Some years ago, my boyfriend and I decided to make a dramatic change in our lives. We decided to move to Gran Canaria for work and to have Spanish lessons on Gran Canaria.
We had both lived in various countries and continents before so we assumed Gran Canaria would take a lot of research. It was a no brainer, once we saw what Gran Canaria and particularly Las Palmas had to offer, we were ready to go! A thriving City with fantastic beaches, so many sports activities ranging from surfing and paragliding to something for the less extreme sports junky like yoga, cycling or walking in the mountains.
1- City of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
The city of Las Palmas is also a shoppers paradise. Steeped in culture and history, there are numerous museums to visit and a stroll around Vegueta (old town) is an absolute must. You can lose yourself in the cobbled streets or just sit outside one of the many cafes and restaurants watching the world go by.
Gran Canaria also boasts the best climate, the average year-round temperature is 24 degrees and a bonus for us is longer daylight hours. Gone are the days of cold dark winter commutes to work.
There are also an abundance of restaurants to suit any taste, from local Spanish dishes, to Italian, Indian, Mexican and Lebanese food, the list is endless and delicious.
2- Spanish classes on Gran Canaria
We arrived on the island raring to go, however, there was once slight problem. We didn’t speak Spanish. I signed up with various ‘app-s’ on my phone, but just couldn’t commit to them. For instance, they didn’t really work, great for a bit of vocabulary, but not much good for me when I board the bus and my bus driver tries to start up a conversation. I would just grin at him and sit down quickly. If somebody sat next to me on the bus I would pretend to be listening to music on my phone so they wouldn’t speak to me.
I would feel mute in the supermarket, I couldn’t understand what anyone was saying. I couldn’t tell the lady on the checkout that I didn’t need a bag, I had about 5 already from the last time I came to the supermarket!!
Google translate is great for a word you need to translate. However, try going into the chemist and asking for 500 mg of paracetamol whilst you wait for the internet to work on your phone. That was quite literally a complete headache. 🙂
3- Learn Spanish at NikaTeacher
I knew I had to do something about my Spanish when I went to the local market and asked for half a kilo of beer instead of half a kilo of cherries, funny at first, but after a while, they thought I was an alcoholic….. 😉
This is when I discovered NikaTeacher, an academy in the centre of Las Palmas. I signed up for some lessons and haven’t looked back! At first I wanted private lessons because I was so embarrassed of my language ability, and I wanted that ‘one to one’ attention, however Nika knew that I would be better in a group class as interacting with other students at my level would be, a) more fun and b) would give me the chance to speak, listen and understand the language more..
With slight trepidation, I started my first class. NikaTeacher is a great academy, with a very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Group classes are small numbers so you don’t feel overwhelmed and you still get that ‘one to one’ attention. My first lesson was amazing, I was buzzing by the time I’d finished and wanted to get out there and practice. Nika was brilliant, everything we covered was explained precisely with lots of chance to practise. She makes a point of finding out about you in order to cater for your needs as well as including that all essential grammar.
Here is even a video from some of the students.
4- Language School NikaTeacher
The academy is also really flexible, so if you have other commitments and can’t make a lesson, they will try and move the class so you don’t miss out on classes.
Each week, I could feel my Spanish improving quickly, it’s utterly rewarding. The big test came when my neighbour offered me a lift to town! A 20-minute drive speaking Spanish about, the weather (nice easy start) life in Las Palmas, and the biggest challenge, Politics, but I did it unscathed.
The other day, I bumped into my local friendly bus driver in the supermarket, we had a chat. Guess what? He no longer thinks I’m strange. 🙂
Now it’s your turn. Nika and I want you to share with us if you have ever been in a situation when you’ve made a funny mistake in another language? We would love to hear your story!
And if you want to start learning NOW, get in touch here: contact us.
For more info about the classes, have a look at what our students think of our classes or send us a whatsapp on +34617948166.
LD 🙂
Photo: Aljosa
