Author Topic: Learning Spanish in Benalmadena robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-05-2005 03:22 AM     I have come down to the Costa del Sol to spend my 4-week summer holiday as usual. Normally during this time I would take some classes at the Bonanova Language School in Fuengirola, but this year they had no classes at an appropriate level. Instead I elected to study at Colegio Maravillas in Benamadena. I opted for a 2-week intensive course (20 hours per week), at a cost of 310 Euros. They offer complete packages including accommodation with Spanish families. This journal will track my progress there. First impressions The upfront administration is good. You can register on-line and they will respond in English. Very efficient. I arrived in Malaga on Wed 29th June and went along to the Benalmadena the next day to find out where the school was. From Fuengirola to Benalmadena is a 13 minute train journey on the Cercanias line between Fuengirola and Malaga - the return trip costs 1.5 Euros. The following day I had arranged to go and pay my money and sit the written test for placement. They were ready for me and everything went smoothly. I had to turn up at 9.00 am on the following Monday for an oral assessment, before being placed in class. I will let you know how day 1 progressed in my next entry. Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 07:47 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  |  robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-05-2005 05:54 AM    Monday 4th July Day 1 I travelled through to Benalmadena by train and walked to the school, stopping off to have a coffee in a local bar. At the school, they were very efficient, I did the oral and then was placed in the Advanced class. We were given a tour of the school - they have very good facitlities - air conditioned classrroms, a well stocked library with 9 computers on the internet (I am using one of them now). The timtable is: 0930 - 1130 - Grammar class 1200 -1400 - vocabulary and conversation class. We have 7 students in the advanced class: 1 Swiss, 2 French. 1 Belgian, 1 italian, 1 Swede and and 1 Scottish. Naturally, I am the "abuelo" of the class! Some of the class with two of the teachers on the right: The grammar class was quite hard - oraciones condicionales con "Si" and the imperfecto and pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo. The teacher Miguel is quite entertaining. The vocabuary and discussion class with teacher Julio followed on from this and we did excercises about bank transactions and also practicsed using the Si constructions. Tuesday 5th July Day 2 A similar pattern to the classes, more grammar in the first 2 hours and then conversation and more vocabulary. The class is now more confident and the conversations went better today. As I said, the facilities at the school are good, and the staff very helpful. There is a large outdoor terraza where you can get coffee, drinks and tapas - it is good value too: coffee is only 0.50 euros. The terrace bar: Well time to go and catch the train back to Fuengirola. Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 07:49 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  |  robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-06-2005 03:16 AM    Day 3 Wed 6th July The grammar class this morning was more interactive and communicative than before and we had lots of practice using the imperfect subjunctive and condicional. The vocabulary and conversation class again focussed on oral activities, reinforcing the use of the condicional. imperfect subjunctive and some use of the present subjunctive. We took some time out to watch the announcement of the winners of the Olympic bid for the 2012 games. I organised a lottery for this at 1 Euro a ticket. I thought I was on a winner by pulling Paris out of the hat! One of the French students drew London! and London won! Congratulations London! As well as offering courses to adult learners, the school also offers courses for teenagers and student groups, but in a different facility to the main scholl in the centre of Benalmadena. For this reason, they can offer a comprehensive range of activities. This weeks´s activities are: Monday: 1400 - a talk on Granada 1800 - a film: Al sur de Granada Tuesday: 1500 - Private tutorails are available at no extra cost 1700 - A talk on the Spanish Civil War Wednesday: 1500 - an excursion to erja and Frigiliana Thursday: 1500 - free tutorials 1800 - International Film: Las Horas Friday: 1530 - student and teacher football match 2100 - a party in the school with sangria and music Saturday: 0800 - a whole day trip to Granada Personally, I chose to go on the trip to Granda, since I have never been there, but I was informed that no other adults had put their names down and that only the groups of teenagers were going. I was a liitle disappointed by this and I guess I just have to wait and visit Granada some other time. Yesterday afternoon I played some tennis and took the opertunity to visit some Spanish friends in Fuengirola, managing to sqeeze in some tapas of gambas al pil pil and some tortilla..mmmm! This afternoon was taken up by some chores such as shopping, followed by an early evening practice session on the tennis court. For our evening meal, we had one of my favourites - roast chicken bought from an Asador de Pollo - these are common throughout Spain and are shops specialing in roast chicken on the spit. You can also buy baked potatoes. what used to be called French fries and a variety of salads. The whole roast chicken is good value at 7 euros, the best thing is it saves a lot of preparation and cooking time. Saludos Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 07:52 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  | robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-07-2005 03:21 AM     Day 4 Thurs 7th July The classrooms in the school are well maintained and all have air conditioning - a must during the summer months. The average temperature during my recent time here at been around 30 - 36 degrees Celcius. Grammar Class - more on the condicional and imperfect subjunctive, but this time orally. Conversation class - this was dominated by a dicussion of this morning´s bomb blast in London. During the morning break, the winner of yesterday´s in-class lottery, brought in some champagne and congac for us to enjoy. Enjoying the cognac and champagne on the terrace: Apart from the news about the events in London, it was a really good day. I took some photos and will add these to the postings once I am back in the UK. Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 07:54 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  | robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-08-2005 03:09 AM Well, this is Friday, the final day of this first week of an intensive Spanish course in Benalmadena. What have I liked and disliked about it? Likes: the facilities are very good, clean and entirely suited to purpose. They have a good library with intenet access and the teaching and administrative staff are very helpful and accommodating. I particulary like the links between the work done in the mornings in the grammar class and the work done after break in the vocabulary and conversation class. The teachers by and large are good. I also like the idea of the cafe/snack bar area which is good for mixing socially. The range of additional activities is also good. Dislikes: I have very few dislikes. The only one that springs to mind is that very little homework is given. Unfortunately, I cannot give you a fuller report on Benalmadena itself, because I am not staying there. From past experience, I know that the has a great marina area and the the town centre is lively. WOW - in grammar class this morning, a surprise test on Si clauses and on conjunctions line con tal de que. a condicion de que etc!!!!!!!! In vocab/discussion class we looked at adverts using the subjunctive an also at "false cognates" Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 07:56 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  |  robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-11-2005 03:22 AM    Monday 11th July This is the start of week 2 of my course. The weekend went well but much of Saturday was taken up taking a friend to Málaga by train to buy a ticket for him to go to Valencia. We originally went to the Fuengirola train station to buy the ticket for this main line journey BUT BE WARNED - the ticket window for purchasing long distance train travel in Fuengirola is closed until 21st July. The Cercanías train trip to Málaga RENFE (train station which is one stop BEFORE Málaga Centro), was fine. If you are going to be purchasing train travel tickets in Málaga, please note that the queuing system makes use of numbered tickets - you need to take one from the dispenser and wait for your number to be called and displayed on a screen - this also tells you the ticket window (ventaniila) to go to. We had a 20 minute wait! After buying the ticket we went for lunch and enjoyed a selection of food - mixed house salad, paella and cod fish (bacalao) cooked with potatoes and peas. All this with bread and water for only 16 euros total. The reason I went with my friend was that he suffered a stoke in 1991 and has some difficulty talking, so it is helpful if there is someone there just in case they are needed. On Saturday evening I played some more tennis, then enjoyed a nice meal at home. Sunday was very busy with shopping, followed by 2 hours of tennis and then preparing food for our guests who were coming round in the evening. We had a good meal of mixed fish starters (smoked salmon, boquerones in vinegar and curried herring, with a garlic and tomato salad, followed by spag bolognaise and then lemon mousse and ice cream. Needless to say a few bottles of wine were also consumed. Grammar class - we were issued with a new book at "Superior" level. Most of the main books used for grammar in the classes have been written by Concha Moreno, so if you are looking for a good author of grammar books to help you with your studies, then she would be a good recommendation as author. Today, we were focussing on different uses of the present tense, both to make reference to the future and the past. We also listend to a couple of songs but J L Aute and filled in the blanks on the lyrics sheets - a difficult exercise! The focus was on the use of the subjunctive. Vocabulary/ conversation class - focussed on dictation, stock frases used in everyday speech and discussion about various issues. 5 new students arrived in our class today. At night, a party was organised for the adults groups, there were about 40 of us there. There was free beer and sangria as well as tapas of ham, cheese, tortilla, nuts, crisps, olives and pork cooked on the grill. It was an enjoyable evening, mixing with others students and teachers. Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 07:59 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  |  robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-12-2005 03:13 AM     The programme of additional activities for this week is: Monday: 1400 - a talk and a film on Córdoba 2100 - a party Tuesday: 1500 - Private tutorails are available at no extra cost 1800 a film - Solas Wednesday: 1500 - an excursion to Málaga 2000 - tapas in Málaga Thursday: 1500 practise your Spianish using songs 1600 free tutorials 1800 - International Film: Una casa de locos Friday: 1530 - student and teacher volleyball match Saturday: 0800 - a whole day trip to Córdoba 1700 - Seminar on Picasso I think I might try the Córdoba trip. Grammar class - the use of the past tenses Vocabulary/conversation - more use of if.. then In the grammar classes at this level, there is an expectation that the student knows how to form the verb tenses. The focus is therefore on the use of the tenses. The rest of the day was taken up by some light revision, tennis and eating. [ 08-21-2005, 08:00 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  |  robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-13-2005 03:09 AM    Wednesday 13th July I will be going to Málaga this afternoon with the organised trip and will report back tomorrow. In the morning, the grammer class was mind-bending: we worked on the correspondence of the 9 indicative tenses to the 4 subjunctive tenses AND THEN on probability in the past present and future! My brain still hurts - get me out of here In the conversation class we discussed various social issues and then went on to look at the lyrics of a song by Los Secretos (a Spanish group, popular in the 80´s) called "Bulevar de los sueños rotos". We then listened to the track a couple of times and then, can you believe it? - we ended up singing it!! The afternoon trip to Málaga went well - we were picked up at the school in a nice air-conditioned coach and dropped at the cathedral. There was 1 techer with 5 adults. We did a tour of the cathedral and although I am not religious, I found it interesting. Next we went to the Alcazaba, then the roman theatre, followed by Plaza de la Merced and then the Plaza de la Constitución. Here is something interesting. In the this place they have large replicas on the ground (in metal) of the front pages of national newspapers from Decembre 1978, when the Spanish constitution came into effect. AND - if you look at the webcam of the Plaza del la Constitución, toy can just see them by the street light on the left of the image. We then had some free time so we went for a walk along Calle Larios, one of the main shopping streets that you can see on the webcam at the top of the image. If the web cam is working, you can see it here We left Málaga at 7.00pm In the evening I went out for a meal with my lady friend, to a delighful restaurant in the Pueblo Lopez area of Fuengirola. Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 08:03 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  |  robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-15-2005 03:09 AM     Thursday 14th July Grammar class was a little confusing this morning, jumping beteen probability, the past tenses and the imperative. I am sure that the teacher has a plan.... One thing I did find interesting was how to classify phrases according to Time, Mode and Aspect. In conversation class wee discussed a variety of social issues. Four of the class leave tomorrow, so we a planning a small fiesta with tapas. I will let you know what happens. The rest of the day was taken up with shopping, household chores and later in the evening, a visit to the feria ground. All along the coast, they are celebrating the Fiesta and Feria of Camen, the paton saint of fishermen. Saturday night is the big night when she is paraded and sent out to sea. I am going on a trip to Córdoba on saturday and 45 degrees C is forecast!!. Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 08:04 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  |  filbert Full Member Member # 3879 posted 07-16-2005 12:03 PM   Wow, this blog has been brilliant. I'm tempted to enrol in this school myself. I hope they are paying you advertising commission Rob Roy! I must say though, I don't envy you walking around Cordoba in 44C heat!!! Posts: 329 | From: UK | Registered: Sep 2003  |  MadridMan Administrator Member # 2 posted 07-16-2005 12:14 PM       PLEASE DO continue using this thread as your BLOG for your studying experience in Benalmadena, robbieroy. How very very interesting! Enjoy your time. Saludos, MadridMan   Posts: 7790 | From: Columbus, Ohio, USA | Registered: May 2000  |  robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-18-2005 03:24 AM     Thanks for the comments MM and filbert. I was enjoying the school SO MUCH that I have decided to enrol for one more week!!!! On Friday in class, we read a short story by Pablo Neruda - a nice story about being in a foreign country but difficult vocabulary. We had some homework to do on it. I conversation we discussed certain jobs and social issues, focussing on the use of the subjunctive. There was no surprise test this week - thank goodness. Saturday was the trip to Córdoba. In a word - Brilliant. There were three coach loads went - 10 adults and 100 + youths from the other section of the college. It took us about 3 hours to get to Córdoba, including a half hour stop for breakfast (at 10.30 this was my second of the day!). Everything was well organised. We ten adults had one teacher all to ourselves as a guide, and my goodness, she knew her history. (On the trip to Malaga, it was evident that the teacher new her history as well. It is quite evident that the teachers are all very knowledgeable about Spanish history. This puts my knowledge of Scots history to shame!) First stop was the old Roman bridge that crosses the main river, the Guadaquivir and then to the Torre (tower) de la Calahorra, which dated from the 8th Century Muslim era. After that it was on to tour round the historic centre of Córdoba including the Jewish quarter. AMAZING! You can feel the atmosphere in the very narrow strees and around each coner, you can see hints of the Arab influence. Next on the agenda was the Alcazar - the Royal Palace). The gardens anre MAGNIFICENT and cooling. http://www.abdn.ac.uk/~lls013/summer2005/cordoba/cordalcazargdns1.jpg http://www.abdn.ac.uk/~lls013/summer2005/cordoba/cordalcazargdns2.jpg The weather was HOT, HOT HOT - 42 degrees, but it is a dry heat and does not drain your strength. After a tour round the interior and a visit to the Arab baths. We had free time for lunch. A group of four of us found a small restaurant specilising in tradition food from Córdoba. The group had a selection of food:- Cod in tomato and peppers Paella Solmorejo - a cold soup like gaspacho but thicker Chocos fritos (no, not fried chocolates but large squid fried in batter) Artichoke hearts. All this with 2 rounds of water and cokes came to 39 Euros, not bad for four people. After lunch we all met up again and toured the Mezquita - hugh, impressive and interesting. After that we set off for home ad got back about 8 pm. Some of had a drink with the teacher before setting off. This organised trip was really well organised and informative. It cost 36 Euros. In Córdoba, watch out for the women beggers, they are pests. Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 08:09 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  |  robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-18-2005 05:58 AM     Monday 18th July The weather on Sunday was hot, hot hot. 41 degrees in Málaga! and very, very humid. When cooking the evening meal of fajitas I took a packet of tortillas out of the cupboard and the were already hot!!!! When I went to bed, the sheets were hot! Everything was hot! This morning in Benaladena, there was a nice cooling breeze. Today, the grammar lesson was hard work. It was about the estilo indirecto or reported speech. Although the grammar rules about the use of the subjunctive in the various tenses is straightforward, the problem is with the verbs that introduce the reported speech. They come from different categories and different rules are applied to them. The problem is caused by not knowing how to classify different verbs and therefore apply the correct grammatical rule when reporting what was said. Some take the indicative and some take the subjunctive. Looks like I will need to do some homework tonight to learn these. The vocabulary and conversation class was good again today with the focus on wishes and desires using subjunctive and conditional. We also looked a phrases that use parts of the body. The activities on offer this week are again interesting and well thouht out: Monday: 1400 - a talk and a film on Ronda 1730 private tutorials Tuesday: 1600 - practise your Spianish using songs 1800 a film - Habla con ella Wednesday: 1500 - an excursion to Marbella and Puerto Banus Thursday: 1730 - a talk on Goya the artist 1800 - International Film: Los otros Friday: 1530 - student and teacher sport in the sports centre 2000 - a tapas tour in Fuengirola Saturday: 0800 - a whole day trip to Ronda The tapas in Fuengirola and the Ronda trip appeal to me. Yesterday afternoon was taken up doing some household chores and some shopping. Fluchos in Fuengirola!!!!!! I found a shoe shop selling Fluchos. The were advertised as being on sale with an average price of around 60 Euros. MM - any advice? Do you think that this is a good price? The evening was taken up doing some homework. Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 08:12 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  |  robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-20-2005 03:13 AM    Tuesday 19th July The grammar class was again hard going, matching the 9 indicative tenses to the 4 subjunctive tenses. The teacher worked hard to get this across to us. I think I see some light at the end of the tunnel! The vocabulary/conversation class was outstanding. We taked for a bit about our personal priorities in life, debated homosexual marriages and religion and then, BEST OF ALL - went through INSULTS and SWEARWORDS in Spanish!! Great - now all I need to do is learn them and put them into practice (but in a controlled environment with someone who is sypathetic, otherwise it could be very dangerous!!). The afternoon was taken up with some lunch, a light siesta and some tennis, followed by a meal in the house. The weather continues to be very hot and humid. The dry heat is OK but the humidity is sapping. Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 08:13 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  |  robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-21-2005 03:16 AM     Wednesday 20th July I recently changed my morning routine by taking my coffee in the train station at Fuengirola (where you can also have breakfast and watch the TV), instead on the bar near the language school in Benalmádena. In this way, I can go directly to the school, check my email and post the next instalment of this blog. Grammar class was difficult today. The class (including myself) seemed tired. The teacher did a lot of talking about things unrelated to grammar, but nevertheless, culturally interesting. The main focus of today´s lesson was the use of the indicative or subjunctive along with verbs of the head and verbs of influence. This was done in relation to different times (present past etc)and so was quite complicated. Vocabulary/conversation: today we looked at at exercise and information of the different meanings of "the language of the fan", by women. This was quite entertaining. The discussion and conversation was quite stilted because of the tiredness of the students in the class. In the aftenoon, following lunch, I went and did some shopping for groceries etc and played tennis in the evening. Instead of going out or cooking in we got a chineese carry-out. We has 2 spring rolls with sweet and sour sauce, sweet and sour pork and beef chop suey along with a portion of fries and a portion of fried rice. All for just less then 10 Euros in total. That, for a Scotsman, is good value! Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 08:14 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  |  robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-22-2005 03:15 AM     Thursday 21st July The grammar class was slightly easier today. We did relative pronous like el que, cuyo, cual etc and also relative phrases where the subject of the sentence is known, in which case you use the indicative tense, or where the subject is unknown, where you use the subjunctive tense. For example I know someone who speaks Spanish, versus I would like to meet someone who speaks Spanish. We also discussed the state exams and the benefits of working for the state in terms of financial security. In the vocabulary/conversation class, we reviewed some previously learned vocabulary and somehow the conversation got around to contraception and that opened up a raft of totally new words connected with this ....! Great! Tomorrow we have a grammar test! The walk to school from the train station is very pleasant, through the side streets to keep out of the already hot 9.00am sun. There are a range of smells to awaken the senses - that of fresh bread from the bakers (some with the grand title of "despacho de pan" and also, from the small pescaderias, the smell of fresh fish. It looks unlikely that I will be able to go on the trip to Ronda. Some friends have organised a party to celebrate the birthday of my ladyfriend, and I guess that I should be there. Maybe next time. Yesterday, we watched TV quite a bit due to the further bombs in London. The Spanish take a big interest in this because of 11-M in Madrid. Later, I played some tennis, and we had a nice meal in the house. Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 08:16 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  |  robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-22-2005 08:09 AM   Friday, 22nd July The grammar test was hard today. The good thing was that we did it orally and filled in the blanks! In vocabulary/conversation, we discussed the London bombings and then listened to a some flamenco songs, but especially one by el Camarón called "Como el agua". We then listend to a song called "Vivir sin aire" by Maná and filled in the missing words. GuesS what happened next? - yes, we sang it. The weather continues to be very hot and at times very humid, but it is bearable when you avoid the worst times of the dat between 2.00 and 6.00 pm I have decided to stay on a the college for yet another week! More later Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 08:18 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  |  Puna Full Member Member # 235 posted 07-22-2005 01:45 PM  Robbieroy, If any board members sign up for a session at the school you deserve a free week at least! You info-blog is delightful and full of solid info - A should/must read link for many of the questions that surface here re studying in Spain. Thanks for taking the time and effort to relate your experiences. [ 07-22-2005, 01:46 PM: Message edited by: Puna ] Posts: 1168 | From: Charlotte, NC. U.S.A. | Registered: Jul 2000  | robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-25-2005 03:16 AM    Hi Puna - thanks for the comments - I am glad that someone is reading this! Monday 25th July The weekend was taken up with domestic chores and social events with a bit of tennis thrown in. As expected, I was unable to go on the Ronda trip due to a dinner party being held on behalf of my ladyfriend´s birthday on Saturday. This took place in a magnificent villa, but more than a villa - it had a bodega, servants quarters and guest cottages as well as the main house itself. Set in beautifuly mature gardens, this residence commanded outstanding views to the sea, across the valley and to the mountains. We were a party of 10 and were treated to a grat meal of gambas with avocado and salad, pineapple stuffed chicken in a chilli and cream sauce with vegetables and potatoes, followed by a magnificent trio of desserts - banoffee pie, chocolate birthday cake and strawberries with cream. WOW - I don´t need to eat for at least three days. On Sunday morening there was tennis to be played and then three of us went to a Venta (a low cost roadside bar/cafeteria/restaurant) and enjoyed a shared meal off mixed salad, berenjenas con miel (sliced aubergines, fried and served with honey) and gambas al pil pil (large fried prawns served in a garlic and oil), along with lots of water and bread to soak up the sauce. Following this, we had coffee. All this for a total price of 19 Euros. The venta is situated between Mijas and Coin and is called Los Condes. It commands outstanding views. In grammar class today, we studied the inicative/subjunctive with time phrases such as cuando, mientras etc. In vocabulary and conversation, we discussed what qualities a good teacher should have (to practice the subjunctive), went over some new set phrases and did a "test" on vocabulary. Four new people have joined the superior class - 2 from France and 2 from Italy. We are now back to 9 in total. Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 08:20 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  |  robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-26-2005 03:16 AM   Tuesday 26th July This weeks´s activities are: Monday: 1400 - a talk on Sevilla 1730 - Private tutorials Tuesday: 1530 - A talk and film on Flamenco 1800- Film: La mala educación Wednesday: 1800 - Film: Gladiator Thursday 1730 - Private tutorials 2130 - Party at the school Friday: 1530 - student and teacher volleyball match 1500 - a excusion to Mijas (10 Euros) Saturday: 2000 - a tapas tour in Arroyo de la Miel 0800 - a whole day trip to Sevilla I have been to both Mijas and Sevilla so I will probably not go on these trips. The trip to Sevilla will be quite long - 3 - 3.5 hours in a coach! (But would be worth it if you have never been there) Folowing classes yesterday, I had lunch and then did some homework before playing tennis at the tennis club. At night four of us dined at the small and picturesque restaurant Pueblo Lopez in the Pueblo Lopez area of Fuengirola. I had a nice meal of melon and ham, lamb shank with vegetables and the dama blanca as dessert - the food was very good and the price was right - free. This is because it was my ladyfriend´s birthday and because she takes a lot of custom to the restaurant, the give her a free meal for four on her birthday. In grammar class today we studied conditional expressions using si again and also con tal de que, siempre que, a condición de que etc. In conversation/vocabulary we talked about the differences between different educational systems and began a quiz on Spanish culture. I had a nasty experience at the train station in Fuengirola this morning! When I went to pay for my coffee, I took out my wallet and noticed that my credit cards were not there!... To be continued... Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 08:27 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  |  Pia Full Member Member # 5643 posted 07-26-2005 03:56 PM     What an interesting blog you've kept and I really hope you found the credit cards.. I'm off to Andalucia in 9 hours: first two days in Sevilla and from Friday on 4 weeks in Cádiz. Hope my school will be as good as yours seems to be! Posts: 87 | From: Finland | Registered: Apr 2005  | robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-27-2005 03:19 AM     Wednesday 27th July Hi Pia - thanks for your comments - have a great time, I am sure that your school will be good. So there I was, standing in the station at Fuengirola, wallet in hand, but no credit cards.. Then it happened - you know that sick feeling you get?.. with the knot in the stomach?... well that happened to me. Then the mind goes into overdrive.. where ? what? when? Thinking about how they might have been lost. I knew that I had not used my wallet much (remember, I am Scottish!) and so the possibilities were limited. Could it have been at the school, when I cleaned our receipts etc? - I saw my cards then. Could it have been at the train station at Benalmádena, when I took out my train ticket from the wallet? - I know I saw them then and I am usually careful when opening the wallet. Could the card be in the house? - I leave my wallet on the steps going up to the bedroom, the cards might have slipped out when I picked the wallet up in the morning. Could the cards be in my tennis bag? - When I played tennis the night before, I put my wallet and keys in the bag. Well what happened?.... I phoned my lady friend and asked her to look on the stairs and in my tennis bag, but the line on the cell phone was breaking up because of the tunnels the train was going through. She phoned me back - No they were not on the stairs. I then asked her to look in the tennis back and THANK GOD, they were there. A happy ending! Can you imagine the hassle if they had been really lost? Yesterday after school and lunch I went up to the tennis club and did some homework and then practised a little (at tennis, not Spanish). I had been working with the ex coach of the club (a great guy, the one I went to Málaga with to get tickets to go to Valencia) on my topspin backhand and during the practice session, it was evident that his work has paid off. He has difficulty speaking due to having had a stroke in 1991, but can really demonstrate the shots well. With the topspin backhand well on the way, problems with the imperfect subjunctive fade into the background!!!!! In grammar class today, we spent most of the time doing example questions from the grammar section of the DELE (Superior level) exam. This section also contained questions on stock phrases that are used in everyday Spanish. The example questions were by and large straightforward and appeared easier than the ones in the textbook that we are using. In the vocabulary/conversation class, the focus was on listening and writing activities. The teacher read a short story, which we had to write down - a typical dictation exercise. We then taked about the story. We also listened to another song by Los Secretos "Está prohibido llorar" (Crying is forbidden) and filled in the banks on the lyrics sheet. Following this, we discussed aspects of the song and gave our opinions and then.... yes, we sang along to the song! The afternoon was taken up with a light lunch, a siesta, followed by some tennis and then a meal of excellent spare ribs. Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 08:30 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  | robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-28-2005 08:11 AM     Thursday 28th July This is my second last day at the school and I must say, I have really enjoyed my stay. In grammar class today, we reviewed the use of the subjunctive and did some really complicated exercises. We also look at ser and estar when they change the significance or meaning of adjectives. Conversation class was good with a discussion centered around films. Tomorrow there are five of us in the superior class for whom it will be the final day and we will have a small party during the half hour break. Robbieroy [ 08-21-2005, 08:31 AM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  |    robbieroy Full Member Member # 4601 posted 07-29-2005 03:13 AM     Friday 29th July Well, my final day at the language school has finally arrived, and on reflection it has been a really good experience - one I am sure that I will repeat in the future. We have organised a part for 11.30h because 5 of the superior class leave today, myself included. It is also the birthday of one of the members of the class. We have therefore organised ourselves to bring in some "goodies" that include, cheese, tortilla, olives, patatas fritas, bread and ham, and also some cava (Spanish champagne). Here are some photos: Well. the test went well. I scored 27/33 , not bad for an old guy. The party went well, although nothing was ready for us (again) and we had to prepare the food ourselves! Well, we are in Spain!. The conversation class went well beyond its allocated hours and we spent the aftenoon drinking and eating. A great time was had by all. I will feedback my final thoughts when I return home. Thus almost ends my blog, I will uptate with photos on my return to Scotland. Robbieroy [ 08-04-2005, 01:44 PM: Message edited by: robbieroy ] Posts: 178 | From: Scotland | Registered: Apr 2004  |

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