BRIDGES summer study abroad programs in Spain offer small groups of high school students opportunities to pursue language study through direct experience in exciting locations. Our four-, three- and two-week Spanish immersion programs in Cádiz and San Sebastián make the best use of each participant’s time by combining classroom-based instruction with a homestay experience, and a variety of cultural, recreational, and travel opportunities.

Students look back on their experience with a tremendous feeling of accomplishment, having advanced at least a semester in conversational Spanish and immersed themselves in the customs, values and language of the Spanish people in a way no visitor can hope to match.

PROGRAM CONTENT
BRIDGES ESPAÑA summer programs are intensive cultural immersion experiences. Designed to be instructive, challenging and fun, they are full of exciting things to do, interesting people to meet, and fascinating places to visit. The emphasis is on achieving fluency and accuracy in Spanish while receiving a broad exposure to Spanish culture.     

Sightseeing
The four-week program in San Sebastián begins with a two-day stopover in Barcelona and concludes with a three-day stay in Madrid. Students stopping in Barcelona will find the city a surprising and irresistible mixture of the traditional and avant-garde. Our itinerary in Barcelona includes visits to the Barri Gòtic, a tangle of medieval streets, and La Boquería, the city’s grand central market, as well as the city’s fine museums, a stroll up Las Ramblas, the center of the city’s commercial, cultural and culinary life, a survey of the architectural achievements of Antoni Gaudí, and a day in Girona and Figueres, the birthplace of Salvador Dalí. Students visiting Madrid will sense the electricity and vibrancy of this proud world class city. Our itinerary combines a walking tour through the cobbled streets of Old Madrid, visits to the renowned Prado and Sofía Museums, and the Royal Palace, as well as a day in Segovia and El Escorial. The three-week program concludes with an optional three-day stopover in Madrid. Our two programs in Cádiz include two days of sightseeing in Seville and conclude with an optional three-day stay in Madrid.      

Academics
The academic portion of each program is offered for enrichment, not for credit. You attend a well-established, accredited language academy where you are grouped in a beginning, intermediate, or an advanced class according to your language proficiency. Five mornings a week, certified teachers, all of whom are native speakers, provide instruction in the Spanish language aimed at developing your conversational skills and building your vocabulary. Classes are small, averaging ten students per class, thus allowing the instructors to give you more personal attention than is commonly found in language study programs. The tertulia, a leisurely afternoon get-together, meets once a week to explore aspects of Spanish culture and history. By the conclusion of the program, most likely you will have advanced at least a semester in conversational Spanish.     

Activities and Excursions
In the late afternoons and on weekends, you participate in organized cultural activities and excursions or relax at the beach with friends. Frequently your advisors will accompany you to evening events; but most often you will want to spend evenings with your host family or at a sidewalk café. You will have time to pursue personal interests, make friends, and explore your community independently if you choose. We make every effort to strike a balance between scheduled activities and free time.

For students based in Cádiz activities include: windsurfing, swimming, cycling, a flamenco performance, an afternoon at the bullfights, and sevillana dance classes. Excursions include: a visit to Sevilla and Córdoba; a trip through the countryside known as “the Sherry Triangle” with a performance at the Royal Equestrian Center; an excursion to Vejér, an old Arab outpost and one of Andalucía’s charming “white towns”; and, a drive down the Costa de la Luz to Tarifa, windsurfing capital of Europe.

For those based in San Sebastián activities include: surfboarding, swimming, kayaking, cycling, the famous International Jazz Festival and a jai alai game. Excursions include: sightseeing in nearby villages of Fuenterrabía and Pasajes; a trip to Pamplona for the "running of the bulls" and to Bilbao to see Frank Gehry’s stunning Guggenheim Museum; a quick run across the border into France to visit the seaside resorts of Biarritz and San Jean de Luz; plus, a half-day bike trip through the countryside.     

A Typical Day
8:00 – 9:00 . . . . . . Breakfast at home
9:30 – 1:30 . . . . . . Spanish language classes and daily group meeting
2:00 – 4:00 . . . . . . Lunch at home
4:00 – 7:00 . . . . . . Activities, sports, excursions, or afternoons at the beach
7:00 – 9:00 . . . . . . Free time
9:00 – 10:00 . . . . . Dinner at home
10:00 – 12:00 . . . .Time with family and friends or BRIDGES social activities
12:00 Midnight . . . Weekday curfew

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS
The homestay is an integral part of both programs. We prefer to place one student per family, thereby maximizing the amount of Spanish you can learn during your stay. However, if you wish to have a roommate, we can arrange for that too. To ensure that you profit from your homestay, our director is personally involved in the selection of our Spanish families and the placement of our students. Host families are chosen on the basis of a successful personal interview and excellent references. Because we select families that provide stable, caring, and healthy environments, most students remember their homestay experience as one of the most rewarding aspects of their time abroad.     

ORIENTATION AND SUPPORT
BRIDGES prides itself on its thorough orientation program. It begins with a comprehensive information packet, a Student Handbook, and a pre-departure discussion dealing with some of the issues of living abroad. Upon arrival in Spain, you participate in orientation sessions to learn skills and attitudes which will assist you in adapting to Spanish culture. All students meet weekly in small groups with their advisors. In this relaxed atmosphere you have the opportunity to ask questions, address problems and share experiences and information with a supportive peer group.     

SUPERVISION
Our programs offer you an extraordinary opportunity to broaden your cultural and personal perspectives. Your willingness to learn and consideration of the needs and rights of others are key to a successful experience in Spain. You are expected to maintain high standards of personal behavior, cooperate with your host family, school officials, and advisors, abide by the rules and regulations of the program, and behave in a responsible manner.

An experienced and dedicated staff manages BRIDGES ESPAÑA, insuring that your stay in Spain is rewarding and satisfying. Two advisors, chosen for their enthusiasm and vision of what a young student can become in a new context, accompany you throughout your stay, ease you through the adjustment process, monitor your academic progress, keep in touch with your host family, supervise the activities and excursions, and offer their advice and counsel when needed. Our professional staff in San Francisco and Seattle is available for support or emergency assistance. For information on BRIDGES leadership, we refer you to the section in this website entitled About Us.      

SPENDING MONEY
You should have access to enough money in the form of traveler’s checks, ATM, debit and credit cards to sustain you through the program. We estimate incidental expenses to run approximately $100 to $150 per week.

TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
Airfare is not included in the program fee. We ask that you make your own flight arrangements and will help you coordinate your flight with other students from your area. A BRIDGES representative will meet you at the airport in Barcelona or Madrid at no additional cost, provided you arrive on your group’s arrival date. If you arrive on another date, we can usually arrange to meet you, however, there is a charge for transportation, time and any expenses incurred.     

MEDICAL INSURANCE
All BRIDGES students must be covered by medical insurance valid for expenses incurred overseas. Your parents are responsible for all costs of medical and dental care, tests, allergy shots, and prescriptions. They must complete a BRIDGES Medical Form, detailing your complete health history and giving their Health Insurance Carrier. If you need additional medical coverage or wish to purchase program cancellation/interruption insurance, we can refer you to an independent insurance broker, experienced in providing coverage for students living and traveling overseas.