Summer Study in Salamanca for High School Students

  Spain

• Salamanca: 
Salamanca

Term: Summer 
Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: 2009 Sessions: First trip leaves on June 18, last departure is July 16

Description: ECI, a non-profit organization, offers high school students a choice of four exciting summer programs in Salamanca, all with the option to earn university credit. Participants take classes at a leading language school, live with host families and immerse themselves in Spanish culture and conversation.

Each of the three sessions are comprised of no more than 30 students with 3 full-time chaperones, an ideal student/adult ratio in terms of bonding, personal attention, organization, and safety - always our number one priority.

All programs include 2 weeks of intensive Spanish classes, activities during the week, and interesting day trips on the weekends. Most also feature an additional week of travel/touring throughout Castile, Andalusia, and the Costa del Sol.

Whenever possible, we incorporate Language Partners into our programs. These young people are usually university students who work to enrich the total experience by providing our participants with lots of opportunities for integration into the community and practice in conversational Spanish. Together with small groups of our students, they explore the town, participate in a variety of activities, and discuss diverse topics in Spanish, such as entertainment, school, politics, travel, vacations, sports, and many more.

Language School:

Academia Mester, established in 1991, is today a prestigious organization that specializes in teaching Spanish to foreigners. All language teachers have degrees in modern languages and have had wide-ranging and solid professional experience teaching Spanish as a foreign language.

The centrally located school in Salamanca is comprised of buildings designed and equipped for teaching, with spacious modern classrooms, reference libraries, computer rooms with Internet access, assembly halls and common rooms for study and meetings, all of which are air conditioned.

Students are grouped into one of eight levels, based on a placement test that is taken before leaving the US. There are four fifty-minute classes each morning, Monday through Friday, and the maximum number of students per class is ten. In the first two classes (grammar), students study different grammatical structures and their practical applications. In the second two classes (conversation), vocabulary and colloquial expressions are analyzed.

Our chaperones supervise a variety of afternoon and evening activities. They include sports activities such as swimming, soccer, tennis, volleyball, ping-pong, basketball, and pool. Every week two documentaries are shown, as well as a variety of Spanish films (original version or dubbed). There are other options, such as salsa/sevillana/flamenco dance lessons, cooking, horseback riding in the Castilian countryside (Salamanca programs), special dinners, etc. Local visits to important city monuments and interesting sites are done on an on-going basis.

Highlights:
* Homestay accommodation or dorm (depending on program)
* Classes at a leading language school
* Activities such as sports, cooking & dance classes, horseback riding, and many more
* Excursions to historic villages and towns
* Week of travel to some of the most amazing destinations in Spain: Madrid, Andalusia and the magnificent Costa del Sol
* University credit
* Language Partners

Cost in US$: Salamanca 1: $5995; Salamanca 2: $6040; Salamanca 3: $4570. Chaperoned airfare is also available.

Experience Required: yes

2 years of Spanish

This Program is open to American, Canadian and European Participants.

Participants Travel to Spain Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently Or in Groups of 30

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit DebriefingAbroad

Edu-Culture International (ECI)'s Mission Statement: To broaden the academic horizons of students and to create well-rounded, culturally aware student leaders. Goals: ECI provides young people with opportunities to embrace new cultures, to improve foreign language ability, and to develop interpersonal skills. We strive to make each program a high-quality, unique, and enjoyable experience. It is also hoped that the programs will engender in students an interest in the pursuit of education, especially in the humanities and acquisition of foreign languages; motivate learning and independent thinking; promote world friendships and cultural understanding; educate students about the culture, language, people, and ideas of other nations and ethnic backgrounds; help students to realize their potentials and become aware of their roles in our global community.

Year Founded: 1998