Spanish Adventure is many things: a Spanish school, a home base for many and a great location to experience the beautiful surroundings of San Carlos. But what truly makes the place so unique are its founders - two incredible Colombian natives, who have poured their hearts and souls into creating this place.
As soon as you arrive to Spanish Adventure, you become part of a family. Daniel and Camilo will not only be your teachers, but also your flatmates, friends, and buddies at the gym. They succeed in making you feel immediately at home, which can be a nice change to the sometimes anonymous backpacker hostels. Every day the inhabitants of Spanish Adventure share meals, their life stories, and explore San Carlos together.
But how did Daniel and Camilo come up with the idea of Spanish Adventure and what has their journey been like so far? I talked to them to find out how the dream of Spanish Adventure became a reality.
Learning obstacles
Everything started at the University of Antioquia in Medellin, where Daniel and Camilos’ paths crossed for the first time. Not only have they been friends during university, but they also started working at the same school in Medellin after finishing their studies. While both of them immensely enjoyed teaching Spanish, they also noticed obstacles regarding the learning process in big cities like Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena. Especially in the tourist hotspots or on the so-called Gringo Trail as foreigners are no longer a novelty, they can often get by with English. And don't we all know that if we are not forced to actually apply all those Spanish tenses that we worked so hard to learn, they will just float around in our brains without us making much use of it.
Thus, Camilo and Daniel set out to create a place that would enable students to experience the “real” Colombia - their Colombia. With Camilo having grown up in San Carlos for most of his childhood and adolescence, he knew it would be a perfect place to open Spanish Adventure. While San Carlos is mostly unknown to foreign travellers, tourists from all over Colombia come here to enjoy the stunning nature including waterfalls, rivers, and plenty of terrain great for hiking and enjoying incredible views. For all these reasons, San Carlos is truly the perfect place to immerse yourself in the culture and to directly apply the language skills you learn. Moreover, the founders of Spanish Adventure want to make sure that your stay here is literally an adventure as the name dictates. So they designed a program that includes daily activities such as hiking, swimming, and visiting the many different waterfalls around the area. You will definitely not get bored here.
Who are they?
After so much praise you probably wonder, what Camilo and Daniel are like. So I won't keep you in suspense any longer.
Camilo
Camilo was born in 1991 in Colombia and, throughout most of his childhood, he wanted to become a writer. However, during his years in university, his plans changed and instead he became the wonderful Spanish teacher he is today. His favorite Spanish word is inefable, meaning indescribable, which is a good description for his laughter and personality in general. Camilo loves to eat anything that has cheese in it.
Daniel
Daniel was born in 1993 in Colombia and has a passion for languages. Teaching makes him feel like he is travelling all the time and he continually learns more about different cultures. After giving classes and going on adventures he is surprisingly still full of energy so in his free time he does all kinds of exercise, preferably outdoors. His favorite place in San Carlos is a natural swimming pool called Cielo Escondido, which means hidden sky.
Do you also want to become part of the Spanish Adventure family? Contact us here.