IR y VENIR, cómo se usan en español

OVERALL As a school teacher (of Maths and some other things), I had supported the Spanish trip here with my pupils in April 2023. I could see what a transformative experience it was for them so much so that I wanted it for myself. My time at Taronja can only be described as excellent. Everyone at the school tries to ensure you have the best time possible which is impressive based on the carousel of students who come-and-go each week. All the staff treated me with kindness and respect. Thank you to Maxi and Fernando for running such a unique place. The last 4 weeks at Taronja have been exciting, interesting, eventful, busy, enjoyable and compact with information. The last time I studied a language was 14 years ago. I was not very keen on languages in school but my time spent at Taronja has made me believe that I can learn a language to a much higher level than I ever thought possible. That alone has been worth it. LEARNING EXPERIENCE The teachers were fun and engaging. As an absolute beginner, I did the Intensive course + conversation class + private lessons. That helped with my exposure to the language and the private classes were helpful in ironing out some issues. I did this for the first three weeks, then extended by a week and "dropped down" to "only" the intensive course, which is plenty. If I were building up for an exam I would definitely pick up the private classes again. And the conversation classes were energetically delivered to give you important insights of Spanish conversational etiquette. Overall, I was able to enjoy lessons taught by patient, *knowledgeable* and kind teachers, who have reminded me about the importance of these characteristics in my own teaching practice. Teaching beginners must be tough and it was done with grace, style, poise and importantly, a smile. Thank you Laura, Carmen, Antonio, Miguel Angel, Nestor, Carol, Jenny, Nerea, and especially Mica and Paula for your infectious energy and humour. ACADEMIC ADMIN The organisation of the timetable and classes was clearly communicated in advance via WhatsApp. I know some people didn't feel as though they were in the right class for their level and changes were made almost instantly to help. This was managed by the academic team. SUPPORT Organising, arriving, and extending my stay was made very easy by the ladies at the front desk, in particular Elena and Roza! Emails were responded to promptly and they were always so helpful. Waving to them in the morning and getting a wave back made things feel a bit more like home! SOCIAL Plenty of opportunities to socialise with others at the school. Most people I attended school with were between 19-25. But there was also a considerable contingent of older pupils too (e.g. 31, 40 and 70!). This is all taken into consideration when forming classes and social activities. There are activities organised by the school for every day of the week. I went during high season (i.e. the summer) so there were a lot of people. Some activities are linked to other language schools which broadens your pool of potential connections. A lot are free. Many are heavily subsidised. Because there is a fluid change of people from week to week the extent to which you find things socialable will depend on who you share your time at the school with. But similarly minded people would pay money to attend a summer school, so it's likely to be fine for you, as it was for me! As an over-27, I was added to a WhatsApp group for additionally organised activities. BOCARIOS (Interns) An excellently led intern team support the activities and were a good group to talk to in general. Very helpful! GENERAL THOUGHTS When in Spain and doing things, there is a naturally occurring opportunity to practice the language. Whether you decide to is your own choice! And indeed your experience in general heavily depends on you 😇 . Approach it with an open heart and fresh eyes.

much more than a school Die Schule ist sehr zentral gelegen. Ich fühlte mich von Anfang an rundum wohl. Die Gestaltung der Räume hat mich sehr angesprochen. Alle Mitarbeiter machten einen sehr zufriedenen Eindruck und der Ablauf war sehr gut organisiert. Mein Lernerfolg war nach zwei Wochen höher als in einer vergleichbaren Schule. Die Leher und Lehrerinnen waren engagiert und jeder konnte seine Talente mit einbringen. Sie arbeiten nicht mit einem Arbeitsbuch sondern haben ein eigenes Konzept und eigene Skripte. Neben dem Unterricht wurden tolle Aktivitäten angeboten. Ich komme wieder.

I enjoyed my week very much but should have joined in more of the social activities! Also I think a week is too short as most other students were there for much longer but that was not possible for me Since returning back to my weekly class on Zoom, I am speaking much better so thank you ! Staff were lovely ....

Solo lo mejor. Perfecto para empezar o mejorar en cualquier nivel. Muchas ocasiones para hablar con chicos y chicas de paises diferentes.

4 week intensive course I spent 4 weeks at Taronja on their intensive course (20hrs/week with 4hrs of lessons each day). Class times alternated between the morning and afternoon which meant plenty of free time to enjoy the city. The teachers made sure lessons were interesting and varied, and organised lots of different activities during the evenings at which you were encouraged to practice speaking Spanish. I would highly recommend Taronja!

Finally I totally recommend Taronja in Valencia!
I have learned a lot en espagñol!
Before my course I could speak nada, but afterwards not directly fluently, but I can talk with people and friends now de España, who I met here during my stay and of participating on actividades de escuela.
Everybody is very polite and open for questions, especially about espagñol 🙂
Summary I would choose this escuela otra vez!
¡Hasta luego!

Taronja school has a very special atmosphere. Just being in the school is an immersive language leaning experience. The teachers are enthusiastic and great at engaging everyone in the lessons. As each lesson is with a different teacher, we experienced a range of teaching styles and ways of explaining the nuances of the language, which further improved our understanding. The students in the classes are varied too, of all backgrounds, ages and languages. Highly recommended. I hope to be able to return.

Estupenda escuela, amables profesores, muchas actividades y una experiencia de vida fenomenal! I did an intensive course at Taronja last summer and all I can say is it was an amazing, unforgettable experience. Everything is organised very well, relaxed study environment and a certain way to make you love the language even more. Very sociable, amusing and the location is just perfect. Not to mention that Valencia is such a lovely place that since then I have been dreaming of moving there for good. I will definitely do a course there again and I would recommend it to everyone :-)))