Madrid is undeniably one of the most beautiful and vibrant capital cities in Europe. Students are fascinated by Madrid’s royal palaces, impeccable parks, world-famous art museums, and cultural offerings. Whether you prefer sports, theatre, dancing, wine-tasting or even people-watching; there is always something to peak your interest.

Located in the geographic centre of Spain, Madrid is also a wonderful jumping off point to explore the surrounding cities, such as Toledo, Segovia, and Avila. Madrid is the ideal location to learn Spanish; it is a modern, thriving and dynamic city, a mixture of centuries-old traditions and the bustling cosmopolitan Spain of today, making Madrid a wonderful place to attend a Spanish language course.

Congratulations to Emma Klein from Clark University! After receiving all the entries, Emma was chosen to receive a two week scholarship to TANDEM for her entry about her experience at TANDEM, Madrid.

"My stay in Madrid was amazing and I fell in love with the city and the country in general as I explored the streets, danced flamenco, ate tapas, and took long overnight bus rides to reach magnificent destinations. I felt as though Tandem was an incredibly organized, well- rounded institution. It offered me a huge amount of support and friendship therefore, allowing me to be independent and take risks on my own. The faculty were fun and interesting, excited to know each student individually and develop a personal relationship in the classroom. Now back in the States I approach Spanish with confidence and enjoy speaking with whomever I can find. I look forward to returning to Madrid and Tandem in the near future."

Emma Klein
Clark University, Spring 2005

To read more testimonies by former TANDEM students, click here

Congratulations to all students who successfully completed their Academic Semester Abroad in Madrid. Once again, all of us at TANDEM are proud of your accomplishments!

Along with the Spanish Language courses and Elective courses (Art history, Contemporary Spanish Literature, and Current Events in Spain), many students even found time to volunteer at a local “colegio” elementary school after school program; playing games and interacting with the Spanish students. If you’re interested in being a volunteer at a non-profit, check out the website: www.hacesfalta.org

For more information, click here

Junior Program

Our Junior Program Participants had the experience of a lifetime spending 1,2 or 3 weeks learning Spanish while living with a Spanish host family and participating in the after-school cultural activities. Along with the Madrid city tours, tapas dinners and Spanish cooking classes, students had a blast at the Madrid amusement park and hanging out at the summer city pools.

For more information, see our Junior Program or AP Program

George Mason University

For the first time this summer, students from George Mason University in Virginia, USA took part in the TANDEM homestay, cultural and intercambio (conversation partner) program. GMU students returned home with a slew of memories from their host families, museum visits, trips to Salamanca and Barcelona, and intercambio exchanges.

For more information, click here

Two exciting new weekend excursions have been added to our semester program.

Candelario

One weekend is spent in the Sierra de Béjar in the picturesque town of Candelario; famous for its natural beauty and magnificently preserved architecture. The Centre for Rural Toursim where we stay provides first class service and has received awards for its food and wine. From there, we have a guided tour to the university city of Salamanca. The weekend is topped off with a ceramics workshop where the students have the opportunity to showcase their artistic skills!

Granada

For the second weekend we visit the monumental city of Granada. The accommodations are in a 17th century traditional county house located in the Sierra Nevada. The weekend is highlighted with a visit to the Alhambra, a guided tour through the historical city centre, and finally, on the last day, a horseback ride through the mountains. All this combined with the fabulous tapas and typical food of the region. Who could ask for anything more?

My host family…

by Colleen Reed
Spring 2006

I lived with the Rivera family for four months from the beginning of January until the end of April. I have to admit that before arriving in Madrid I was extremely nervous about living with a completely new group of people who would not speak English and was even feeling jealous of my friends going to different programs in other countries who would be living with other American students.

However, living with my host family was one of the best parts of my experience in Madrid. Mariluz, the host-mother in my house, was not only like a second mother to me but a friend as well. We spent time together outside of the house as well, going out for tapas, Moroccan tea, and drinks. We had a dinner party in the house of her neighbour, Ana, with the other students who lived there. Afterwards, we all went dancing. I travelled with Mariluz during the Easter break to visit her mother in Granada and the two showed me everything in the city.

My three "siblings," Luis, Mariki, and Macarena were very friendly as well and were happy to spend time with me in the house and even invited me to go places with them and their friends. From the beginning of my stay I felt as if I were not just a student they were housing but part of the family as well, and I think I learned as much from living with them as I did in the classroom part of my program.

It was a great way to be exposed to the Spanish culture that I definitely would not have received by living with my American peers. It was wonderful to have a family that was so supportive and we still remain in touch through email today.


Our weekend in Candelario…

by Jeremy Shulkin
Spring 2006

One weekend our program and our director took a trip to Candelario, a small pueblo of about 1,000 people located at the foot of a tiny mountain range three hours away from Madrid. The town was beautiful, especially with the snow-covered mountains as a backdrop and colourful “batipuertas” (a second front door on every house that people would stand behind to protect/allow them to kill bulls that were paraded down the streets by the meat industry) lining the streets.

We also happened to arrive on the week-end of a fiesta for the town´s patron saint. The people there loved having us as visitors, and we were excitedly welcomed into the celebration. We drank a drink called quemada (which was lit on fire), enjoyed traditional Spanish music provided by bands of the townspeople, and danced the chicken dance with plenty of elderly women (who offered us their single granddaughters and grandsons).

By the end of the weekend we had spoken more Spanish than English, made many new friends, learned a lot about Candelario´s history as well as many problems that small pueblos are facing in modern times, and realized that a small town can be just as fun and exciting as a big city!