En español no se puede decir UN OTRO

My experience at Taronja Spending eight weeks learning Spanish in Valencia has been a rewarding experience. When I first arrived here, I had a patchy understanding of how basic Spanish grammar works, which gave me a false sense of confidence coming into the country. I was placed into a class that was far too advanced for my level, and I quickly discovered that my listening and speaking skills were practically non-existent. It is fair to say that I was completely baffed in my first week of lessons. I eventually moved down two groups, so I could work on my listening and speaking skills. This level was much more enjoyable, as I wasn’t in a permanent state of confusion. I have noticed my progress continue to grow steadily over the weeks. Now, I feel like I have enough Spanish to get by on my own and develop my skill independently. Understanding street chit-chat is becoming easier, watching Spanish T.V. is becoming more enjoyable, and I can usually interpret written texts.
The teachers at Taronja are young, fun and competent people. Rather than forcing us to fill out boring and repetitive exercise sheets, they make learning more enjoyable by providing innovative activities and games to keep the classroom engaged. The timetable is constantly rotating, so we can benefit from various styles and techniques of each teacher.
Valencia is a truly beautiful city in a variety of different ways. The centre of the city is built around two lively squares, made up of old monuments, statues, restaurants, and constant buzz of passing tourists. The surrounding streets are full of character and are brought to life by the detail of their design, the classical Valencian balconies, and the numerous restaurants. The Turia park is another incredible feature of the city. It used to be a large river flowing through the centre of the city, but people decided to drain it after serious floods in the 1950s. Now, it is a riverbed, which has been converted into a lush garden, where people go to escape the city, exercise and relax.

I'm in the school since 3 weeks to learn spanish and I know that when I'm ready with the courses in 2 months, i can live here in Valencia with out much problems to speak the language. The course with the changing times and teachers is very cool. Also with the activities in the evenings. It's a school where it is fun to learn..!!

Sooo coming back one day??

A very enjoyable place to learn Spanish I have just finished a two week intensive course at Escuela Taronja and am already missing it. I am at an early intermediate level and the experience of the last two weeks have boosted my confidence and stretched my knowledge so much. I was a little intimidated by the idea of being middle aged and out of my comfort zone but the school is so supportive, inclusive all all ages and quick to ensure that you are in a class at the right level. I would encourage anyone going to the school to jump in with both feet and take up all the various social opportunities that are on offer,,they were great fun and I met some new friends that I hope to

Great classes, tona of extra activities and school parties like: Tapachat or Paella Party, Fiesta Mexicana on the beach. Ecery week on weekend there are some bigger tripa organised. It os super easy to make friends. It first I was afraid I won’t find friends my age at the school, age variety is huge so everyone easy gets along with others.

Moderne en leuke manier van lesgeven Ik heb hier twee weken een cursus gevolgd en wat me vooral opviel is dat er op een moderne manier wordt les gegeven. Niet 'ouderwets' uit saaie boeken maar met steeds wisselende soorten oefeningen en gericht op de praktijk.
De staff en leraren zij over het algemeen erg enthousiast wat de hele ervaring exra leuk maakt.

OVERALL As a school teacher (of Maths and some other things), I had supported the Spanish trip here with my pupils in April 2023. I could see what a transformative experience it was for them so much so that I wanted it for myself. My time at Taronja can only be described as excellent. Everyone at the school tries to ensure you have the best time possible which is impressive based on the carousel of students who come-and-go each week. All the staff treated me with kindness and respect. Thank you to Maxi and Fernando for running such a unique place. The last 4 weeks at Taronja have been exciting, interesting, eventful, busy, enjoyable and compact with information. The last time I studied a language was 14 years ago. I was not very keen on languages in school but my time spent at Taronja has made me believe that I can learn a language to a much higher level than I ever thought possible. That alone has been worth it. LEARNING EXPERIENCE The teachers were fun and engaging. As an absolute beginner, I did the Intensive course + conversation class + private lessons. That helped with my exposure to the language and the private classes were helpful in ironing out some issues. I did this for the first three weeks, then extended by a week and "dropped down" to "only" the intensive course, which is plenty. If I were building up for an exam I would definitely pick up the private classes again. And the conversation classes were energetically delivered to give you important insights of Spanish conversational etiquette. Overall, I was able to enjoy lessons taught by patient, *knowledgeable* and kind teachers, who have reminded me about the importance of these characteristics in my own teaching practice. Teaching beginners must be tough and it was done with grace, style, poise and importantly, a smile. Thank you Laura, Carmen, Antonio, Miguel Angel, Nestor, Carol, Jenny, Nerea, and especially Mica and Paula for your infectious energy and humour. ACADEMIC ADMIN The organisation of the timetable and classes was clearly communicated in advance via WhatsApp. I know some people didn't feel as though they were in the right class for their level and changes were made almost instantly to help. This was managed by the academic team. SUPPORT Organising, arriving, and extending my stay was made very easy by the ladies at the front desk, in particular Elena and Roza! Emails were responded to promptly and they were always so helpful. Waving to them in the morning and getting a wave back made things feel a bit more like home! SOCIAL Plenty of opportunities to socialise with others at the school. Most people I attended school with were between 19-25. But there was also a considerable contingent of older pupils too (e.g. 31, 40 and 70!). This is all taken into consideration when forming classes and social activities. There are activities organised by the school for every day of the week. I went during high season (i.e. the summer) so there were a lot of people. Some activities are linked to other language schools which broadens your pool of potential connections. A lot are free. Many are heavily subsidised. Because there is a fluid change of people from week to week the extent to which you find things socialable will depend on who you share your time at the school with. But similarly minded people would pay money to attend a summer school, so it's likely to be fine for you, as it was for me! As an over-27, I was added to a WhatsApp group for additionally organised activities. BOCARIOS (Interns) An excellently led intern team support the activities and were a good group to talk to in general. Very helpful! GENERAL THOUGHTS When in Spain and doing things, there is a naturally occurring opportunity to practice the language. Whether you decide to is your own choice! And indeed your experience in general heavily depends on you 😇 . Approach it with an open heart and fresh eyes.

I took classes at Taronja for three weeks in October and can highly recommend the school. I cannot imagine there being a better school. I scouted for months before making the decision and was so glad I had chosen Taronja. There are several points which make it such a good school. - the highly motivated and friendly teachers - there effort at getting everyone to speak Spanish only, which of course speeds up your acqusition of the language - the extracurricular activities are not only interesting, but help increase your language skills and keep you busy (if you are alone, it's nice to have something to keep you active especially the first week when you don't know your way around yet) I will definitely take more classes here. I recommend saving yourself all the time needed for researching the internet. You have made the right decision with Taronja! My greetings to everyone there. Linda