Cactus Language Blog

Capturing true Spanish passion through Flamenco

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Learning a language, Spanish

Germaine Broadbent searches for the spirit of Flamenco with one of the South’s leading dancers, Ana Dueñas León
1. So, Ana, how long have you been dancing Flamenco?
A: I’ve been dancing Flamenco for about 8 years and I absolutely love it; I’m lucky to be able to do the things I love the most. I so [...]

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Tags: ana dueñas león, flamenco, flamenco dance, flamenco holiday, learning spanish, spain, spanish & flamenco

Cactus Opinion: Learning French in Biarritz

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Cactus Staff Opinion, French, Learning a language

Laura Harrison, Cactus TEFL Advisor, tells us about her recent language learning experience in sunny Biarritz
With its spectacular coastline and boutique-lined streets, Biarritz simply oozes Gallic chic and surfing cool.
It’s strange really that these two qualities exist side by side, and even stranger that I, an individual with a self-confessed lack of either attribute, should [...]

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Tags: biarritz, cactus tefl, french, french language course

The Role of Music in Second Language Learning

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, English, Learning a language

A recent blog post made me wonder why language teachers like to get lyrical…
Having attended various language courses across the world, from Cuba to Italy to Argentina, it’s always interested me how local language teachers are so keen to incorporate singing into their lessons. There hasn’t been one course where I haven’t had to listen [...]

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Tags: argentina, cuba, efl, italy, second language learning, singing, tefl, vietnam

Where’s the best place to learn Spanish in Latin America?

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Learning a language, Spanish

Alex Wolfson, Latin America specialist at Cactus, ponders an inherently difficult question

Every day the Cactus Language Team receives many phone calls from our clients and potential clients. Most already know where they would like to take a language course because of a particular affection for a city, the desire to visit a specific place and [...]

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Tags: argentina, bolivia, chile, colombia, costa rica, cuba, dominican republic, latin america, mexico, panama, peru, spanish, spanish language course

Beware these 15 ‘false friends’ in Spanish!

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Learning a language, Spanish

Learning a language is as much about stringing together a perfect sentence as it is about being able to laugh and pick yourself up when you make a mistake. False friends, or falsos amigos, are one such route to finding yourself in the latter situation - but what exactly are they, and how can you [...]

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Tags: etymology, false friends, falsos amigos, spanish

Learning English & German in Brighton…as a Spaniard!

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, English, German, Language Courses UK, Learning a language

Cactus intern Fátima Rego tells us how she juggles English & German during her stay in Brighton
Hello to all. Thanks for your warm welcome! I am called Fátima, Spanish (from the north-north), and I’ve been living in Brighton for three months. I work in a wonderful company, Cactus, that has offered me the possibility of [...]

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Tags: english, german evening course, language courses in brighton, learn english, learning german

CELTA in Ljubljana, Slovenia - a trainer’s first-hand account

Posted by Sarah under Cactus TEFL, English

Hi readers. I’m Bill Harris, a freelance CELTA trainer, and this is my first report on my training experiences around the world.

I’m writing on my day off in the living room of my spacious apartment in Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia, with occasional forays onto the terrace for some sun.
Slovenia…not to be confused with Slovakia [...]

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Tags: celta, slovenia, teaching practice, tefl

Variations of Spanish in the World

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad

Alex Wolfson, Cactus Language Holiday Advisor, tells us why he embraces the differences in a language as he crosses borders

Thursday, for some reason or other, is usually the quietest day of the week in the Cactus Language team for new bookings, so it is a day when I usually dedicate time to reading and replying [...]

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Tags: argentina, chile, costa rica, mexico, peru, spanish

Online Diary: TEFL in Seville from our Scholarship winner! (5)

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad

Anna Prime, winner of the Suzanne Furstner Scholarship 07, reports back at the end of her TEFL & Spanish course in Seville (Week 6 of 6)
These six weeks in Spain have felt like a lifetime. Looking back on the essay I entered into the competition, I can hardly believe how little I knew at the [...]

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Did Obama get it right or not?

Posted by augusta under Cactus Languages Abroad, English, In the Press, Learning a language

It’s not only Obama’s comment about learning languages that has been interesting over the past week here in New York - “we should have every child speaking more than one language” - but also the responses from a range of groups who agree and disagree with him to varying extents.

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Tags: english, french, japanese, learning languages, obama