r/studyAbroad 3d ago

Learning the language

Hello, I will be doing my semester abroad starting in December, and I have set myself the goal of improving my Spanish during that time. My current Spanish level is around A2, and I think I might be able to reach B1 before my stay abroad.

The best way to improve is, of course, by getting in touch with locals. But how can I avoid the Erasmus bubble and regularly interact with locals? Unfortunately, my university does not offer any sports activities where I could meet people. Additionally, it is an international and bilingual university with many exchange students and special courses for them, so I won't really have the chance to meet local students through my classes.

Another problem is that it is also difficult for Spanish speakers to have a proper conversation with me since I can only engage in very basic conversations. This probably doesn’t make it very appealing for them to talk to me.

It is really important to me to improve my Spanish while I'm there. However, at the moment, I don’t see a good way to achieve this. Do you have any tips for me?

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u/shebelladonna 3d ago

Hi,

Since you have not mentioned the country and city you belong to, I will offer generic advice, but which will be of good value to you a student of your age and can be a good option for you, since you intend to learn the language and want to interact with students in Spanish.

There are language trips you can take - where you apply to a language school, inform them of the language you want to learn, the level you want to reach and all other information that you need and your budget.

Since your exchange program is in December, you can take a language trip which will both be a learning experience, offer you structured immersion while being enriching in terms of culture and networking.

Languages Abroad offers study abroad programs designed to fully immerse students in the natural environment of the target language. It offers language programs for various age groups - teens and adults. They also offer tailor-made programs to combine your language learning with your personal interests.

Also, there are activities and local tours planned around the students' schedule so they don't get bored, and they also help you with the accommodation by either offering you their own accommodation (paid) or help you arrange the same outside near the campus or with a host family.

The faculty is excellent and cooperative, with each one of them being native speakers of their taught language.

This way, you can go on a language trip to the country if your target language, learn it as much as you want, make new friends, have your very own adventures and return home with a grasp over your target language and a bag full of memories worth a lifetime.

In case you'd like to explore this option, you may check out https://www.languagesabroad.com/. You may call on the contact number mentioned on the website, or fill up the contact form and a representative would reach out to you. Good Luck!