Teen Summer Spanish Language Camp in Salamanca, Spain

I recently returned from two weeks in Salamanca, Spain. I had the best time there ever and it went by super quickly. Although everything was great, the best part of the trip was the friends that I made. I feel I have known the people I met there for ages, and I definitely will be keeping in touch. I wish that I went for longer, and I am considering returning again next summer! I felt that after this program I became more independent and it was reassuring to know that I was able to take care of myself and not be homesick, etc. Although I was only in Salamanca for two weeks, I feel that my Spanish has improved. However, what improved the most was my ability to feel comfortable speaking the language. If I were to have spent more time, I would have definitely improved even more. Just a heads up: most of the other kids there speak English and although sometimes we spoke Spanish with each other, often times we spoke in English so it wasn't 100% immersion, although I was fine with that. The support staff was great at Greenheart, specifically Allison, who would send out emails frequently preparing us and informing us about the trip. She quickly and thoroughly responded to any questions I had and I think that she was the reason I felt so prepared to go on the trip. In addition to learning a lot, the trip was probably one of the most fun experiences I have had so far. We had a lot of free time to explore the (very beautiful) city and do whatever we wanted. My host family was also part of what made the trip so great. They were kind, helpful, and funny, and I miss them so much! I definitely recommend staying with a host family as they were one of the reasons I learned so much Spanish. As for safety: the city felt super safe to me, even at night. There were always lots of people walking around everywhere, and I never felt scared. Finally, a tip: bring a Tide stain remover stick as it removes stains quickly and very well. It is super small and easy to carry around, and if I ever spilled something I didn't have to walk around the entire day with a huge stain. Overall, the trip went perfectly and I had a great time! I would highly recommend going to Salamanca to learn Spanish.

A few weeks ago I returned from 6 weeks in the Teen Language Program in Salamanca, Spain and having been itching to go back since. This experience with Greenheart was beyond what I expected and couldn't have asked for a better time. I was chosen to be one of their Global Leadership Scholarship winners. I wrote blogs during my time there and never came up short for writing inspiration. The staff was all very kind, organized, and helpful with my questions and details of my program. There was never a moment that I questioned if I picked the right organization. Before my adventure abroad started, I visited their office in Chicago, IL and met all of the staff which I had been emailing endlessly in the months prior. They are all wonderful people! My time in Salamanca will always be looked back on with the best of memories and smiles. If you would like to read what a typical day is like, how to prepare for this experience, or anything of that sort, here is the link to my blogs that I wrote while there: https://greenhearttravel.org/blog/author/emmy-scott

Going to Salamanca last summer was an incredible experience! I made so many new friends, improved my language skills, grew in character, and made memories that will last a lifetime. Salamanca is a very safe city, and it is full of history and fun things to do. One of the best parts about the teen program at Estudio Sampere was the diversity of the students. I became friends with people from all over the world. Most of these students speak English fluently, so it could be quite alienating for someone that does not speak English. Staying with a host family was an incredible experience, and a chance to experience life in a different culture. My host family was very kind, yet not very involved. This was the case with most families. Staying at the residence (dorm style) is definitely something to consider, especially because it is very close to the school. The lessons at the school were all in Spanish, which significantly improved my comprehension and speaking skills. The culture activities were quite monotonous and engaging, but still a good way to learn about the city! I highly recommend travelling to Salamanca, it was truly an experience of a lifetime. If you have the opportunity to travel abroad, take it!

My experience in Salamanca was something I will never forget! I met so many life long friends and my confidence in my Spanish improved immensely.
Some important things to know before embarking on this program are:
-Estudio Sampere, the school you will attend, is in charge of the excursions, classes and rules. In other words, they will be the ones who regulate your entire trip. Greenheart Travel is a travel agency which sets up the homestay, flights, ect.
-The teachers are very kind, knowledgeable, and welcoming. You will grow close to them despite the language barrier.
- You do not need to know any Spanish beforehand. However, it might make the first few days less stressful.
-Before signing up, decide whether you would like to stay in the residence (with your peers in a dormitory style floor), or with a host family. If your main focus is improving your Spanish and getting a taste of real Spanish life, I recommend staying with a host family. If you would like to build close friendships and have more freedom, stay in the residence.
My top recommendation is to take every opportunity available to you, try to do as much as possible so you won't have any regrets. I highly recommend this once in a life time opportunity!

My experience in Spain through this program was absolutely amazing! I made so many great friends and really noticed an improvement in my Spanish.
To participate in this program, you should probably already speak some Spanish. This helps with ordering food, the airport, etc. I had been taking Spanish for 4 years and felt very comfortable speaking Spanish. Although you attend classes everyday, you must make an effort to use Spanish as the majority of people speak English. It's also a great opportunity to practice any other languages you speak because there are people from all over Europe. I got to practice my Dutch as well as my Spanish.
The rooms aren't a five star hotel, but are spacious and have a bathroom. The residence felt very safe and at no point did I ever feel unsafe. The only thing I really have to complain about is the food. The food was pretty bad, but you have plenty off opportunities to buy other food if you'd like.
The best part about my trip was all the people I met. Everyone was SO friendly and sweet, both the students and the monitors (supervisors). I made lifelong friends from all over Europe and the US.
I COMPLETELY recommend this program to anyone that loves to travel and wants to explore a new language and country.

Salamanca is the most beautiful city you could possibly visit, and even more perfect to visit in your high school years. I highly recommend the program to anyone looking to improve their Spanish, have an amazing homestay experience, and make lasting friendships. The staff at the language institute genuinely care and are fun to be around, the planned activities are always a blast (example: playing soccer or touring a specific place in the city). Homestays are a great opportunity to improve your Spanish and see what it's like inside a Spanish home.

Oh man Salamanca was really fantastic. I'm not fluent in Spanish but my accent is much better and I did improve a lot. The city is gorgeous and the history of the area is pretty fantastic. Unfortunately it's not as immersive as you would think. My family didn't speak any english but all my roommates and EVERYONE at the school spoke english (except the teachers) SO all your friends will speak english and you'll end up speaking that with them.

I loved my host family though, I'd definitely recommend that rather than the residence, I had a really flexible family. We basically lived in an apartment my roommates and I and our host mom would come by for meals and say hello and talk with us about our families and our countries. Other people had a more conventional family, they'd live full time with them and always be around.

The classes were good, they are entirely in spanish, and so are the workbooks. If you are a beginner at spanish you probably won't get very much out of it, but the stronger your spanish already is the more you will learn. The teachers are mostly nice and the activities (though they are mandatory) are kinda cool if you can follow the explanations which are all in spanish. They are like tours of monuments and legends and things like that. If you go though don't go for only 1 week and go near the beginning of the summer there are more people there.

Overall it was great, I met a lot of people from all over the world (I think I counted 15 countries) and I did improve my Spanish a lot. It's not as serious as you think it might be (a lot of students go clubbing at night) but I think totally worth it.