It's no secret that students come from all over the world to study Spanish at Speakeasy. Have you ever wondered what it's like to study right in the heart of Barcelona? Take a look at how Grace enjoyed her classes and what she got up to while she was here!
Student profile
Grace Font, 23 years old, comes from a diverse background. Her father is Catalan and her mother is Chinese. Although she was born in Reus, she grew up in Guangzhou and went to a Canadian school so she identifies as Chinese more than anything.
She was in Europe visiting family around the time the Coronavirus started spreading. At the time she was living in China and her mother didn’t want her to back because she was afraid she’d get sick. So, she decided to stay in Spain and learn Spanish while she waited it out. This is how her 3-week vacation turned into her 5th move since 2015!
Spanish classes in Barcelona
Even though she has family in Spain and was born in Catalonia, Grace never learned Spanish. She always used a Spanish-English-Catalan mix or had other family members translate for her, so this was the perfect opportunity to finally learn.
She signed up for classes at Speakeasy and is taking the 20-hour intensive course from 9am to 1pm, Monday to Friday and currently in a level B1.2 class. The teachers and groups have been changing at the end of each mini course, so Grace has had the chance to learn with about 7 different teachers.
“I had no idea that the teachers weren’t going to use English in class at all before I started and that’s probably my favourite part. Even if you don’t speak any Spanish, somehow you are still able to understand pretty much everything your teacher is saying.”
Grace most appreciated the conversational activities in her Spanish classes. Rather than just moving onto the next topic, you had to push yourself to engage in the language. She describes her classmates as being from all around the world and of different age groups, and having “nothing but good experiences with [them] so far”. She says that they were all willing to help each other out when someone didn’t understand something and that explaining it would actually help you understand it better.
Activities in and around Barcelona
Because of the pandemic at the moment, Grace hasn’t attended that many of the Speakeasy activities, although she did go to Carnival in Sitges back in March. She also went to a comedy show in August where she met her best friend in Spain, Marwa!
A day in the life
Grace is usually up by 8:15 to make it to her 9am class. After classes, she’ll usually go home and have lunch and then work for a couple of hours, whether it’s for work, to run errands or to study Spanish.
She doesn’t follow a strict schedule, but In the afternoons she might meet some friends to explore town and try to find some “hidden gems”. Once she gets back in the evenings, she chats with her friends in other countries to catch up.
Her favourite part of the day is when she turns her phone on airplane mode, listens to music and goes for a walk – the perfect way to disconnect from all the screen time she’s used to throughout the day.
Posted in Life at Speakeasy
Learn and improve your Spanish in Barcelona, one of the world's most vibrant and exciting cities.
Here at Speakeasy you'll find courses for all abilities and timetables, an incredible team of talented and motivated teachers and classmates to share your interests and passions. And if you need a visa for your stay, then of course we're able to help and advise.
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