THE SPANISH ADVENTURE BLOG

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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4 Reasons Why You Should Learn a Language (& Travel!) with your Partner
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4 Reasons Why You Should Learn a Language (& Travel!) with your Partner

My husband and I have been together for a little over 4 years. The first night we met, I told him about this epic “World Tour” that I was planning to take one day and he was ALL about it. Fast forward a few years to early (“pre”-pandemic) 2020: we were celebrating our wedding and looking forward to finally making our World Tour dream a reality… and then COVID-19 happened.

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Travel in the Time of COVID-19
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Travel in the Time of COVID-19

At the beginning of 2019, my wife and I started making arrangements to leave our jobs and take a 14-month sabbatical starting in April 2020. When the pandemic “started” in March we had already sold all of our furniture, purchased numerous never-to-be completed flights, and set irreversible dates for our departure from work and the end of our apartment lease. In short, we were going somewhere. This blog post is not written to convince others that travel in the time of COVID-19 is or should be accepted. Instead, it is written to describe our experience and provide some tips and predictions for those who decide to travel in the short-term future.

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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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Colombia Immersion - Faces of San Carlos
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Colombia Immersion - Faces of San Carlos

Spanish Adventure is more than just a Spanish school in Colombia. It provides authentic immersion in Colombian culture in the town of San Carlos. When I joined Spanish Adventure, I was surprised to discover that I wasn’t only a visitor, but became a member of the community too. Every day, I saw many of the same friendly faces and, over the past month, some of them have become friends. Let me introduce you to some of them!

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Adventures in Antioquia Colombia: Rock Climbing in  Guatapé
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Adventures in Antioquia Colombia: Rock Climbing in Guatapé

Thanks to Spanish Adventure’s excellent location in San Carlos, the school offers great insight into the area’s hidden gems. Guatapé, just two hours from San Carlos, is famous for her 200-meter tall, granite rock: El Peñol. Most tourists take the stairs to reach the top—but Spanish Adventurers aren’t “most tourists”, so we tied in to harnesses and ropes for incredible, adrenaline-enhanced views of the area.

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Adventures In Antioquia: How To Party Like A True San Carlitano
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Adventures In Antioquia: How To Party Like A True San Carlitano

For a week of true Colombian partying, join Las Fiestas Del Agua in San Carlos. You won't regret this wet, wild and magical stop in your travels. Just three hours by bus from Medellín, San Carlos makes the perfect weekend getaway from big city life. Ready to celebrate the water like a real San Carlitano? Here are Spanish Adventure’s top tips for getting the most out of the Fiestas del Agua.

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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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Slow Down, the Best Way to Learn Spanish - Student Profile
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Slow Down, the Best Way to Learn Spanish - Student Profile

Travelling is a wonderful exciting adventure, but being away from home for an extended period of time can take it's toll. My advice: slow down. Studying Spanish allows you to travel more easily, have more authentic interactions with locals, and it’s also a wonderful opportunity to slow down and settle in somewhere for a little while. I’ll tell you why you won’t regret it!

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Meet Sandra - San Carlos' Best Cook
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Meet Sandra - San Carlos' Best Cook

You can’t visit San Carlos without meeting Sandra. She’s one of the first friendly faces you see in the town, and always has the time you to speak with you in Spanish. She also sells some of the best Colombian food in Antioquia – perhaps Colombia. We asked Sandra everything you ever wanted to know about her.

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Colombia Immersion - Staying active in San Carlos
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Colombia Immersion - Staying active in San Carlos

You have Spanish lessons in the morning and swim and jump off rocks during the adventures while exploring the beautiful San Carlos landscape. BUT, somehow, you still have energy. In San Carlos you can find a lot of places where you can exercise or play sports. We show you where to go!

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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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San Carlos Murals - The Resisters
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San Carlos Murals - The Resisters

“Nunca nos fuimos. Siempre resistimos” – We never left. We always resisted. Over three decades of violence – encompassing paramilitary groups, guerrilla insurgencies, and state actors – provoked one of the largest exoduses in Colombia. This mural captures the essence of San Carlos during the years of violence: all that remained were the ‘resisters’ and the birds.

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Colombia's national sport: Tejo - steel, explosives, and beer.
Travel Blog, Colombia Immersion Juan Martinez Travel Blog, Colombia Immersion Juan Martinez

Colombia's national sport: Tejo - steel, explosives, and beer.

While Colombia’s civil war is formally over, one explosive part of its history remains. Colombia’s national sport, Tejo, involves gunpowder, steel projectiles, and alcohol. A combination of any of the latter might sound like a recipe for disaster, yet blowing stuff up while drinking beer is perhaps the best national sport a country could wish for.

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How to be a Vegetarian in Small-Town Colombia
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How to be a Vegetarian in Small-Town Colombia

Before coming to Colombia, Colombian food seemed to consist only of meat-filled empanadas and arepas - not really vegetarian. Moreover, vegetarianism is not widespread in the region - less than eight percent of South Americans eat no meat. However, being a vegetarian gave me the opportunity to try new food and improve my Spanish at the same time!

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