Long before a pilot is allowed to fly, he has to learn to speak. The instruments matter, but the words exchanged with the ground are what keep everyone safe and moving. Language, then, is not really a school subject. It is equipment. Some of my students understand that instinctively, and those are the ones who…
I met Sharon on a Sunday in November, and I was the third teacher to open a door for her that autumn. Most of my students arrive straight from the airport, jet-lagged and nervous, with a phrasebook and a week ahead of them. Sharon arrived from Barcelona, on her third consecutive week of homestay immersion,…
Any athlete will tell you that strength is never built in theory. You can study every technique in the manual, but nothing replaces stepping in and doing the work, repetition after repetition, until it becomes natural. I am Pilar, the SHIP Coordinator and host teacher with the Spanish Homestay Immersion Program (SHIP) in Valencia, based…
When Beckie travelled from Missouri, USA, with her two granddaughters, Katie and Ollie, she wanted their time in Spain to be much more than a traditional family holiday. Katie and Ollie are first cousins, and the three of them were looking for a personalised experience combining Spanish conversation, cultural discovery and sightseeing in Barcelona. They…
Some people carry a language around for a decade like a book they never quite finish. They know the grammar, they recognise the words, yet the conversations always seem to belong to someone else. Then one summer they decide to close the book and live the story instead. I am Mónica, founder of Spanish Express…
The bell tower of Valencia Cathedral has exactly 207 steps. Fleur climbed every one of them, and in many ways, that climb tells the story of her three weeks with us: steady, determined, and rewarded with a view she will never forget. I am Pilar, a host teacher with the Spanish Homestay Immersion Program (SHIP)…
After years of standing at the front of a classroom, Yvonne did something few teachers ever dare to do. She flew to Spain, sat down in the student’s chair, and started again from zero. I am Pilar, a host teacher with the Spanish Homestay Immersion Program (SHIP) in Valencia, in the peaceful town of Gilet….
The Camino de Santiago runs along our very street in Burgos, carrying pilgrims towards Compostela. This April, we welcomed a traveller of a different kind, one whose journey was measured not in kilometres but in words. I am Alberto, and together with Marisol I am a host teacher with the Spanish Homestay Immersion Program (SHIP)…
She spends her working life helping students find their voice. This June, in a small Catalan town by the sea, she finally came to find her own, in Spanish. I am Ramo, a host teacher with the Spanish Homestay Immersion Program (SHIP) in Torredembarra, near Tarragona city centre. I welcome learners into my home on…
There is a particular kind of motivation that comes from love. Stacy did not cross the Atlantic for a grammar certificate. She came to finally speak, heart to heart, with her husband’s family in Ecuador. I am Nanda, a host teacher with the Spanish Homestay Immersion Program (SHIP) in Castelldefels, just outside Barcelona. I open…
