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Scholarship winner - Mi experiencia en Salamanca

By Katrina Barnes

I was incredibly fortunate to receive a two week scholarship which enabled me to study at any of the prestigious don Quijote schools in Spain, South America, or even the Canaries! After much debate and advice from various teachers, I set my heart on Salamanca. I found out that it was an ancient city in the heart of Spain with an abundance of culture, stunning sites, nightlife and friendly inhabitants, not to mention the pure Spanish spoken there - what more could I ask for?

I arrived at my flat in Salamanca after a two-and-a-half-hour taxi journey from Madrid airport. Tired but excited, I was greeted by the most friendly, lively woman I have ever met - the housekeeper, Manoli. One bone-crunching hug and two smackers on each cheek later, I was introduced to the other students that would be staying at the residence. I was delighted to discover the diversity of culture we had in our residence alone - two Japanese (Makiko and Kem), a Dutch girl (Olivia), a girl from Taiwan (Shonja) and my roommate Jana, from Germany. Jana and I immediately got talking and established an amazing friendship which continued throughout the fortnight and beyond!

The first day of classes was brilliant, despite having to wake up at the ungodly hour of seven o’clock to take a test at 8am to determine my ability. Having only learnt Spanish for two years, I was pleased to be placed in the top class of the B group (A being for pretty much fluent speakers and C for beginners). After the first day, classes started at nine in the morning and finished at one - very useful when you needed to catch up on sleep from the night before in the afternoon! The classes were completely in Spanish (naturally!), and within the first few days I could feel myself beginning to actually think in Spanish, which I found incredibly satisfying. In the first lesson we were all thrown in head first with a full dose of the infamous subjunctive mood, and although daunting at first, the superb teaching gave me a great understanding of everything that was being covered. The classes consisted of a balance of grammar and culture, a perfect mix I thought…

I returned to the flat at about two in the afternoon, where Manoli cooked us all lunch. After having a well-earned siesta in the afternoon, Jana and I would go out into the city for some tapas (small portions but so filling!) and then on to sample some of Salamanca’s nightlife, including various clubs and bars which are strewn all over the city. Famous for its ‘student city’ status, the streets were littered with young people from all over the world. Before I knew it I was striking up conversations with not only Spaniards but Mexicans, Puerto-Ricans, Americans, Australians, Germans, French, Swiss, Italians and even Czechs! The variety of interesting people was amazing, and in my opinion one of the main factors which made my experience in Salamanca such a success!

Apart from the immense fun to be had at night, there was also a wealth of things to do during the day. In the second week, our teacher took my class to the Casa Liz art gallery, a beautiful building in the heart of Salamanca with a modern art stained glass ceiling which I immediately fell in love with. We were fortunate to be there on the day that there was a Frida Kahlo exhibition running - one of my favourite artists of all time. The gallery also contained a huge collection of Spanish paintings and sculptures, all very modern and rather bizarre, but fascinating all the same! I left the gallery after a few hours and walked amongst the students who were emerging from the beautifully ornate university buildings. The sun was blazing, and I lingered in the city centre for a few hours more, drinking in the surroundings…

Another must-see when in Salamanca has got to be “La Rana” (The Frog). If you look in any of the souvenir shops in the city, you will find hundreds of t-shirts, figurines and key-rings, all sporting a little green frog. This is because on one of the University buildings there is a little stone frog sitting on top of a skull, quite far up. There is usually a substantial crowd of tourists gazing up at the building in search of the legendary frog; it is said that if you cannot see the frog, you will have bad luck while you stay in Salamanca - thankfully, I am pleased to say that I did spot the frog after about ten minutes or so!

My stay in Salamanca was the experience of a lifetime; I made some lifelong friends, obtained a thorough knowledge of the city (including both its ancient buildings and quality bars) and learnt more Spanish in two weeks than I could have in two years in England! I am eternally grateful to don Quijote for giving me the opportunity to discover the enchanting city of Salamanca, and will hopefully be returning in the near future.

Katrina Barnes



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