THE SPANISH ADVENTURE BLOG

When is the Best Time to Visit Colombia Based on the Weather?
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When is the Best Time to Visit Colombia Based on the Weather?

Many travelers wonder about the best time to visit Colombia due to its rainy and dry seasons. However, one of the country’s charms is its highly varied climate. Colombia has diverse climate zones: warm and tropical along the coasts and plains, cool in mountainous areas, and mild in intermediate valleys. This variety means that while there are generally rainy and dry seasons, the weather can vary significantly depending on the region, and even within days in the same location.

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Respond in Spanish like a Native: Common Spanish Phrases
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Respond in Spanish like a Native: Common Spanish Phrases

Learning Spanish can be a long and difficult process. Once you’ve learned the basics well enough to carry on a simple conversation (trust me, you’ll get there soon enough), you can start adding some common phrases to your repertoire. Using common phrases will make others think you’ve been working to master Spanish for a long time, and may even convince native Spanish speakers that you know what you’re doing! Your confidence will be supercharged, which will open doors for you to have more in-depth and real-world conversations. You’ll be well on your way to learning more and more Spanish.

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San Carlos een onvergetelijk Spaans avontuur
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San Carlos een onvergetelijk Spaans avontuur

Afgelopen zes weken verbleef ik bij Spanish Adventure, de enige taalschool in San Carlos. Ik kijk terug op een geweldige tijd waarin ik veel heb geleerd over de Spaanse taal en de Colombiaanse cultuur, fantastische mensen heb mogen leren kennen, intens heb genoten van de prachtige natuur die San Carlos te bieden heeft en een tijd waarin ik mijn eigen grenzen heb verlegd. Ik hoop dat ik met behulp van mijn foto’s kan laten zien dat een verblijf bij Spanish Adventure in San Carlos de leukste manier is om Spaans te leren in Colombia.

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Top 5 places you cannot miss during your trip to Colombia
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Top 5 places you cannot miss during your trip to Colombia

It’s a good sign that I’m finding it hard to make a list of only five places you can't miss in Colombia. My three weeks in Colombia have turned into three months and counting. This country has so much to offer and I have loved exploring the diverse landscapes as well as getting to know the rich culture. Between all the cities, mountains and coasts it can be hard to know what to do in Colombia and even harder to choose only five places you can’t miss… but I’ve tried my best. 

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Learning a Language in the Countryside
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Learning a Language in the Countryside

The countryside gives more opportunities to get into natural environments and explore a variety of landscapes, flora and fauna while you are learning spanish. You'll find yourself getting familiar with the area and with local people much quicker than you would in a city. Add to that a laid back atmosphere, and you'll be feeling comfortable and at home in no time - allowing you to relax and keep a positive mind-set as you take on the task of learning a new language.

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Colombia, my LGBTQI+ travel destination
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Colombia, my LGBTQI+ travel destination

When I first considered traveling to Colombia, one of my hesitations was certainly whether it would be safe for me, considering I am part of the LGBTQI community.After a quick Google search, I learned Colombia actually legalized gay marriage in 2016, and the Queer community is thriving in its big cities creating big expectations on my part. As it turns out, I worried for no apparent reason at all


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"The Happiest Are Those Who Do For Others" - My English Teaching  Experience in San Carlos
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"The Happiest Are Those Who Do For Others" - My English Teaching Experience in San Carlos

Like many others, I arrived at Spanish Adventure with one main goal - to become as fluent as I can in Spanish in a short time period. My expectations were exceeded with the number of amazing experiences, friends, and lessons that I received here. Without a doubt one of the best decisions in my travels to arrive here - but we’ll get to that later :) What I did not expect was the joy and fulfillment I would receive from teaching English as a volunteer.

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15 ESSENTIAL THINGS TO PACK FOR YOUR TRAVELS
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15 ESSENTIAL THINGS TO PACK FOR YOUR TRAVELS

It’s important to remember that it’s YOU that has to carry your backpack / suitcase. The more you pack, the heavier it’ll be for you. To help you decide what you should take with you, here’s a short guide of the absolute essentials.

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Searching for my (Spanish) sense of humor
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Searching for my (Spanish) sense of humor

I was able to immerse myself in the Spanish language of Colombia and the peculiarities of San Carlos. It was a unique experience! And for the first time I really enjoyed learning a new language. The wonderful view, the dedicated teachers and the many friendly locals, were of course instrumental in this! My motivation to learn more is there; but I really hope that...

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3 Ways to Maintain Fitness in San Carlos, Colombia
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3 Ways to Maintain Fitness in San Carlos, Colombia

As a part of the U.S. Marines, we are expected to maintain high physical fitness standards. Maintaining cardio endurance and muscular strength is essential to our ability to conduct various missions worldwide. While spending 8 weeks in San Carlos, Colombia with Spanish Adventure, I tailored a dynamic exercise routine which allowed me to maintain physical readiness and enjoy the local Colombian community.

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Life experience over job experience
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Life experience over job experience

Like with most tasks that have been put on hold for a while, I’m having a hard time finding a place to start. So why not start in, uhm, southern Italy, in June 2019. Back then I was on vacation, camping and surfing with some good friends. The weather was incredible, our camping site was located right by the ocean and the wind was strong. Shortly before, I had just started my first job in a rehabilitation hospital after finishing university for a degree in psychology. My original wish was to travel the world before starting my career, but that’s kind of difficult when you don’t have any money saved up for it. So I did what my parents urged me to do: I took the path of flawless CV’s and least resistance, leading straight into the world of full-time-work. I searched for a job to begin my therapy program, found one, and eventually started helping people get their life back together while mine was not really where I wanted it to be.

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Adventures in Antioquia: Hike to Piedra el Tabor
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Adventures in Antioquia: Hike to Piedra el Tabor

Every Saturday, Spanish Adventure organizes a big adventure for the students from the school. This Saturday we hiked to the Piedra el Tabor – also known as “the fucking rock”. Everyone of us was exciting about it. Everytime we passed the square of San Carlos we saw the huge rock and I couldn’t wait to hike up to it and have a 360 degree view of San Carlos and it’s beautiful nature.

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A Look Inside Spanish Adventure - Student Profile
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A Look Inside Spanish Adventure - Student Profile

So, if you are interested in learning Spanish, in experiencing Colombian culture like a local, and exploring the beautiful natural landscapes, Spanish Adventure is the place for you. But what exactly does a week at Spanish Adventure look like? Everything you ever wanted to know about life at Spanish Adventure.

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San Carlos Murals - The Water
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San Carlos Murals - The Water

“Valora el agua – como a tu vida”: Value water - as much as your life. The simplicity of this mural belies the complex historic, social, and cultural relationship that San Carlos has with water.

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