02 Aug Family Spanish Classes with Centro MundoLengua

This summer, we were thrilled to offer family Spanish classes in our language school for the first time ever! Katie and her sister Debbie enrolled their families in Spanish classes with Centro MundoLengua. Read on to learn about their experience in Sevilla!

Who are you here with in Sevilla?

Katie: “I’m here with my husband Rob and our two kids, Jack (15 years old) and Alex (12 years old).”
Debbie: “My family consists of me, my husband Matt, Colin (17 years old), Cate (15 years old), and Claire (10 years old).
 

Why did you choose Sevilla to take family Spanish classes?

Katie: “We came to experience Spanish life, including the language, the history, the food, and the people. We thought taking Spanish classes as a family would help enrich the experience. We also chose Sevilla because it’s a walkable city with rich history and great beauty.
Debbie: “Sevilla is a charming, friendly city with many cultural and historical aspects to explore. For us, it has been the perfect size city for the kids to embrace.”

Why did you decide to learn Spanish with the whole family?

Katie: “We wanted to let our kids know how important language is, and that you can learn and go to school at any age. Life should be a continual learning experience. Personally, I wanted to improve my limited Spanish to make it easier to travel and communicate with locals.”
Debbie: “As a family, we embrace values teaching the kids to be global citizens. By learning Spanish as a family and with their cousins, it makes the whole experience fun. We are learning Spanish, not for school, but for personal enrichment.”

What are the family Spanish classes like?

Katie: “We’re here for two weeks- we wanted to stay long enough to really get to know the city. We have 3 hours of class a day, plus a thirty minute break in the middle. It’s the perfect amount! In the beginner class, we learn vocabulary, play games, and learn about the history of Spain and Sevilla”
Debbie: “There are two levels of classes: Introduction to Spanish and high school level. We are enjoying the class a lot. Everybody is taking their Spanish knowledge to the next level, and we are incorporating the language into our adventures outside the classroom.”

Does the age difference and variation in language level make the class difficult?

Katie: “No. Maria does a great job of keeping the kids engaged while satisfying our adult intellectual curiosity.”
Debbie: “In the classes, the instructors have done a nice job of reviewing material to get the same baseline while incorporating new material.”

Are there advantages or disadvantages to taking family Spanish classes?

Katie: “The biggest advantage is bonding time and creating memories. Then we can talk about what we learned throughout the day. The downside is that we speak too much English. We would probably learn more Spanish if we lived with a Spanish speaking family. But, this is our vacation and language is only a part of it for us.”
Debbie: “We are ‘learning for life’, rather than learning for school or a grade. Learning the language together makes it fun and promotes family values of being global citizens.”

Did you practice your Spanish during the stay in Spain?

Katie: “Absolutely! It is very helpful when eating at a restaurant, when reading maps and street signs, and when communicating with others.”
Debbie: “We practiced what we learned in class throughout our adventures in Sevilla.”

What was the highlight of your stay?

Katie: “We did so many things that it is hard to pick just one… over the weekend we went to Zahara and experienced the beautiful beaches and red tuna! We also went to Triana and learned some history about tile makings, made our own tile, and made a bowl on the wheel too.”
Debbie: “The highlight of our time in Sevilla was the shared experiences that we had together as a family. Our favorite tour was of the Cathedral and the Giralda.”

How was the staff from Centro MundoLengua?

Katie: “Wonderful, and so helpful in planning activities.”
Debbie: “Fantastic! It was a very well organized trip.”

Do you have any advice for families who would like to learn Spanish as a family?

Katie: “I would highly recommend learning Spanish as a family with Centro MundoLengua! Getting to know our teacher Maria and learning from a local for over two weeks is fabulous. There is no better way to really learn about a country, the language, and the warm and wonderful people and culture. One recommendation is to have your kids bring items from home to share about our culture and give as gifts to the teachers!”

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on the experience with us, Katie and Debbie! We’re very happy to hear that you would recommend the experience to other families. 

If you would like to organize your own family Spanish classes with Centro MundoLengua, click here for more information!