Now, let’s assume that you have decided to learn Spanish, and that you want to learn it at a language school – why should you choose Spain?
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 The Sales Pitch! Let me give you the sales pitch talk right away! Spain is an absolute treasure, filled with exciting history, culture, sights, life and vigor! It is a diverse country experiencing a tremendous economic growth, and at the same time staying in touch with its historic roots… this country was once colonized by Carthage, been part of the impressive Roman Empire for more than 600 years, and even constituted the richest part of the Muslim world.
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The same year Ferdinand took the last Arab stronghold in Spain (Granada), Christopher Columbus accidentally run into America on his way to Asia – something which gave Spain enough gold and silver to become the richest and most powerful nation in the world. Numerous magnificent Cathedrals are the result of Spain’s deep religious and wealthy past…
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 Salsa! There is just so much to see! But you shouldn’t just stand there and marvel… no, take a plunge and dive in. The Spanish people are very much alive; the streets are crowded. Try to enter a salsa bar, and don’t worry if you’re not very good at it – just try – to feel the rhythm and have fun with all the others..
Flamenco! Or why not try to learn Flamenco? Did you know that Flamenco is a type of music and that many shows are without dancing at all? The singer tells a story, usually a sad story, and be sure to try a show where the locals also visit – because the audience answers the singer!
This art form is much older than Spain is as a nation. It was created by the gypsies, but has changed and absorbed different influences through the years.
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 Carnivals! Talking about music and rhythm… the carnivals are something to remember. The side-walks are jammed with spectators long before the mile-long (at least!) carnival procession passes by. And just watch when the music comes… you’ll see that the hips of the people around you are having trouble keeping still!
And what costumes! You will have all the variations… Women and men, gays and straight, from being close to naked to the most fantastic creations you could imagine. The colors, the drums, the music, everybody is dancing. A procession can easily last till far into the night.
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Easter Processions! From one procession to another – but this is of a completely different caliber: the Easter processions.
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Paso. Each day throughout Easter you can see the side-walks fill up again with people waiting for the processions which will parade through the city at night. It is like a parade, with musicians and everything, but the main focus is on the so-called “paso” with an “imagen” on top.
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 Imagen. The “paso” is like a giant altar or chantry with candle lights and an icon/small statue of Jesus or Maria on top. Inside the “paso” you have 20-30 people who lift it and carry it around.
These people cannot be seen from the outside, and since they cannot see anything themselves either, the maneuvering can be difficult. These altars move, understandably, very slowly, and some use more than 12 hours to finish (5-7 am).
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Santae. From time to time the parade will stop, and a Flamenco alike singer will sing a so-called santae. This is some sort of a sad song with no instruments. But the parade doesn’t only consist of the giant altars – you also have large groups of people with special costumes.
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Ku Klux Klan. My first thought when I saw them was Ku Klux Klan, as some have an outfit 100% identical to KKK, while, on the other hand, others are more colorful.
In some parades you can have up to 10 groups with different costumes participating. I would assume that it is the KKK that mimics the Catholics and not the other way around, since this tradition started more than 400 years ago.
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 Some of the processions take place in complete silence, some with sorrowful music, while others can have a bit more merry atmosphere.
Some I know assert that when everything is completely quite (also the spectators), and these long rows of KKK-alike hooded people come walking towards you in the dark with their lanterns, chills go down their spine. I find this to be a bit exaggerated, but it sure gives a powerful impression.
An interesting question is, since Spanish people aren’t that religious today, why do they flock to see or participate in these processions? Virtually a whole city can be gathered in or around the streets where a procession takes place.
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A person I spoke with told me that participating was something that required much practice and a lot of preparation throughout the year. This made it to a social activity, which people enjoyed doing instead of other things. In addition comes of course the value of tradition in itself.
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Football! So, what other cultural phenomenon can I mention?
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Well, what about football! Or soccer as might be the proper English term. People are crazy about it. The two biggest teams are Real Madrid and Barcelona. These teams are also among the very best in the whole world. Many claim that the Spanish league is the best in the world.
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I don’t know… maybe Spain is best, or Italy, or England. What I do know is that regardless of where you are, people are enthusiastic about their local team. A match is made into a great feast! There are people everywhere. Try it!
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 Tapas! Talking about people going out … as I have mentioned numerous times, people in Spain go out a lot! And so should you when you are here. Go out and try the famous “tapas”.
What is a “tapa”? …you might ask. This is something you’ll definitely learn when you start going out while studying at a language school. A “tapa” is a very small meal; it is a mini-meal, sort of a taste just to see how it is. When you order a drink, you also get a tapa – this is particularly popular in Andalusia.
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As a student you will soon find out which serves what type of tapas, which serves the biggest, the tastiest, etc. It is good to know if you start to feel a bit hungry, but are less keen on paying very much for a meal – just like a normal student. This way you will also get to try much of the local cuisine.
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