prior, deserves to win this award as she is an exceptional teacher.

Her classes are lots of fun – after a long day at work and a trek across London, who would have thought that 2 hours of French would be something I would look forward to so much and leave on a high. Lucie is always energetic, dynamic and light-hearted and her classes reflect this. Her approach gets the best out of her students as she puts us at ease and has everyone participating right from the start.

Lucie’s classes are particularly enjoyable as they are so diverse. As well as covering the required grammar and vocab, we learn a lot about French culture. Lucie’s range of ideas and exercises always keeps the lessons fresh, including film clips, questionnaires, games, mime and song excerpts.

All in all I have thoroughly enjoyed the last 10 weeks and have certainly learnt a LOT. I can’t wait to start the next course and any other teacher wouldn’t cut it for me now! Thank you Lucie for your support and expertise!”

Teacher Awards Runners-Up:

1) Teacher: Aisha El-Turki (Arabic Beginner 3, Brighton) / Student: Evgeniia Makeeva

“My teacher, Aisha El-Turki, deserves to be nominated because she has a very confident, professional and kind personality. Those qualities are certainly important to be a great teacher. She makes everyone in the class very excited and we all always look forward to our next class with her.”

2) Teacher: Gaelle Monfort (French Beginner 1, London Bond Street) / Student: Katalin Zupcsán

“I would like to nominate our teacher Gaelle Monfort. Gaelle makes learning French really fun! I work full time so I often go to the course tired, but I always leave excited and feel like I’m improving well! For a 10 week course we found a really good place to learn – I didn’t think I would improve so much! I will sign up for the next course with Gaelle of course.”

3) Teacher: Romie Lamah (French Elementary 1, London Wimbledon) / Student: Rebecca Flower Cooke

“My teacher Romie deserves the best teacher award because she is always cheerful and friendly and after having tried so many different courses and ways of learning French (none of which have been successful – including one-to-one tutoring), I finally feel like I am learning and understanding a lot with Romie’s teaching. The mix of exercises and talks and discussions we have, have taught me so much new vocabulary and finally enabled me to understand French tenses. Thank you Romie!”

Congratulations to everyone and look out for our Teacher Awards next term – next time it could be you!

Cactus runs evening courses in London and in locations across the UK. The spring term starts in April and the Teacher Awards will run again (deadline Friday 27th June).

 

French course in Antibes: Cactus staff review

Operations Manager at Cactus, Leticia Artiles Gracia, tells us her reasons for learning French and how much she enjoyed immersing herself in the language in Antibes

I love and enjoy doing many things. But if I had to choose two, they would definitely be: travelling and learning languages.

What if you are given the choice to combine both? That is exactly what I have been doing once a year since I joined the Cactus team, almost 4 years ago. This time I took a 1-week holiday and went to do a French course in Antibes.

antibes_leticia2

I must admit that this was a bit of a risk as French is not really my favourite language. I have tried to study it many times without success and not because I find it difficult: I am Spanish and that helps a lot when it comes to understanding the language, its structures, its spelling, etc. The real  reason behind my lack of interest in French is that I have never had a real motivation to learn this particular language.

Now I do have one: I am learning Arabic in Morocco and the Moroccan dialect uses a lot of French terms and in many cities of Morocco they use a high percentage of French words.

So, there you go, if I want to communicate with people in Morocco, I need to improve my French too!

So I decided to give myself another chance and instead of going for a normal course I thought: why not to go there for a week and immerse myself completely in the language and the culture? I am so glad I did.

A language holiday is such a good choice for a solo traveller. The General Course is perfect in terms of number of hours. I had to get up early in the mornings to go to the school but then at midday I was free to go and enjoy my free time while practicing what I had learnt in the classroom. During the 3 hour class we practiced all skills: listening, reading, writing, speaking.

My teacher & classes

My teacher could not have been better. You could tell she was highly qualified and experienced and she managed to motivate us to produce as much language as we could. I was placed in a higher level than I expected and that was very encouraging. I cannot say it was not a challenge, but it really pushed me to try and learn as much as I could in a week.

The whole class was entirely in French, not a single translation in English and the teacher did not allow us to use dictionaries or applications to translate. What was not understood at first was explained using different techniques such as: giving examples, using synonyms, mimics, sounds, anything! My vocabulary grew by the days and my oral expression and understanding were definitely improving. The course was complemented with a grammar book created by the school with clear explanations and examples.

Due to the fact that the week I was there was low season, we did not manage to get enough people together to do any of the extra activities the school offers. These included city tours and a wine and cheese tasting evening. Next time I will have to go when it’s busier but that would also mean more people in the classes. The class size at this time of the year is between 6 and 8 people, perfect if you want to make the most of the week.

Although most of the students were in their early twenties, there were also quite a few people over 30. I managed to meet people of my age not so much in the classroom as in the residence where I stayed. This one was definitely the best choice as most people were over 25 and it was a nice and quiet place to stay that invited you to relax and study during your free time.

There was where I met Diana, a Dutch lady, with whom I shared lovely chats (in French!), nice seafood and wine dinners and entertaining excursions in and out of Antibes. We agreed that although we both spoke much better English than French we would try to speak French as much as we could and so we did.

Antibes & the surrounding area

antibes_market

Antibes has a lot to see; it’s a lovely and picturesque town on the Côte d’Azur, full of small cafés, restaurants and shops. It has a beautiful beach really close to the school, perfect to run to right after the classes for a couple of hours. There is also a traditional market right in the heart of the town. It is a place that allows you to travel back in time.

The residences are in a more touristic area called Juan les Pins, a lively place perfect for partying. From my point of view, Antibes is much more authentic – it has the perfect southern French taste! People are very lovely, although there are many tourists. You still get that personal treatment and after going to a café twice, they already know what you want.

I managed to visit Nice and Cannes. My favourite was definitely Nice, a very charming city with a mix of traditional architecture and modern buildings and a great promenade to enjoy a pleasant walk in the evening. There is also a nice waterfall at the top of the mountain definitely worth visiting.

Other class mates visited other small cities and they all sounded very nice too. I wish I had gone for 2 weeks so that I could have had time to see a lot more.

All in all, the experience was extremely positive. Now that I have experience learning French in a country where it´s spoken I can´t wait to do it again.

Leticia learned French in Antibes with Cactus. Cactus offers French courses in many locations across France and Canada, as well as evening and part-time courses in the UK and the US.

French evening course in Brighton: Cactus staff review

Salut, je suis Laura et j’apprends français à Brighton.

I have always loved the French language and studied it for numerous years at school. I had thought I had a reasonable grasp of it – that is until I visited Paris last year and stayed with some friends. I found the ability to repeatedly ask for the location of the toilets and to describe my love of swimming at the swimming pool only gets you so far. So when Cactus offered the Beginner 1 French class at their St Giles centre in Brighton, I jumped at the chance!

I am so pleased that I did now – going back to basics has proved so incredibly useful.  We were quite a large group, which was initially quite nerve-wracking (I am not a confident public speaker!). My classmates were of all ages and came from a variety of different backgrounds – some were learning French as they had family and friends in France whilst others took it up as a challenging way to occupy their Wednesday evenings. We were eased into the lesson with a couple of ice-breakers, which included greetings and a fun bingo-style number game. After a short space of time, I felt comfortable piecing together short sentences in French to my allocated partner and then onto the whole class.

We covered a lot of ground in the next few weeks, from learning nationalities to describing what we do at work. However, we eventually had to cover the most formidable subject matter for a native English speaker… le grammaire! It turns out that I had nothing to worry about – our teacher guided us through the different conjugations clearly and concisely, testing us on our new-found knowledge every so often. I can now proudly say that I have the ability to conjugate all (regular) verbs… magnifique!

Learning French with Cactus has been such an enriching experience. Yes, two hours of French on a Wednesday evening after a long day at work can be a little daunting, but the time flies by once you’re in the classroom. If you are thinking of joining an evening course, I would highly recommend committing to a couple of hours a week of self-study outside of the lessons.  It is very important to reinforce the information you take on in class.

I am now enrolled on the Beginner 2 course with the same teacher and I am greatly enjoying it. Although I struggle with certain aspects (such as gender – seriously, why is a table a woman…?!), I really feel like I am making great progress. So much so, I will be trying my luck communicating with others in Paris next month, where I have enrolled on a week-long intensive course.

Merci beaucoup, Cactus!

Laura is Corporate Client Liaison Officer at Cactus and she took a 10-week French evening course in Brighton. Cactus offers part-time and evening language courses in a variety of languages and at various levels across the UK and the US.

German course in Brighton: Cactus staff review

Language Course Advisor Alessia Ungari tells us how her German evening course has given her a real passion for the language

Since I was at primary school I’ve been learning foreign languages and over the years I’ve become a more and more dedicated learner. When I heard that Cactus was offering me the chance to take a language course I was really excited. I speak Italian and Spanish fluently and wasn’t sure whether to brush up my French knowledge or to start with a completely new language. I decided to enrol on a German course, although I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to learn a word.

Why German then? Mainly because my relatives live in Switzerland and I’m used to hearing the language since I was a child. But I never learned more than a few words and expressions, such as “Danke”, “Auf Wiedersehen” and “Kartoffeln”. I wanted to surprise them, and the idea of being able to communicate with my little cousins made me very eager to begin lessons.

One of the advantages of Cactus courses: the timetable. As I’m a full time employee, I couldn’t really find time during the week, but studying one evening per week can definitely fit into everyone’s schedule.

The day of the first lesson arrived and I left my work place a bit anxious to meet my classmates and teacher. All I knew about my course was that the tutor was a native German speaker and that there were 6 students in total, including me. All students were in the room at 7pm and the teacher had already prepared the materials necessary to start. For the first hour we had to fill in a questionnaire and played a warm-up game to get to know each other and very soon the atmosphere became pleasant and enjoyable. The lesson went smoothly; Rebecca, our tutor, showed us the lesson plan and asked more about our preferences and expectations from the course. It was a nice feeling to know that we all could express our personal needs and that Rebecca was flexible regarding the course content.

After the first session passed I felt much more relaxed, and despite my tiredness, I was already looking forward to the second lesson.

I couldn’t expect to understand everything at beginner level, but I was really surprised to notice my quick progress over the 10 weeks. My understanding improved, I was much more confident with my speaking and I enjoyed the variety of activities and the great interaction with the group.

In short, my overall experience has been awesome and I haven’t stopped learning since: I’m currently attending the German Elementary 1 programme and all the concerns and the anxiety I had on first day have gone.

My Wednesdays are now exciting and I can’t wait to do my homework during the break to get prepared for the next lesson!

Alessia took a 10-week German evening course in Brighton. Cactus runs evening and part-time courses in a variety of languages and at many levels in locations across the UK and in the US.

Language course review: a week of German tuition before Christmas

Ernesto Forner, Head of Corporate Language Training at Cactus, tells us about his German course in Berlin in December

This was probably the best time to spend a week of German immersion in Berlin, enjoying the celebrated Christmas markets around the city and all the winter delicacies like Lebkuchen, mulled wine, roasted chestnuts or Stollen to name a few. The school is strategically situated in the district of Prenzlauer Berg, just walking distance from Mitte, the centre of Berlin, and very near different means of transportation. When walking around the streets near the school, one gets the feeling of a vibrant young city which is orderly and designed to be lived in and enjoyed. Bicycles, trams, pedestrians and cars all share a very well defined structure in a harmonious and respectful approach. It is far from the madness, chaos and overcrowding that can be experienced in the bigger European cities of Moscow, London, Paris or Madrid. Berlin is a city made for its citizens: it is ample, green, quiet and harmonious.

Berlin_ritter_sport

(Image: Ernesto’s favourite shop in Berlin – Ritter Sport chocolate!)

When you walk into the school, you also get a feeling of efficiency and harmony. The staff are very friendly, helpful and pro-active and I always felt I knew what I needed to do and be. The building is modern and quite original, with an inner courtyard (a common and famous type of construction in Berlin) consisting of gardens and residential buildings for students. The rooms are also modern, big and clean, creating the perfect environment for learning the language.

I took a 20 hour general language course. I had 2 hours of learning with a teacher, a 30 minute break and another 2 hours or learning with a different teacher. This exposed us to two different teaching styles, accents and approaches to language learning. I was placed in a level a bit higher than what my level really is, and even though this took me out of my comfort zone, I must say I learnt probably more than if I had been placed at my right level. Once you reach Intermediate level, it is easy to follow the language being taught regardless of whether you are placed higher than where you really belong. It’s a way to push yourself harder and it is important not to lose self-confidence when realising everyone else in the classroom has a better level than you.

After 5 full days of lessons, I was impressed at how much I had learnt and I would have loved to have been able to continue learning such an amazing language in such a great school with such fantastic teachers. Unfortunately, it was time to leave, but I will most definitely be going back to the amazing city Berlin is, and make sure I continue with my learning experience at that same school.

Ernesto took a German course in Berlin with Cactus. Cactus offers German courses in other locations across Germany, as well as part-time and evening courses in German in the UK and the US.

Spanish Evening Course in Brighton: a first-hand account

Having put my languages on the back burner since having kids, I thought it was time to brush up my Spanish – and, at the same time, hopefully inspire my little ones. An evening course was the perfect way to do just that…

As a busy working mum, fitting a language course into what was already a frenzied week was slightly optimistic. But sometimes you need to stick your head out…this was something I wanted to do, and surely the kids could cope without me at bedtime once a week. So it was that I ran out the door, notebook in hand, one rainy Wednesday evening to my first Spanish Intermediate 3 class.

Week 1

Any doubts as to whether I should be doing a course were put to rest as soon as I walked through the door. Straight into Spanish, smiles all around, and a teacher who I warmed to immediately – a fun, bubbly Spanish señorita who seemed as mad about languages as I am. There were only five of us in the class – three of whom had progressed from previous courses – which was the perfect number to encourage class interaction and allow us individual attention from our teacher, Emma.

The next two hours flew by as we played language games to get to know each other, one of my questions focusing on why my classmates wanted to learn Spanish – a topic that always fascinates me. One girl, for love – of course. Think Spanish boyfriend, in-laws, future bilingual kids, etc. Another dreamed of moving to Spain. Nice. As for me? I just want to get back the Spanish I learnt years ago and which has laid dormant in my head for more years than I wish to calculate. I also want to inspire my kids, to have them grow up thinking languages are cool. I got home that night to find my poor husband frazzled after a chaotic bedtime. But as the little ones bundled into our bed at 6.30 the next morning, asking me to teach them phrases in Spanish (we got as far as “Hola! Me llamo Oliver” and important toy names such as “elefante” and “peluche”), I realised that perhaps this could be a great thing for all of us.

Weeks 2-9

The weeks proceed with us learning exactly what we had requested in our initial course questionnaires: to learn common Spanish expressions, to understand the real Spanish you hear in the streets, and to gain general confidence in speaking. Lessons cover a variety of exercises to ensure we are improving all language skills: listening to role plays, singing popular songs, reading articles from newspapers and media, writing short texts, discussing topical issues in Spain and the world, and so on.

Emma is quick to pick up on any mistakes and ensure that we all understand, in a fun and inclusive way. Intuitive, smiling and radiating enthusiasm, it’s impossible not to get caught up in her passion for teaching, and I think of the lucky school students who she teaches in her day job for having such a natural ‘profesora’. When I was at school it was rare to have a native language teacher, and I can’t think of better GCSE motivation than having someone like Emma at the front of the classroom.

As for us, back learning as adults, we progress quickly too. New vocabulary and phrases are always listed on the whiteboard and topics lead off onto fun and random tangents such as “We just found out the word for blueberry…let’s name 10 other fruits as quick as we can!”. We’re kept on our toes for the whole lesson and the classes fly by, week after week. For me, personally, it never matters how tired I might have felt beforehand…I always leave feeling exhilarated, with a spring in my step. I get home to find that bedtimes have become calm and tear-free, but can’t sleep because I’m excited by all this new Spanish in my head.

Week 10

We round off our final lesson listening to Spanish music and playing a Spanish word game, a glass of tinto de verano in hand (never mind that it’s November) and garlicky olives, chorizo and jamón serrano on the table before us. After all, it’s as much about soaking up the culture as it is about learning verb tables, right?

I feel sad that my brief window of Spanish each week has come to a close but, with the renewed confidence and motivation it has given me, I know this is just the beginning of my renewed love affair with Spanish. Phoning home to check on the kids and hearing a small voice say “Hola mama!” the other end tells me that it’s all worth it.

Sarah took a 10-week evening Spanish course in Brighton at Intermediate 3 level, with teacher Emma Punchard. Cactus offers more evening and part-time language courses in Brighton, London and other UK locations.

A week in Barcelona: a vibrant city in which to soak up the Spanish language and culture

Executive PA at Cactus, Cecilia Harvey, tells us about her week in Barcelona enjoying the Mediterranean sunshine and indulging in local culinary delights…all whilst attending a local language school.

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I boarded the train headed for Gatwick airport. Drizzle on the windows made me smile, knowing I was heading for a 28 degree heat.  Since the birth of my children, I had never been away by myself, let alone do something “just for me”. Having not ever been to Barcelona either, I could hardly contain my excitement.

What a luxury to be in the airport alone, to sit and have a coffee and read my Lonely Planet guide. I carefully planned my itinerary for each day, knowing which sites I definitely wanted to see. I also knew that Friday was a holiday in Spain and there would be no classes that day. For that day, beach!

As I left behind the storm that was brewing in the south east, and that had been announced weeks before, I heard people talking on the plane about advice they left to their friends and families about “battening down the hatches”…. The plane did go through some very strong turbulence, and with my stomach in my throat, I just closed my eyes and couldn’t stop smiling.

Landing in Barcelona in the heat was brilliant, my skin immediately thirsty for that Vitamin D. I was in no rush, but knew exactly where I was headed. The Aerobus is fantastic; it leaves from both Terminals at Barcelona’s El Prat airport and takes you right to the centre of the city. I just soaked up the sites as the very easy 30 minute journey left me standing in the beautiful and buzzing Plaça de Catalunya. As I walked down toward my apartment, I purposely chose a quiet street (well, quiet doesn’t really exist in central Barcelona!) but not down one of the main ones, let’s say, as I wanted to leave the world famous “La Rambla” for when I had time to soak up everything around me.

Settling into my flat for the week

I got to my address, and a very sweet girl called Lisa from the school, International House, was there to greet me. She gave me the keys to my room, detailed some basic rules and instructions and left.  Wow…I had a real flashback to my student apartment at Uni. Very well equipped, the apartment gave onto a very noisy and echoey set of courtyards, all connected like a maze. My room was basic but incredibly clean. All I needed really, as I wasn’t planning on spending much time in it anyway!

I went out looking for somewhere to buy some basic essentials for breakfast the following day, but to no avail, as it was by then quite late on a Sunday afternoon. Instead, I stumbled across the wonderful “Cuines de Santa Caterina” – a well know eatery at the edges of a wonderful market, the Mercado de Santa Caterina. Unsure if I was hungry yet, I walked around, passed the Cathedral and through some streets, all buzzing with tourists and residents alike, going about their business.

Back at the flat, I was unpacking my case and heard the front door…it was Uli, one of my flatmates! From Bremen, Uli had a really interesting background.  I then met Katja, a Danish girl who was to be my other flat mate, although I didn’t see her very much at all. Uli and I chatted about our children and about why and how we were there. After deciding we were both hungry, we decided to go and grab something to eat. He had also arrived that day and like me, not managed to find anywhere to get any food. We went to the Cuines de Santa Caterina and I indulged in a local beer, grilled squid and fried artichoke hearts. What a culinary delight that was!

The following morning I turned up at International House, just 5 minutes round the corner from the flat having passed the visually stunning Palau de Música Catalana. I didn’t have opportunity then to spend more time, feasting my eyes on the intricate detail in the décor of the building….but it was on my list, so I knew I would return.

First day at the language school

At the school, all the new students were welcomed and had to take both written and oral tests after which we were all allocated our classes and teachers. In between tests, we were all sent upstairs for 20 mins to the school café, run by a woman whom I can only describe as a “force of nature”. The orders came in, thick and fast, both from us newbies and all the other students who by that time were taking their morning break. I sat on the outside terrace in full sun with my espresso. Fabulous!

My class was run by Marco, a born and bred Catalan guy who made it even more interesting, as he knew and understood the differences and could explain them to us as well as ensure we knew which was Castellano and which was Catalán. There were only five of us in the class which was fantastic, and I knew I would be challenged mentally as not only was the course labelled “intensive” but my level was Upper Intermediate III and my classmates had already been there for 2 or more weeks.  Most of the days following that, I came out of the school, my head buzzing and hurting from the bombardment of information. The verbs really challenged me as they differ so much from Italian ones (I am half Italian) and there are so many more tenses to remember and so many more subtleties. We had a lot of course work which most days I decided to do immediately after school, so I could then just relax and enjoy the free afternoons and evening. This didn’t always go to plan, as the Mercado de Santa Caterina lured me in on my second day and I found myself eating tapas in the Cuines again….

Excursions & wanderings…

The school organised some excursions which on a couple of occasions I joined. The first to the Barrio de Gracia, and the other to the museum of Catalan History. Both incredibly worthwhile going to with local people as your guide as they knew a lot more than any written guide will illustrate. The Barrio de Gracia is very trendy and has a multitude of small restaurants and cafés of different cuisines and wonderful little artisanal shops which are gems. My favourite site there was the Casa Vicens – architecturally mesmerizing. The residents of Gracia are very proud to be “from Gracia” and they have various parties and celebrations, which are different in each street! The museum of Catalan History was very interesting. Created with a multitude of interactive features, it was designed with all ages in mind. Incredibly interesting actually for a foreigner to see just how much Barcelona has contributed to many types of trades which not only still exist in Barcelona and to a wider extent, Spain, but how the city was a pioneer in a lot of them.

I achieved so much in six days: I walked down the Rambla, just with the intent of subjecting my ears to the local language and setting my brain into “Spanish mode” – and it worked. I shopped in the famous Mercado de la Boqueria, where my Lonely Planet didn’t fail me: an explosion of colours, sounds and smells, it became my daily favourite spot to be. I marvelled at Gaudi’s creations in all shapes and sizes; I met some lovely people and ate delicious food in tapas bars in little plaças where you know only the locals go. I walked along the beach and soaked up the rays and the warmth. I sat on grass verges by the marina and listened to a band playing and people dancing to the captivating rhythms and watched street dancers and breakdancers outside the Cathedral.

This experience has enriched me in so many ways. First and foremost I have really progressed in my Spanish and plan to keep it up with a Cactus Skype course. Secondly I have seen some amazing places, art, museums and eaten delicious local dishes and met interesting and friendly people. Last but not least, I visited a city which was welcoming and alive and was blessed to go to a well organised school where the staff was extremely competent and friendly. I will be going back with my family in the not too distant future.

Cecilia took a 1-week General Spanish language course of 20 lessons in Barcelona. Cactus offers Spanish courses in many other locations across Spain and Latin America. Those wishing to learn the basics or brush up before they go can also take a Spanish evening course in the UK or the US.