During the month of August 2015, we received at TANDEM MADRID the students of the Illinois College, Brianna Klein and Zury Vasquez, who participated in our Summer Business Seminar, within the framework of international cooperation that our school has with ILLINOIS COLLEGE, Jacksonville, USA, for study abroad programs.
During the course the students have attended intensive Spanish classes and did several seminars on Business Spanish, also visiting several successful companies such as El Corte Ingles, Zara and relevant Spanish institutions such as the Chamber of Commerce of Madrid.
The program also includes many cultural activities such as visits and excursions to landmarks of Madrid.
Here is what Brianna says about it:
In August 2015, I made my way on a long ten hour flight to come to Madrid, Spain for five weeks to study the language, the culture, and businesses in Spain. I have come to realize that I have come away with a lot more than just that. A new understand of myself, new friends from all over Europe, and a new place to come to and miss. I started classes with Alicia and Javier who both have very different teaching styles, but styles that I loved and enjoyed equally. Then I had Provi the following week and we talked about love and feelings and I was very sad to see her go just because I knew it was the end of my language courses in Madrid and I would not have her again. Finally, for my final business classes, I had Ana who was so full of life and very kind-hearted. I learned a lot from her about the business side of Spain and enjoyed getting to know her and spending time with her since it was essentially a private class. We were able to tour some Spanish stores such as Zara and el Corte Inglés and then we were also able to tour and learn about the Cámara de Comercio in Madrid. These were great opportunities for me to practice speaking Spanish with other people and learn more about the business side of Spain.
Classes were not the only things that Tandem had for me, they had excursions, museum tours, history lessons, karaoke, and so much more! My absolute favorite person to listen to was Sonia because she talked with an accent that was very easy to understand and it was like a story was being told to me. It was in these times that I got to know my friends so much better as well! After museum tours we would go out for a tinto de verano and just talk and practice our Spanish with each other. I will never forget my last “almuerzo” with my friends. We went to Parque del Retiro and had lunch and took selfies and just had an enjoyable time together and I thank Tandem program for allowing us to come together. Everyone there was very welcoming when we were exhausted and first arrived and were very sad to see us go back to the States. Memories that will last a life time, new skills and knowledge that I can use in the future, and friendships that I will never forget all thanks to the wonderful program of Tandem! I cannot wait to return!
You can read more about Brianna’s experience in her blog.
