2024 has been an incredible year, and we have had the pleasure of meeting many students from around the world. We are truly grateful for this experience!

At Linguaschools Barcelona, we wanted to celebrate the end of the year in a distinctly Spanish way. This celebration wasn’t just about transitioning into a new year—it was also an immersive experience where our students could discover how we in Spain usher in the New Year.

In Spain, the countdown to midnight is a key moment of celebration, marked by the tradition of eating twelve grapes—one for each stroke of the clock. This tradition is known as las doce uvas de la suerte, or “the twelve grapes of luck.” It is believed that eating the grapes brings good luck for each of the twelve months of the coming year. The idea is that each grape represents one month, and eating all twelve before the clock finishes chiming is thought to ensure good fortune for the year ahead.

In Spain, one of the most famous places to watch the event is la Puerta del Sol in Madrid, where a large clock strikes twelve. People across the country gather around their television screens or head to town squares to join in this iconic moment.

At Linguaschools, we projected the Puerta del Sol clock in one of our classrooms, and together we welcomed the year 2025! There’s no better way

to start the new year than with this shared experience. Though eating the grapes can be a bit tricky, our students did an amazing job! We’re so happy to have celebrated this special moment with them, alongside all the staff at the school.

We wish all our students the best of luck in the coming year—and of course, much more Spanish!

Now, we are fully ready to dive into 2025!

We love the festive atmosphere, the lights, and the joy that this time of year brings. That’s why we’ve transformed the entrance of our school to ensure that the Christmas spirit wraps around everyone who visits. A huge Christmas tree stands proudly in the lobby, decorated with colorful baubles, bright lights, garlands, and, of course, a large star on top.

Our beloved Tió de Nadal, a typical Catalan Christmas tradition, is also part of the celebration. Every week, we feed him so that, on the big day, when we sing his special song, he can surprise us with gifts and treats.

Throughout this month, we’ll be doing Christmas-related activities, and of course, in our lessons, we’ll be working on Christmas vocabulary, grammar, and expressions so that our students can learn more about our culture.

It’s time to be enveloped by the warmth of this season and enjoy all the activities and surprises that await us. How exciting!

Last week, we said goodbye to a very special student: Natalie! During her time with us, she dedicated no less than 1040 hours to learning Spanish.

Natalie arrived last year from the United States to Linguaschools with the goal of completing all the hours of the Intensive 20 course!

Although she was a complete beginner in the language at first, her motivation to learn and discover never waned. Month by month, she progressed through the levels, learning more and more, until she reached level C1! Today, she is a true expert in Spanish.

The farewell was very emotional, as during her stay, Natalie made many great friends at the school. Even former students who are still in Barcelona came to say goodbye. For the Linguaschools team, it was also a special moment, as we shared many hours with her both in class and during activities.
We are very proud of her progress and happy to see how much her Spanish has improved. We wish her the best, and as always, Natalie knows she can visit us whenever she wants. It will be a pleasure to see her again!

Fridays are always emotional days, but we are very happy to see the satisfaction of our students and the progress they have made. How beautiful is the journey of learning Spanish!

But this Friday we did something different. We organised a big paella at school! Paella is one of the most popular dishes in Spain. It has its origins in Valencia and is a special kind of cooking with a wide variety of ingredients. We were able to see live how it is prepared and how much dedication it takes to make it the right way.

Paella is also known for bringing people together to celebrate, so the students and staff of Linguaschools got together for dinner and a good time. We were able to practise our Spanish and get to know the teachers and staff a little better.

We had all the ingredients for a perfect afternoon at the school!

As you may have guessed, Linguaschools isn’t just about teachers. There’s a whole team of people working to ensure that our students have the best possible experience at our centres, from the moment they book to the last day of class.

That’s why it’s really important for us to be a team and have some moments to get to know each other and bond, not only because of our passion for the world of education. In this case, competing in an escape room in different groups and having drinks together afterwards on a casual Friday was enough to make a difference.

We are now fully recharged after the activity. We are all looking forward to seeing each and every one of you at Linguaschools!

The lights are already illuminating the streets of Barcelona and the Christmas spirit, advertisements and businesses are preparing for a Christmas that this year will be marked by geopolitical, energy and climate problems. However, our Christmas spirit returns to make us forget them for a couple of days and gather together with such good vibes.

We’ve been slowly growing year by year, so this celebration helps us to foster relationships and communication between us, giving us a break to spend time together, not just talking about work or greeting each other in the corridor between classes.

In the end, the important thing about Christmas is to appreciate the love and respect we have for the people around us every day!

So whoever is reading this, whether you are a past, present or future student, a colleague or a curious visitor, we wish you a Christmas and New Year full of happiness and hope!

From the moment they arrived, we ensured they felt at home in Spain. The group was warmly welcomed at the airport and taken to stay with local Spanish host families, where they enjoyed full board and got to experience daily life in a Spanish household. These stays allowed them to practice their Spanish continuously and to experience Spanish hospitality and customs firsthand.

Spanish language and cultural immersion

Each day, the students participated in Spanish language classes, working hard to improve their proficiency. Outside the classroom, we had planned a rich lineup of cultural activities that gave them a firsthand taste of Spain’s famous artistic and historical sites. Their cultural exploration included:

• Parc Güell – They marveled at Gaudí’s artistic vision and learned about the cultural significance of this vibrant park.
• Camp Nou – Home to FC Barcelona, where students explored the passion and culture of Spanish football.
• Casa Batlló – Another Gaudí masterpiece, which left a lasting impression with its architectural ingenuity and aesthetic.
• Museo Picasso – The group got an intimate look at the works of Pablo Picasso, exploring his life and evolution as an artist.
• Sagrada Familia – No visit to Barcelona is complete without seeing Gaudí’s breathtaking basilica, which continues to inspire awe in visitors.

And, of course, no cultural immersion would be complete without experiencing the passion and artistry of a flamenco show, where the students witnessed the intensity and soul of this iconic Spanish dance.

An experience for life

Staying with host families and exploring Spain together fostered meaningful connections among the students, their teachers, and the people they met along the way. Their curiosity and eagerness to learn were evident, and they embraced each opportunity to improve their Spanish and immerse themselves in Spanish culture.

We’re so grateful to have been part of their journey and look forward to welcoming more international students who come with open minds and hearts to discover the beauty of the Spanish language and culture.

¡Hasta la próxima, amigos!

Today, we were thrilled to celebrate the incredible journey of one of our head of administration, Janine! Thank you for your kindness and dedication to our team and the students.

The picture on the cake was just a reflection of how funny you are and how much fun it is to work with you!

Now let’s work out all weekend to burn off the calories from those delicious donuts!

But what’s also important, here in our country, paella has always been a dish that brings people together to celebrate an event. For us it’s essentially a festive dish. Due to its laborious preparation and the fact that its ingredients were a luxury for the majority of the population for a long time when a celebration had to be held, paella was the chosen dish. Families or friends would gather together and talk for hours while the chef was cooking, to end up tasting a delicious portion with a glass of wine.

We decided to pay tribute to that tradition and also give an opportunity to those students who hadn’t tried paella to do so. It was our first big event in the garden of our new building and we couldn’t have been more happy to make it’s debut this way!

Two great chefs came to cook paella for 65 people! Music, talking, drinking, and fraternity was all around!