ARE you a farmer who has lots of South American workers? Or are you a farmer who wants to expand your operations into Mexico? Or are you a Caucasian who wants to invest in Mexico as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)? Or are you sent by your company for a possible assignment in Spain? Then you may want to learn Spanish this Christmas. There are a lot of Spanish language schools here in El Paso. It’s because El Paso is just literally a stone’s throw away from Ciudad Juarez.

In the first day of your Spanish studies here, you may be compelled to write an essay about your desire to learn the language…in Spanish of course. You will then recite the essay aloud in class. Do not be embarrassed because all your classmates will be adults like you. But if your time cannot permit you enrolling in Spanish class, then you can do so in an online one. There is also what we call as crash courses in Spanish which is basically good for just two weeks only. That’s as good as your Christmas vacation.

Speaking of a Christmas vacation, you may as well spend it here in Spain. But if you come across the Atlantic and you have not reserved prior to reading this, then forget it. All Christmas and New Year flights to Spain as well as hotel suites here have already been booked. But if you have a car and you come down from Portugal or France and you have friends here to stay the week in, then that’s not a problem. Just forget about public transport like trains and transnational buses. That’s just won’t work.

There are a lot of spots here in Spain to learn English. You may do so either in a conventional school or with a private tutor. But if I were you, just hire a private tutor and let him or her be your tour guide around the country too. Just make sure you foot the bills. There are lots of places to tour around the country. If you’re Roman Catholic, it may be interesting to be part of the Christmas rites. Christmas here started early with the first Sunday of Advent celebrated last December 2. Then nine days before Christmas will be a novena of Holy Masses in each dawn. If you are not tired, then you may diligently go to these Holy Masses. Your tour guide will be happy to accompany you because that’s already part of his or her job. Then together, you may want to eat a Spanish breakfast served in eateries in front of the church. Then you can jog together back to your vacation home where your private tutor will teach you more of the Spanish vocabulary.

It’s not just Spanish that you will be learning actually. Spain has lots of dialects such as Catalan and Basque so with your very hospitable Spanish tutor, you can learn these from him or her too.

NOTHING beats learning another language than Spanish. Spain was at the forefront of the world for 500 years, conquering both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Spain is actually located in the Iberian Peninsula but it is so unique because there are lots of dialects spoken there such as Catalan and the Basque. No wonder the former Spanish colonies also have lots of dialects such as the Philippines. In the Philippines, there are such diverse dialects such as Tagalog, Cebuano and Chavacano.

There are many reasons why people are interested to learn Spanish. Spanish is not just used in Spain but also in such countries as Mexico, Puerto Rico and Cuba. All in all, they comprise a total of 21 countries, mostly coming from South America. The Hispanics total about 400 million people making the language one of the official ones used in the United Nations.

Spanish is a Romance language which means it originated from Rome. History also proves that the old Roman language was influenced by German and Frank tribes when they conquered the areas of Europe that were inhabited by these peoples. Today, Spanish can also be considered as a language for romantics and lovers because of the immense popularity of art in its mother country of Spain. If you visit Spain, you will admire the greatness of its architecture which has both Gothic and Moorish influences in it. You will admire the art of flamenco dancing and the art of bullfighting. Its architecture has Gothic influences because the Catholic hierarchies of old want the native people to be immediately lured to Christianity. But it has Moorish influences as well because certain parts of Spain have been conquered by the Moors. These churches were converted into mosques and when they were taken back by the Christians, the Islamic designs were preserved. Spanish too love olive oil. All of these are taken into context and one will surely appreciate learning the Spanish language.

Here in Spain, there are lots of schools that are dedicated to learning the Spanish language, as part of a so called ‘Språkresor’. There are three stages of acquiring the language – the basic, the intermediate and the advanced stage. In the basic stage, students are taught the nuances of Spanish and as the session’s progress, their essays and oral recitations become lengthier. The three stages are worth one academic semester each. Students will be grouped into pairs who will become his or her language buddy for the rest of the six months of the program. You will also have video conferencing with native Spanish speakers who will teach you parts of the language. In return, you will also share your knowledge of English to them.

Other language institutions opt for the immersion program. Included in the tuition, students will have a chance to stay with a native Spanish family for the duration of the course. The students will be joining whatever activities his or her host family will do and whatever food the family will eat. Thus, you will be introduced to such delicacies as chorizo and turron. You will also taste authentic Spanish wine and cherry.