Forum Spain: My opinion of learning Spanish in a Hotel Management placement

I decided to come to Spain for a month to practice my Spanish with Instituto Hemingway www.institutohemingway.com . I am a French student in America and I have studied Spanish in College but I didn’t really want to take classes. Therefore, working in Spain seemed like the best way to improve my Spanish. I didn’t know what awaited me before I arrived in Nograro, the small village in which I lived and worked for a month. Now I can say that is a very interesting experience, getting to know and speaking to the people of the village. Arantxa, the owner of the Casa Arauko is a kind and fun woman. Also helping her are her father, Rufino and her friend, Victor who are very nice. The Casa Rural is a very beautiful and comfortable house that has a bar and restaurant and bedrooms.

There is a lot of work to do in the house. One of my jobs is to clean the house but I enjoy working in the restaurant as a waiter or on the bar, which is my favourite thing to do. Every afternoon people from Nograro and other neighbouring towns come to the bar to drink and to talk. During the week, the inhabitants of the town frequent the bar and this is why I have got to know the people of the town so well, it seems to me that this town is like one big family! I find it very strange that people pay for rounds of drinks in town, but it is very kind. During my first day off I visited Vitoria; it is a beautiful city with a very interesting old town. Nograro is located close to other cities such as; Bilbao, Santander and Miranda. It is very easy to adapt to city life. I have learnt about the Basque way of life and their traditions. I saw the celebration of San Juan in Miranda where the people wear traditional Basque clothes.

Finally, as the Casa Rural Arauko has a restaurant I have tried many foods that are traditional of the Basque region and of Spain, I have really enjoyed them! I have also taken a walk through the countryside and the mountains near to Nograro. The owner, Arantxa has really helped me to practise my Spanish; she helps me when we speak together and also when I have to write in Spanish.
Alexandre Hawath