Study Spanish in Tenerife: Hold 101 Suns in Your Hand

If you¡¦re thinking about studying Spanish in Spain, you¡¦ve probably considered the usual possibilities: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville ¡K All wonderful places to go that would surely be highly recommended by anyone who¡¦s been there (and perhaps one of these locations is the ideal place for you), but if you¡¦ve researched these options and are still waiting for something to really catch your interest, try taking your focus off the Iberian Peninsula and sliding your finger a little lower on the map: lower ¡K lower ¡K a little to the left ... there!

We¡¦ve arrived. Aaahhh ¡K feel that nice breeze? It¡¦s like that all the time here ¡V not too hot, not too cold. Beautiful beaches, snow-topped mountains, captivating landscapes ¡K what¡¦s that? Oh don¡¦t worry ¡V we¡¦re still in Spain, actually. Tenerife to be exact; the largest of the Canary Islands. A unique combination of exotic beauty, a European quality of life and an unbeatable year-round climate that ranges amiably between 18„a and 25„a Celsius.

So what do you think? You get all of the benefits of studying Spanish in its cultural context, plus the goodies mentioned above. Just picture yourself on the beach lounging in a hammock between two palm trees, cradling a cold cerveza ¡V each drop of condensation on the bottle reflecting a friendly and dependable sun ¡V placidly practicing your conjugations. What could be better than to learn Spanish in Tenerife?

But let¡¦s not be narrow-minded; I¡¦m sure you have other interests at heart as well. After all, you¡¦ve decided to come to Spain not only to learn the language but also to be exposed to its culture and to learn about yourself, right? Good, then you¡¦ll be happy to know that Tenerife has long been a land of artists and intellectuals. It offers an intriguingly varied culture steeped in traditional roots and yet open to modernity.

Care to take the tour? Come on, you¡¦ve got some time to kill ¡V especially here where it won¡¦t slip through your fingers quite as easily. Yeah? Ok, I promise to make it short. We¡¦ll start from the bottom up.

The Southern end of the Island is known for its international tourism. Some of the island¡¦s most popular beaches are located here. During tourist seasons nightlife in the coastal areas consists of a highly international crowd, though British and Germans predominate. In some areas, there are so many British pubs you¡¦d think you wandered into a space-time warp and got transported to an alley in downtown London.

A different kind of night scene takes shape in the North, the part of the island that attracts more domestic tourism. Santa Cruz de Tenerife (the Island¡¦s capital) and the university town of San Cristobal de la Laguna are located here. In these two cities the night crowd is more Spanish and most of the bars and pubs are geared accordingly. El cuadrilatero (a roughly square-shaped area) in Laguna, and La Noria street in Santa Cruz are northern Tenerife¡¦s centers of nightlife.

I should mention that La Noria has only recently become a popular place to go out at night. This area of Santa Cruz has traditionally been known as the focal point of the internationally acclaimed Carnaval de Santa Cruz de Tenerife. During the 40-year rule of the dictator Franco, this carnival was one of only two official festivities that were allowed to take place, and today it¡¦s considered one of the most important in the world. It begins with the election of the Reina del Carnaval (Queen of the Carnival), after which the party explodes colorfully into the streets with parades, Salsa music and night-long dancing.

Another important celebration in Santa Cruz is the Baile de Magos, an open-air dinner where attendees come dressed in the traditional garbs of the Islands and enjoy self-prepared dishes. Celebrated on the 3rd of May, this festivity is grouped with several others under the title Fiestas de Mayo. It received recognition in the 1999 Guiness Book of World Records for being the open-air dinner with the highest number of attendees (estimated at around 8,000).

But rest assured that once the carnivals come to an end and life returns to normal, Tenerife is still a wonderful place in which to live. Exciting for lovers of outdoor sports, stimulating to party-seekers, attractive to retirees in search of a placid lifestyle and near-perfect climate, this unique island has universal appeal.

Sparked your interest? Once you get here (physically), you¡¦ll wonder the same thing everyone else does: what took me so long to find this place?