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Language stay with Carmen
My name is Carmen.
I currently live in Santander, although our family home is located in a village 8 km from the city: I go there frequently, where we usually do tasks related to the garden and other maintenance work on the house, as well as walking around the beautiful surroundings. But where I currently live and where you could enjoy a linguistic stay with me is in Santander.
We have two children, aged 23 and 25, who are studying at university outside of Cantabria, and they come by from time to time, but they do not live here regularly.
Santander is a city of about 170,000 inhabitants, located in the north of Spain, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. It is well connected to other places by road, train, plane, and boat.
During your stay here, you will have an excellent opportunity to speak Spanish, as it is the language we usually speak. Moreover, the Spanish spoken in Santander is what is studied when one wants to learn the Spanish language without interference.
I live in a well-connected area of Santander, close to the beaches, the city center, and the UC University. We have several high schools, sports clubs, surf schools, theater and film schools nearby, and a varied offer of cultural, sports, and leisure activities.
One of my favorite activities is walking by the sea, along the beaches, and through all the walkable areas of the city’s cliffs, from Mataleñas and Cabo Mayor to those of the Virgen del Mar and strolls along the Costa Quebrada.
I share this hobby with other family members, as well as with several of our friends.
In addition to these walks, we like to participate from time to time in some guided hiking routes, which you could join if you wish, depending on the time of your stay.
We belong to a Franco-Spanish family. Our children speak several languages and have participated in many activities of international programs in various countries. In our family, we have a lot of experience hosting and tutoring exchange students for year/semester/month academic stays and summer university courses.
Typically, during the school year, there is usually at least one student at home for linguistic stays during certain periods of time, so depending on the moment, I could host between one and three students or teachers who come to learn and perfect their Spanish in the Castilian mode, which is what we speak here.
I am a secondary school teacher. I recently stopped working in the institute. I have also worked as an associate professor at the university. I am used to teaching adolescent and university students. I know our language well and I am accustomed to teaching Spanish to various adult members of my French family, as well as to helping exchange students who come during the school year and in the summer, both to Santander and to our house in the village.
I enjoy walking, reading, writing, and visiting exhibitions. I make traditional food with a Mediterranean diet. I easily adapt to vegetarian and vegan options. When there are students and/or teachers at home, I like to share the opportunity for conversation around the table at breakfast and dinner time.
Depending on the time of year when the stay occurs, I can accommodate a number between 1 and 3. At certain times of the year, between February and June 2025, the stay will be shared with a student on a quarterly or four-month stay.
Normally, teenagers who come for an academic period enroll in public secondary and high school institutions. In these institutions, there is no school uniform. The biggest expense usually comes from books and school supplies. In the case of a student who wishes to stay here, we would discuss it previously with their family since the prices may vary if they want to choose a concerted center or a public institute.
If you want, you can collaborate in the arrangement of the garden of the house we have in the village, on a completely voluntary basis. In the case of adolescents between 16 and 18 years old, with stays for a year/semester/trimester, participation in internships related to volunteer activities adapted to the adolescent age can be facilitated.
A normal day here goes as follows: Wake up, have breakfast, and spend an hour conversing in Spanish, which can be at home or while taking a walk along the beach or in the city, etc. Then, starting from 10 AM, I attend my training activities, and you can choose from various cultural and leisure activities that I will have prepared for you based on the time you come to enjoy your stay and what you tell me in advance about what you would like to do.
In the afternoon, I will accompany you to visit different places of interest, and you can have dinner at home with me. Whatever activity we do in the afternoon will include at least another hour of conversation. If you want, we can expand what I offer you to improve Spanish learning with other types of activities.
To give you an idea of some complementary leisure and free time activities you could participate in, here are some that students who have stayed with me have enjoyed: walks, sports activities (surfing, sports clubs, sports activities at UC open to non-university students), workshops and activities from the Espacio Joven and Jovenmanía, cultural activities at the Botín center, Performing Arts School at the Palacio de Festivales, Film and TV school, activities offered by civic centers, non-formal Music School of Musiquea, activities offered by libraries such as the BCC, various art exhibitions, film archives… among others. I should also highlight the museums in the city of Santander, as well as other museums in Cantabria, such as the Altamira Museum and caves, and other places of interest, like the Cabárceno Nature Park.
NOTES: All these places in Santander that offer activities mentioned in the previous paragraph are places you can walk to in a few minutes from home. There is also inexpensive public transport that works very well.
For some activities held in places outside the city, you could go with me if you prefer.
If you want to participate in activities associated with any of the schools (theater, surfing, cinema, music, etc.), they would require prior registration, which I would assist you with. The corresponding payment for the school would be your responsibility.
I can inform you before your stay about the prices of both sports and cultural activities and nature itineraries that may interest you.
I stayed with Carmen for 10 months while I was studying abroad in Santander. I can confidently say that my stay wasfairly enjoyable. Carmen is a very kind and inteligent woman who helped me improve my spanish skills rapidly. I would definitely recommend staying with her, as she is very open and helpful.
From 510 € / week
+33 7 49 08 56 74