Hola Amigos! (:
So fair warning, this post may get a bit lengthy. I’m trying to answer all of your questions, though some I’ll save for a post all about san sebastian.
The idea started last summer after a trip to disney world. Driving home the boys were watching one of their Spanish DVDs and JB was hearing our oldest son following along and repeating after the speaker. JB said “what do you think about living in a spanish speaking country next summer?” … and then I asked on IG which areas we should consider. We had lots of responses! Then a reader sent me the most detailed email explaining their families experience in San Sebastian. She explained how family friendly it is, which schools to look at, and just generally why it’s a great spot in Spain. We were sold! We did consider other places like Madrid or Buenos Aires, where they only speak Spanish. But the draw of San Sebastian, and my new friend Jessica literally mapping it all out for us made this a no brainer.
JB is fluent in Spanish, it was his major in college. Languages come really easy to him in general, but he will always say that being the unofficial translator when he played baseball was where he really learned Spanish. Two of his best friends are from Spanish speaking countries, and both are big reasons why he’s always loved the language. He speaks a latin Spanish, and it’s funny to me hearing him prefer one Spanish dialect to another. To me, the Spanish I hear in Spain is much more textbook than what I hear in Latin America. I can understand more Spanish here! I’ve received a lot of messages – “but it’s basque! why there?!” … and yes it’s basque, but there’s still Spanish spoken all around. And they are being taught in Spanish here.
My in laws also took classes. They did a one on one class with Roberto, and have learned a ton. It’s two hours long, mostly inside a classroom but they also go into the markets or have them order at a restaurant, read a menu, etc.
How did this mesh with your husbands job? He normally takes a week off during the summer and we go somewhere through his job. But since we are doing this, we didn’t. He did take two weeks off, which is the longest he has ever taken off. I don’t think he’d ever be comfortable taking more than two weeks off. While he could and did check in, there’s nothing quite like being physically there. We had one thing going for us though in that it was over the July 4th holiday so the market wasn’t open that day, and closed early I believe the day before.
How much Spanish did your sons know before going? We try to do a few things to keep up with their Spanish – Spanish DVDs, JB reads to them and speaks to them in Spanish, and we turned our netflix to Spanish. Formally, the boys have had Spanish three days a week at school so they had a basis of it. But there’s just nothing like fully immersing yourself into a Spanish speaking community and culture. There’s no minimum you or your child would need to be admitted into the school. Plus kids just pick up on so much and can just jump right in.
How big are the class sizes? The first three weeks we had 4 in their first class to one teacher. Now there are 7 to one teacher. So it varies week by week. The music class also varies. There’s been small classes, but then larger ones because it’s not in the school but at a music school. So you get a lot of local spanish children taking lessons.
Has school felt more like work or play to them? Maybe it’s the 9am start time, but they are ready to go to school every day. At home – not so much but that can be because it’s at 745am. I’ve not heard one “I don’t want to go to school today”. So I think the’d say play (:
What ages do you recommend for this type of program? I would probably say 4 and up, but you could totally do younger. They say 6 is the ideal age to learn a language, and I can really see that with my six year old and how quickly he is picking up everything, even his accent.
What are the hours like? They are in school from 9-12:30. 9-10:30 is a classroom setting … 10:30-11:00 is a break- they usually take them to the park on the way to music. 11:00-12:30 is music.
What do you do when they are in school? When JB was here I really wanted to just enjoy our time together. So I didn’t blog or do any of that, besides keep up with a few emails. So during that time we went on hikes, had long breakfasts, and walked all over San Sebastian. Since he’s been gone, I usually pop into one of my favorite breakfast spots after drop off and check email, or like right now – work on this post. Then I either go to the market, clean, do a load of laundry… you know all of the glam everyday things you have to do at home (:
Did you feel anxious about safety etc when you were alone with just the boys? I was very anxious leading up to the trip about walking with the boys since they are not used to city life. I always pick one thing to obsess about it seems. But it’s been fine. We just hold hands everywhere. … also it’s light until 10pm here, so for whatever reason that makes me a bit less anxious walking home from my in laws or walking home from dinner.
What is the pricing? You can check out all of the prices here. You can just do classes which is 95 euros a week, but only an hour and a half. Or you can combine that with surfing, horseback riding, or music.
Were there other kids that spoke english? Yes. We have had some children from Hawaii in class. But there’s also been a child that spoke Russian. Students come from all over. In the music classes they had mostly local Spanish children with them.
Was it long enough? too long? It’s so nice to be in Europe and not be rushing from place to place, but really get a sense of the town. I wouldn’t want to do this for less than two weeks, but I do feel like a month has been wonderful and beneficial.
How long in total will you stay have been? 34 days (minus the 5 I was in South Carolina with Draper James). The boys have finished four weeks of classes.
What was your draw to Spanish school overseas instead of in the US? We wanted a truly immersive experience. When we go to the park, the boys are playing with Spanish speaking children. When we’re at the market or out to dinner – they are just surrounded by it. I would LOVE an immersion school, and would sign up immediately if our area had one. One of the things on my “list” for when I get back home is to chat with our school about a soccer or other camp to be taught in Spanish for summer, or after school. What has come up repeatedly while chatting to people doing the program is that it’s easiest to learn a language, when you are doing something you genuinely are interested in. Class is so wonderful for a basis but it’s in doing something you love like soccer, surfing, etc where it really sticks.
Are tuck and wes together in the same class? They are! Wes wishes they were in the same class back home at school.
Where did you stay? We stayed in an Airbnb, and I just looked in a location to be close to the school. My in laws airbnb was even closer to the school, less money, an extra bedroom, and weekly housekeeping. So they for sure “won” in finding the best apartment. But we lucked out with a quiet area, near the walking streets, and can get to class in under 5 minutes. T
Did you rent a car? No, no need really. The city is extremely walkable and the bus system is reliable if you were outside the city. When we went to Biarritz we took the bus.
What do you do after school? My goal is to do something fun for them everyday. Sometimes that’s the beach, the kids museum, packing a lunch and going to a different playground.
Did you see improvement? this is hard for me to judge because my kids know I have a rudimentary understanding of the language. So they aren’t asking me questions in Spanish! But when my husband was here, even at the end of the very first week my oldest was asking (without being prompted), in perfect tense, questions in Spanish. When I drop him off I see the teacher (who will only speak to them in Spanish) asking him questions, the 6 year old understanding and answering. Tuck can count to at least 50 in Spanish. It’s harder for me to see the progress with Wesley. But I have overheard him and his brother chatting in spanish. Also, this was not solely about learning Spanish, but exposing then to an entirely different culture.
Will you do it again next year? We are planning on it and even have an appointment on Saturday to look into booking an apartment for next summer. It’s really hard to beat the quality of life for families in San Sebastian.
Would I recommend the school? El Aula Azul has been wonderful since I first contacted them. We’ve loved the teachers and community it has provided. If I have questions about anything (doctor, babysitter, where to eat, etc), they are ready with resources. The school discovered I had a blog (thanks to my in laws!) and they are offering to waive the registration fee with code EAAST . I also want to say – None of this is sponsored in anyway!
Let me know if you have more questions – email me or comment here (:
