Language Immersion Spain

Overview

Studying in Spain offers the excitement of learning a language while discovering the richness of an ancient culture and exploring the beauty of a remarkable country. By offering native-speaker instruction, we place learning at the heart of our program. We then complement classroom time with language immersion, daily conversation in Spanish and activities, outings and travel that reinforce what we have learned. Our goal is to give each of our students the skills and confidence to approach language learning with relaxed enthusiasm.

Each Language Immersion Spain program starts with a weekend trip to the Pyrenees for hiking and exploration. This time in the mountains builds friendships and begins the language immersion process. Throughout each program, our focus on an active group life—with afternoons together on foot in Barcelona and weekends in the mountains, at the beach or exploring Madrid—creates a culturally rich experience with shared adventures and discoveries. With an unbeatable combination of native-speaker instruction, active days, extensive travel, a small, close-knit group and caring leadership, we believe that Language Immersion Spain is the best language study abroad program you’ll find.

LI Spain: Three Weeks for 7th-9th  Graders  (a minimum of one year of Spanish is required)

After lessons every weekday (where we’ll be grouped by ability in small classes), we’ll explore Barcelona and the surrounding countryside together, putting our developing language skills to use. We’ll see art and architecture, sample tapas and walk Barcelona’s vibrant Mediterranean waterfront. On the weekends, we’ll travel to the Pyrenees for hiking and to the Costa Brava for swimming. These trips show us more of Spain while offering the opportunity to use—and enjoy—our Spanish language skills. Throughout our time in Spain, our small group will live together in modern apartments in the city center, make most of our own meals and explore the city, countryside and coast by foot as a group.

LI Spain: Four Weeks for 8th-12th Graders  (a minimum of one year of Spanish is required)

Every weekday we’ll receive native-speaker instruction in small classes where we’ll be grouped by ability. This classroom time is complemented by excursions together as a group to explore our surroundings and to strengthen our language skills. We’ll stroll famous La Rambla, admire Gaudí’s architecture and see paintings by Picasso. We’ll crisscross Barcelona by foot seeking off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods, parks and museums. On the weekends, we’ll head to the Pyrenees for hiking, the Costa Brava for swimming and Madrid for cultural exploration. We’ll get away from the crowds and search for the real Spain… all while using our rapidly improving Spanish. Overland’s caring leaders make the most of these times by creating a supportive and wholesome small group experience where friendships flourish. The end result is the best month abroad you’ll ever have!

Highlights

• Receive daily native-speaker language instruction
• Develop new skills & confidence in the Spanish language
• Live in exciting Barcelona & explore art, architecture & cuisine
• Travel outside of Barcelona to see the Spanish countryside & coast
• Experience the sights, sounds & tastes of Spanish culture

Grade

LI Spain Three Weeks: For students who will finish grades 7-9 in June 2010. Call us (800.458.0588) to check on current availability. LI Spain Four Weeks: For students who will finish grades 8-12 in June 2010. Call us (800.458.0588) to check on current availability.

Challenge Level

3 (1-10, 1 is easiest)

Start and End Location

LI Spain programs start and ends in Barcelona, Spain

Families are responsible for making travel arrangements to and from Barcelona International Airport. Overland’s leaders will be on hand at the airport to provide supervision and assistance at program start and end.

Dates and Fees

LI Spain Three Weeks

Saturday, June 26 to Friday, July 16
Saturday, July 17 to Friday, August 6

$5595 (airfare not included)

LI Spain Four Weeks

Saturday, June 26 to Saturday, July 24

$6595 (airfare not included)

Itinerary

Program Start

LI Spain programs start at the Barcelona International Airport where Overland leaders will be on-hand to meet arriving students. Once everyone has arrived, we’ll train to downtown Barcelona, where we'll settle into our group accommodations, explore our new surroundings and get to know one another before we begin our classes.

Language Classes

On LI Spain programs, we’ll spend four hours in class every weekday at one of Europe’s leading language schools, Babylon Idiomas. On the first day of class, each student will take a placement test to assess language ability. Based on this language test, students are placed in two small classes according to ability. Classes last four hours, divided into two periods with a twenty minute break in between. Each day, we’ll spend one lesson working on our conversation skills and the other lesson improving our grammar and vocabulary, and there may be some light school work outside of class a few days a week. Our time spent in the classroom with native-speaker instructors will vastly improve our language abilities and give us the the language skills we'll need to experience Spain and communicate outside the classroom. On the last day of class, all students will receive a certificate marking the progress they have made over the course of the program.

Cultural Activities

After classes are over for the day, groups enjoy a picnic lunch together before setting out for their daily cultural activity. These daily activities involve outdoor and cultural exploration together as a group and are a perfect way to put our classroom language skills to the test. We might visit La Sagrada Familia, explore La Rambla or swim at Playa Sitges. At the end of our busy day, we'll return to our group accommodations to cook dinner together.

Group Accommodations & Travel

On LI Spain, we'll live in lively Barcelona for our three or four weeks. We'll stay in beautiful apartments which are centrally located, sharing all our meals and activities together as a group. On our three-week program, we'll travel on our weekends to the Pyrenees to walk ancient mountain trails and to visit the beaches of the Costa Brava at Cadaques. On our four-week program, we'll visit the Pyrenees, the Costa Brava, and we'll spend a weekend in Madrid, Spain's leading city. By program end, we'll feel at home in Barcelona and have visited some of the most beautiful areas of Spain.

Program End

At program's end, we’ll enjoy a final dinner out to celebrate all that we have learned and accomplished during our time together in Spain!

“JB had a wonderful experience with Overland (once again!). He returned home more mature and confident—and speaking Spanish!” Linda Askew, Magnolia, Texas

Trip Details

Language Immersion - Instruction Hours

LI Spain Three Weeks

50 hours of native-speaker instruction
30 additional hours of structured language immersion

LI Spain Four Weeks

70 hours of native-speaker instruction
40 additional hours of structured language immersion

LI Spain Three Weeks

50 hours of native-speaker instruction
30 additional hours of structured language immersion

LI Spain Four Weeks

70 hours of native-speaker instruction
40 additional hours of structured language immersion

PARENTS & STUDENTS PLEASE NOTE

Unlike most Overland programs, LI Spain spends a good deal of time in cities. As with every Overland program, our high expectations and basic rules apply at all times. There are no late night activities and drinking alcohol is forbidden.

Students: Is This the Right Trip For You?

Overland offers two LI Spain programs, each with different language requirements:

LI Spain (three weeks): Introductory/intermediate; one year of Spanish is required.

LI Spain (four weeks): Intermediate/advanced; one year of Spanish is required.

All Language Immersion programs require dedication to mastering a language and understanding a new culture. Although there is no language pledge, students will be expected to speak only Spanish while in class and will also be encouraged to speak Spanish amongst themselves outside of the classroom during certain group activities.

Keep in mind that your enjoyment of this trip will hinge on several factors:

1. Your motivation. Learning and appreciating a language requires dedication in and out of the classroom. The amount of effort that you put into this program will determine how much you get out of it.
2. Your ability to be open minded. Living in a foreign culture requires open mindedness and a willingness to try new things.
3. Your commitment to teamwork. Overland trips require compromise, patience and selflessness. Support your trip leaders and your trip mates and you’ll find that you will have a great experience.

“Very well organized—a good balance between physical, cultural and academic activities.” Jane Stabler, Keene, New Hampshire

Photos

Click thumbnails below to enlarge

Videos

Print View

Prepare & Pack

Overland's Language Immersion programs offer an unbeatable combination of native-speaker instuction, activities, excursions and travel. The key to preparing for these programs is to keep it simple; this information is designed to help you do just that. Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Preparing for the Demands of Language Immersion

Language learning and cultural understanding require dedication, patience and hard work. Begin your preparations for a great summer now by organizing your luggage. As the summer nears, stay active and fit through sports and exercise. The more you prepare, the more you will enjoy your program. Then once your program starts, commit yourself wholeheartedly to your group and all of its activities.

Luggage 

Packing for Your Program

Please stick to the following guidelines when packing for your program; your group will have access to laundry on a weekly basis. In many of the places we visit, it is culturally inappropriate for girls to wear short skirts, short shorts or spaghetti-strap tank tops; this clothing can bring unwanted and possibly unpleasant attention. Please pack accordingly.

*Keep in mind that the weather will be hot in Barcelona; however, it can be very cool in the Pyrenees.

Clothing

• Tennis Shoes or Sneakers. 2 pairs of comfortable shoes to wear around all day AND on day hikes.
• Sandals or Flip Flops. Casual sandals for the beach or dinners out
• Waterproof Raincoat.
• Fleece Pullover or Sweatshirt. One only.
• Comfortable Shorts, Skirts or Pants. Four; one pair of shorts and one pair of pants must be suitable for day hikes, one should be suitable for a casual restaurant.
• Shirts. Five short-sleeve shirts or tank tops. One of the short-sleeve shirts should be synthetic. One long-sleeve shirt.
• One (and only one) casual/nice outfit. We will dine at a typical Spanish restaurant once a week. Boys—one pair of khaki pants and one casual, nice shirt; Girls—one skirt or dress.
• Underwear. Seven pairs.
• Socks. Five pairs.
• Pajamas. One pair.
• Bathing Suit.

Gear & Miscellaneous

• Valid Passport. Also bring a photocopy of the inside front cover of your passport and leave another at home.
• Student ID. Current school identification (if you have one).
• Spanish-English Dictionary. Small travel size.
• Toiletries. All travel size.
• Beach Towel. Medium size.
• Water Bottle. Any kind, to stay hydrated out in the sun.
• Hat. Optional, with visor (e.g., baseball hat).
• Sunglasses, Sunscreen (SPF 30+) & Chapstick (with SPF protection).
  
• Camera/Batteries/Memory Card
Optional. Interested in seeing your photographs or videos on Overland's website next year? Bring a camera with lots of pixels (10 or more) and lots of memory (4GB or more). Buying a new camera? One of our favorites is the Canon PowerShot SD960 IS digital camera.
• Spiral Notebook & Pen. For class and immersion activities.
• Journal. Optional.

Note: Please do not bring any type of knife or multi-tool (e.g., Swiss Army Knife, Leatherman).

We do not permit personal electronics on our programs (for example, cellphones and iPods). We do, however, allow students who fly to their program to carry a cell phone while traveling; on arrival, Overland's leaders will collect all cell phones and personal electronics for the duration of the program and return them for flights home. Perhaps, a better option would be to bring a pre-paid phone card so that the leaders do not have to carry cell phones for the duration of the program.

Admissions

Below is the Admissions Material packet and other information for Language & Exploration Spain.

Admission Material 2010

Flight & Travel Information 2010

Program Start & End Information 2010

Apply

We welcome your interest in joining Overland this summer!

To apply, please complete and sign the application on page 47 of the Overland catalog or download an application. (You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download the application).

Please refer to page 46 of our catalog for important information you should know before signing the application.

Send your application and $795 deposit to:

Overland
P.O. Box 31
Williamstown, MA 01267

For overnight mail via UPS or FedEx, please use our street address:

Overland
63 Spring Street
Williamstown, MA 01267

Sorry, we are unable to accept applications by fax, and we do not take credit cards. Applications are reviewed in the order in which they arrive at our office and we cannot hold spots over the phone.

To learn about our admissions process, please click here.