Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar is working on a new film, Los abrazos rotos. And in the process, he's created a wonderful opportunity for film fans and Spanish students to get an inside look at how a film is made: a blog, where he muses on the script, the best translation for an English title (he decided the title's abrazos are more "embraces" than "hugs"), Penelope Cruz's hairstyle and, seemingly, whatever crosses his mind.

Blogpedroalmodóvar is written in Spanish, with English and French translations. (Access the translations through the blog's main page,  www.pedroalmodovar.es .) If you're an intermediate or high beginner student of Spanish, the translations  will provide a quick way for you to understand vocabulary or colloquialisms new to you, before carrying on reading the blog in Spanish. 

El Castellano published an intriguing article a few weeks back about the effects of bilingualism on the brain. The article, titled "Los idiomas entrenan el cerebro" (Languages train the brain), describes the results of a number of studies on bilingualism. My favorite finding? It never is too late to learn a language. In fact,  learning a second language late in life has beneficial effects beyond being able to communicate with a whole new crowd.

The studies shed some light on why young children learn multiple languages so effortlessly and completely, as well.

And the article is in Spanish, so reading it alone will be a good workout. :)

Results from our last poll are in!

Seems readers of this blog would choose to study in a major city in Spain (37%),  a small town in Spain (21%) or a major city in Latin America.

The full results are below. (If you'd like to explore the cities and towns in Spain and Latin America, by the way, don Quijte's destinations page is a good place to start.)

Where would you study?

If you won a free course today, where would you study Spanish?

 

Latin America, in a major city

 30 (20%)

Latin American, in a small town

 21 (14%)

Spain, in a major city

 53 (37%)

Spain, in a small town

 31 (21%)

Nowhere. I'd keep studying in my home country.

 8 (5%)

Total votes: 143

Auf der Weltausstellung in Zaragoza dreht sich vom 14. Juni bis 14. September 2008 alles um das Thema „Wasser und nachhaltige Entwicklung“.
Deutschland präsentiert auf der EXPO eine attraktive Mischung aus Information und Unterhaltung und zeigt innovative Technologien, richtungsweisende Entwicklungen und kreative Ideen.
Der Deutsche Pavillon nimmt Sie mit auf eine Reise in die wunderbare Welt des Wassers. Erleben Sie ein modernes Wassermärchen und entdecken Sie faszinierende deutsche Wasserlandschaften.

Ayer se inauguró en la Rioja el seminario el español de los jóvenes, en el que se debatirán las nuevas jergas y usos de la lengua Española.

Holy week, known in Spanish as Semana Santa, is a very important holiday and national tradition in Spain. Year after year, each and every village proudly enjoys the beauty and mystery of Semana Santa. For seven days, the country stops to remember the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ which ended in his crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Read this article to find out more about Spanish Semana Santa, and learn some words in Spanish (with pronunciation) related to this celebration.

Check out our newest offer. If you have been thinking about studying Spanish in Mexico, there is no better time than the present. Escape the cold weather and enjoy a relaxing vacation while brushing up your Spanish.

Mexico offers the perfect blend of tropical waters, mountains and rich Mexican culture; a place to learn, relax, have fun and take in the natural wonders.

When you book your Spanish course in Playa del Carmen, Puerto Vallarta or Oaxaca for April and May before May 31^st, we´ll give you a 10% discount on the price of your course.
 

Whether you want an exotic cultural experience, deserted beaches, ancient ruins or vibrant cities, Mexico has is all.

Sign up now and receive your special discount today.
 

Spaniards voted yesterday in the General Elections to choose their President and representatives in the Spanish Parliament.
Jose Luís Rodriguez Zapatero, current President of Spain, won the elections and will be in office for another 4 years in Spain.
Mr. Zapatero, leader of the Socialist Party (PSOE), obtained 169 seats in the Parliament, short of the 176 needed for an absolute parliamentary majority. His main opponent, Mariano Rajoy obtained 153 seats with the Popular Party (PP).

Practice Spanish reading news about the Spanish elections and watching videos in Spanish here:  http://www.rtve.es/elecciones/

Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian city that was created by the Inca in the 15th century. Forgotten for centuries by everyone but the locals, the city remained 'lost' for over three centuries until it was brought back to international attention in 1911.

Kamila Hazdrová from the CzechRepublic has won a free 2 week Spanish course with don Quijote.

In September 2007, we held a contest in our Monthly Newsletter offering a student the possibility to win a free Spanish course at don Quijote. We are very happy to announce our winner.

24 year old Kamila Hazdrová from the Czech Republic, a subscriber to our Monthly Newsletter, participated in the draw and won a free 2 week Intensive Spanish course with accommodation. The destination Kamila has chosen for her course is don Quijote Granada school where she will study for two weeks in May.  

Congratulations once again!

We would like to thank all our participants and remind you to keep your eyes peeled for future contests.

If you have not yet signed up for our Monthly Newsletter sign up to find out all about our special offers, programs and contests.

Do you also want to study abroad with don Quijote?  Order your free brochure to get more information about our courses

don Quijote offers a Work & Study program which combines a Spanish course in any don Quijote destination followed by a job placement in Marbella, a resort town in southern Spain. You won’t get rich, but you will earn enough to cover basic expenses. This is a great opportunity to get working experience abroad while learning or improving your Spanish and most of all to have a really fun time and meet lots of new people. This program has had great reviews from many of happy students.

Check out a few videos of our student testimonials and hear about their experience working in Spain.

If you book before March 31st you will get an incredible discount on our Study and Work program. Find out more about this offer.

If you want to study and work in Spain, here is a great opportunity for you.

don Quijote's Study and Work program in Marbella provides students from European Union countries a unique opportunity to learn Spanish in Spain while working to cover their expenses and improving their CV.

And even better news is that you can now book your Spanish course and work placement in Spain for an unbeatable price.

Book before March 31st and get a special discount on the price of don Quijote's Study and Work program that will allow you to save 25% on the price of the course.

 Read more about this offer here

 Want more information? Ask for details now!

 Click here to ask for a free phone call from don Quijote's course counsellors now!