What convinced me to take classes at Hablea:

When I was thinking about my language classes at school and University I knew they were not the best. So once I started to travel through South America I took a decision to not only learn Spanish but to be able to speak it fluently.

I then started to do some research. I was looking for options that would allow me to practice Spanish in a practical way and not just to have language classes in a school. That’s when I found Hablea, which would allow me to have a combination of theoretical classes as well as conversation classes.

The school is based in the beautiful city of Jardin, 4 hours South from Medellin. It is very easy to reach, has many activities to enjoy and it has the ideal atmosphere to study. It offers the perfect opportunity to practice Spanish and to get in touch with the Colombian culture.
The best thing is that all of these advantages can be combined with volunteer opportunities to get the most out of the Hablea Program. To know more about what to do in Jardin click here.

There are 2 options:

1. Volunteering at Hablea 

The house where the academy is located is new and in the middle of a valley with stunning views over coffee and banana plantations. The plan is to do eco-cultural activities so there is plenty of work to do in the garden. Knowledge about ecological farming and gardening is more than welcome, but even if you don’t have any previous experience they will teach you a lot. The idea would be to work in the garden in the morning and in the afternoon take the classes.
This will allow you to learn new activities in a very relaxed environment, plus you will be able to get in touch with native speakers and interact with them on a daily basis. Which will allow you to put into practice the Spanish classes you will be taking.

2. Volunteering in Jardin (option for Hablea students)

The other volunteering projects are in the community. Alejandra has many contacts with people across all fields in Jardin. Some of them include ecological projects like organic farming or sustainability campaigns, Other areas would include working on a coffee farm.   The only requirement would be to have at least 10 hours of Spanish classes with Hablea.

This would consist of helping with daily tasks: hosting tourists and locals for coffee tours on the farm, help in the kitchen to prepare lunch etc. and help translating if guests don’t understand Spanish.

This kind of work depends on the season but the main idea would be to help to plant and taking care of the garden.

Overall I would say that Hablea has nothing but benefits for any person who is interested in learning by actively being involved in a true Colombian community. Something that very few language academies or courses offer.

We are waiting for you in Jardin!

Article was written by Omar, from Egypt.