Let's take a tour!
Located in the L'Eixample neighborhood on Carrer Mallorca, don Quijote is in a very
unassuming building. It's easy to pass by if you're in a hurry. The
school has multiple levels with an abundance of modern classrooms, lounge areas, and
a computer lab. The first thing you’ll
notice about don Quijote…it's pristine!
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| School Entrance on Carrer Mallorca |
New students begin class on Monday and are required
to take a written and oral placement exam on the first day. After exams, you learn whether your classes
are from 9am – 1pm or 3pm – 7pm. Placement levels range from A1 (Beginner) to
C2 (Fluent). I’ll never forget the oral
exam administrator asking me (In Spanish) “Why are you here? You speak so well.” It was a valid question. But, the reality was, I was losing my
Spanish. I rarely spoke Spanish back
home in Atlanta. An hour later, I was
placed in level B2 (Advanced) classes.
Not bad for a girl who rarely used her Spanish and had been out of college for nine years. I’d been praying to the grammar gods for
morning classes and my prayers were answered. As an added bonus, complimentary culture classes were offered from 1 – 2pm. The teachers and administrators at don Quijote understood the importance of balancing class work with culture and the history of Barcelona. I can honestly say that my teachers were the best in the world! You know who you are!
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| Lounge Area |
The school partners with an incredible tour company, Insolit
Tours. Each week, a schedule is posted
of the daily tours. Every tour begins at
an easily accessible metro station and is led by an experienced guide for a
nominal fee. I was so pleased with the
company that I went on four of it's tours: La Sagrada Familia, Parc Güell, Palau Reial,
and Tibidabo.
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| Weekly Tour Schedule |
During my time at don Quijote, I met the most diverse group of amazing individuals from
Brazil, Germany, Hungary, Russia, Switzerland, and the United States. Many of whom were traveling solo just like me. Although we live in different corners of the world, many of us remain in contact today.
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| Classmates |
The school had four housing options: apartment (single or shared), dormitory, home
stay, and hotel. I decided against a home stay because they come with
house rules no matter your age. A few of the apartments didn’t have a/c.
Dormitories....um....no thanks! So, Hotel dQ it was! The hotel is located on Gran Via de las Corts Catalanes, a main thoroughfare close to Passeig de Gracia, a major shopping district. Students could also select a meal plan option of two or three meals a day at a variety of restaurants in the neighborhood. The hotel came with all the creature comforts one would need EXCEPT for close proximity to the school. The walk to school everyday was 18 blocks each way. Sacrifice was the name of the game.
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| Hotel dQ is now Hotel Indigo |
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| My Room |
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| My Bath |
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| View of the pool and terrace from my balcony |
When I compare my study abroad experience to those of my friends who studied abroad before graduation, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world! I'm confident that every trip to Barcelona hereafter will include a reunion visit to don Quijote!
Thanks for this post! A assistant at Don Quijote sent me the link.
ReplyDeleteI am planning to go in June so this is helpful.
Hi Jocelyn!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading! I'm so happy that the post was helpful to you. It feels great to know that the school that helped me so much actually thought enough of the post to share it with others! Best of luck to you!