Staff Spotlight: Alejandro Armenteros

My cycling to Santiago de Compostela, a pilgrimage city for centuries that lies in the northwest of Spain. It took me two weeks to cover the 1200 kms. distance from home to the Plaza del Obradoiro (the finish line), and in the meantime I rediscovered my own country while riding north. It resolved the question of whether I should stay in Spain or find work somewhere else.

Working for Sol Education Abroad has allowed me to get involved with young people again. Without any doubt, that posed many challenges, for grown ups fall behind the new technologies and freshest approaches to life of the youth quite easily. Meeting that challenge and keeping up to the expectations daily (both physically and mentally) has elicited new meanings to my life.

In Spain, it is not frequent that young people work until they are mature, and I remember this girl who wrote me back once thanking Sol because she had had an epiphany when working at her register in the local supermarket after finishing our program in Granada. She explained how she was able to converse now with the Spanish speaking members of her community. That meant a lot, not only to her, but also to her customers (and to me). Languages are bridges to communication, and we cannot get enough of that.

I would definitely come to Granada (Spain). The chance of learning a language where it originated brings along all the culture that has always been associated with it. All the amazing history that Spain has on its back might be difficult to digest for its grandeur, but Granada is obviously one of the places where all these influences and important events best manifest themselves.

Sol Education Abroad stands out for the careful attention it pays to crafting their students experience in the sense of pursuing a true immersion in the culture where the target language exists. From the selection of the host families, to the design of the cultural activities, and the follow up of the classes, all elements need to be adapted to each individual's personal needs to guarantee the best learning outcome. We certainly strive for that.

Delivering. Our participants choose Sol Education Abroad for many reasons, and the comments of previous participants is undoubtedly an important one. These comments create expectations that need be met. We look carefully into those, both to learn from our mistakes and to enjoy the deserved praise when it comes. However, the most important lesson is never forgetting the debt we have with our students to foster and enhance their language and cultural education.