Course description
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Live in the center of Cadiz with friendly, hospitable homestay families, carefully selected and screened by our staff (most have been with us for many years)
Enjoy fresh authentic food prepared by your homestay mothers (señoras)
Learn in a fun, interactive way, outside of the classroom, immersing in the local community (hence our Experiential Learning Method!)
Improve your Spanish in intensive small-group language workshops
Experience authentic cultural immersion
Option to receive college credit, studying with our local partner institutions
Community service elective with our Spanish partners
Be a savvy, sophisticated traveler. Go above and beyond the standard tourist checklist!
Meet local teens and make friends from all over the world
Included trips to Tarifa, Gibraltar, Conil, Jerez, Los Toruños, El Puerto
All inclusive 2, 3 or 4 week sessions
Optional 5-day travel extension to Cordoba and Seville
Pre-Summer Language Courses and Tutoring Online (get an early start on practicing your Spanish!)
FOOD
Your homestay mothers will make delicious food for you most mornings and evenings. Some of the local favorites include many varieties of seafood, puntillitas and tortillitas of various shapes and sizes, and, of course, tapas. Some days the group will also go on evening outings to local restaurants or outdoor picnics.
HOMESTAY LIFE
No one will better introduce you to the Spanish culture than your homestay family. Their home, which is typically located a short walk from our language school in the city’s center, will be the focal point of your study abroad experience. Though you will live with your hosts for the duration of the program, you do not spend every afternoon and evening “at home.” The program itinerary balances time with your family and time with the Abbey Road group.
On average, you’ll spend 3-4 evenings per week at home enjoying dinner and activities with your hosts or attending family events; the remaining evenings are spent with the entire Cádiz program group.
You will be part of our Abbey Road family, making new friends, learning to be independent and self-reliant, to share responsibilities with your peers, manage your time, and getting ready for college years!
DAILY SCHEDULE
Every student on the program chooses two classes as their academic focus in Cadiz: a major and an elective. The Spanish major class meets every morning Monday to Friday while electives meet three afternoons a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Students interested in earning college credit will have the option of doing so via our local partner school, Melkart Academy.
Majors: Spanish language
Electives and Workshops: Spanish Conversation and Culture, Photography, Sports, Drawing.
Students are placed in their Spanish class according to their level, we accept beginners, intermediate and advanced speakers. There is a placement test on the first day of class.
In addition, we offer individual tutoring and intensive small group workshops, for those who want to challenge themselves and see a dramatic improvement in their Spanish proficiency. Our language classes are taught in a fun, interactive, experiential way, maximizing intensive language and cultural immersion.
Some of our students’ favorite activities are:
Tapas night in Plaza de la Catedral
Kayaking in the Bay of Cádiz
Salsa dancing near Plaza Mina
Intensive Spanish conversation over coffee and churros in Plaza San Francisco
Flamenco night in La Cava
Community service workshops (optional)
Evening outings with local teens
Beach soccer on Playa la Caleta
Water rides in Aquatic Park
Trip to Castillo Santa Catalina
Beach time on Playa Victoria
Climbing to Torre Poniente and Torre Tavira with a stunning view of Cádiz
Visit of the Oratory of Santa Cueva (Holy Cave)
WEEKEND DAY TRIPS
In addition to showing you all of the most celebrated and “lesser known” cultural sites in Cádiz, the program allows you to explore the most beautiful sites in Andalusia.
Some of the students’ favorites include:
Sailing on the white sand beaches of Conil
Excursions to Puerto de la Villa and Casco Antiguo
Eco- trip to Los Toruños, a natural reserve in the bay of Cadiz
Tour of Jerez de la Frontera and Claustro Santo Domingo
Picnic and excursion to Gibraltar
Zip-lining in Conil de la Frontera
Surfing and whale watching in Tarifa, the surfing capital of Europe
Trip to Vejer and Pueblos Blancos, the beautiful white villages of Andalucia
Class schedule may change depending on availability and season.
