Athena Spain | An Exciting Approach to Language Immersion

Conil was awesome. The family I stayed with was wonderful. Everyone is super friendly and the food is great. Conil is very hot in the summer so going to the beach often is smart. The morning classes were useful and they didn’t get in the way of having fun. There were many exciting activities such as surfing, cooking, and volunteering. I really enjoyed exploring the cities we took trips to. These included Gibraltar, Cadiz, Sevilla, and Cordoba. Overall I had a great time and I learned a lot. I would definitely recommend this experience to others.

I had so much fun doing this program!! I made really good friends and the staff were very supportive. I also had a great host family and had many opportunities everyday to practice my Spanish. The activities we did in the program were my favorite part, especially the ones where we would take day trips. I loved getting to see many different areas, like Seville and Gibraltar. Something else that I really enjoyed was all of the free time we were given to spend time with friends. I would definitely recommend the program to any high schoolers studying Spanish!

Traveling to Spain is fun, of course, but living with a Spaniard family in a small town is an incredibly unique and immersive experience that is truly once in a lifetime. In this program, you can spend your time with your family as well as the other members, so you truly choose how much you want to immerse yourself in the Spanish culture and force yourself to practice your Spanish as well as have a good time with other kids your age. If you do this program, you should be comfortable with or expect to live in a small town where you walk everywhere and spend a lot of time outside. Enthusiastic counselors as well as weekly trips to other Spanish cities keep the program interesting throughout the month. Your time at the program will be spent learning Spanish in class, spending time with your family, doing activities like cooking and surfing, and exploring Conil during the day and night, alone and with new American and local Spanish friends. Overall, this program was a great and fun experience during my summer that improved my Spanish skills and built a special relationship with Spain, which I went back to the next summer.

So much fun!! My Spanish definitely improved and I had an amazing time doing it. Filled with surfing, cooking, swimming and more there was never a dull moment. My family was welcoming and always made me feel at home. You were left to do what you wanted to do and there was always your choice involved with decisions. There was freedom so you could explore the town on your own with your friends but there was guidance when needed. The classes are fun and enjoyable. I Highly recommend this program!!!!!

Athena (was Summerfuel) Cádiz was the first time I traveled abroad without my family. I was 15-years old and it was the first summer I did not return to the sleep away summer camp I had gone to for many years. In Cádiz, I got to stay with a local family and one other student from America. My roommate and I developed such a strong bond with our host family that we have actually gone back to Cádiz a handful of times since the end of our program to visit them. We also still call our host parents "mama" and "papa". One of my favorite memories was our Sunday family beach day. Each Sunday, we packed up the car and drove across the city to my "parents'" favorite beach and had a little picnic while we enjoyed the beautiful coastline of Andalusia. I also enjoyed the activities built into our summer calendars such as flamenco classes, the tapas tour, and World Cup watch parties that Summerfuel organized for us so we could take part in cheering on the Spanish National team. I came out of this summer (summer 2010) with numerous new friendships, a new sense of independence and interest in adventure, and a fervent love for Spain. I can't recommend this program enough. Homestay is the way to go!!

My spanish improved soooo much, and I am now even more interested in Spanish at school than I was before. The program is a great mixture of education and fun, because there is time for both. Plus, Even when you are just having fun, you can't help but learn Spanish because you are in Spain. There is plenty of freedom, so the staff doesn't treat you like young kids at summer camp. This program is perfect for you if you like the beach, small towns, ice cream. I am glad I did this program because I do not like touristy things like touring churches and museums and stuff like that, so this was perfect because we only did one weekend of stuff like that. My host family was absolutely perfect for me and I am still in touch with them. I hope to go back soon!