From the beginning of December, everything changes in Spain! Christmas decorations are hung in the streets, stores are decorated. Families like to get together at Christmas to eat and drink together, celebrate, and get presents.

Typical dishes of Spanish cuisine for Christmas Eve are suckling pig and lamb on a spit, turkey, not to mention, of course, fish and shellfish. After everyone has eaten a lot, the night mass is attended ´La misa del gallo´. But of course not before drinking a glass of cava, one of the traditions in Spain!

On Christmas Day, children receive gifts from ´Papa Noel´, but the gifts on January 6 from the Three Kings, Los Reyes Magos are much more popular! Especially for children, this is a big celebration! Weeks in advance they are busy writing letters and wish lists for the kings. The party is similar to our St. Nicholas party, with processions, water prepared for the camels and also charcoal for the little kids who were not so sweet. Furthermore, Christmas Day is mainly an addition to Christmas Eve. The family is visited and festive meals are eaten according to typical traditions in Spain.

As you probably know, good food is very important to Spaniards! Spanish cuisine has many delicacies. Real Spanish Christmas favourites are Turron from Alicante, Bacalao with cauliflower, crab, lobster, scallops, roasted prawns and turkey.

Other typical recipes for Christmas in Spain are dishes with oranges. such as caramelized oranges, flambéed oranges, fish filet á l´orange, there is an awful lot to choose from!

On Epiphany, a typical cake with decorations of dried fruit, or "Roscón de los Reyes," is eaten for breakfast or after lunch. The fruit symbolizes the rubies and emeralds of the three kings. There are 2 figures hidden in the cake. A gift that, when you find it, makes you kings or queens for the rest of the day. And a bean, which means whoever finds it will have to pay for the cake next time.

After Christmas is over, Spaniards have another fun tradition. Namely, on December 28, they celebrate ´1-April´. This is called the Day of the Innocent Saint or "Día de los Santos Inocentes" in Spain. On this day, Spaniards play pranks on their friends and family and strange and absurd news appears in the newspaper.

The benefits of volunteering abroad

Many people often express the desire to make the world a better place. It’s a pretty broad goal, and thinking of specific ways to begin achieving it can immediately turn into an overwhelming task. Looking at volunteer opportunities is an excellent place to start, as these provide a chance to make a difference in different communities, where you can personally get involved in the causes you feel most passionate about. Volunteering abroad often requires more sacrifices, but the rewards are also greater.  If you volunteer in Mexico for example, you’ll come home with valuable Spanish skills. don Quijote offers the chance to gain international work experience in a broad range of volunteer opportunities in Mexico, from ecological conservation, to working with children and indigenous communities, to providing medical care.

Many of the sacrifices one makes when volunteering in a foreign country, are paradoxically valuable benefits, such as: having to leave your home and likely give up many daily comforts you’re used to (you get to travel), having to speak a different language (you get to learn a language) and having to adapt to a new culture, climate, cooking style and way of life (you learn about a new culture and gain adaptability skills). The following is a list of what you get out of selflessly offering your time and services abroad.

Learn a different language

It’s no secret that full immersion in a foreign language is the most effective way to learn how to speak it. Speaking the language in meaningful situations also reinforces acquisition. If you associate vocabulary with personal interaction you’ve made with others, perhaps offering services that have made a positive difference in people’s lives, then that language will leave an indelible impression in your memory. The altruistic emotions you feel while using language in volunteer contexts will allow you to develop an intimate relationship with it that will also help maximize acquisition and your commitment to learning it.   

Get to travel

As a volunteer, you will gain valuable insight into local culture that tourists don’t usually get a chance to experience. The only way to understand and come to deeply appreciate a different culture is by integrating yourself into that culture’s way of life. Volunteers often report on returning home that they never realized how limited their view of the world was before their mind opening, life changing volunteer experience. It’s no exaggeration to say that your newly acquired intercultural awareness will contribute in a small way to the international understanding that is essential to maintaining stable relationships between entire countries.

Build a handsome resume

Employers love to see candidates that embrace a challenge and have proven their ability to adapt to new situations. Professional experience speaking a foreign language of course always makes you an appealing candidate for a wide variety of positions. Even if the language you acquired on your volunteer program doesn’t relate to the job you’re applying for, cross-cultural communication skills and awareness are essential aspects of many job profiles. You may also get the unique opportunity to gain experience in a field that may be difficult, if not impossible to access in a paid position without previous experience. You may even work in a field you never considered before, and you may find that you like it and would like to pursue it as a career.

Have fun, feel good about yourself and make new friends

Many volunteers explain that the experience made them more compassionate, and that they are eager to find more opportunities to enjoy the rewarding feeling of participating in an altruist effort. Furthermore, you will work with others that have similar goals of making a difference in certain communities and learning the language. Getting to know program participants and other volunteers, and exchanging ideas on project work will likely give you hope and inspiration. You may learn about how specific types of projects are carried out in different parts of the world. These people may become lifelong friends or valuable international contacts. One of the greatest benefits from volunteering is the feeling that you’ve made a difference in the world, getting that sense that you’ve achieved something.

Reverse the effects of aging

Okay, this one seems too good to be true, but a number of recent studies show that volunteering provides surprising health benefits. The Corporation for National and Community Service reports that recent research confirms that volunteers have greater functional ability and lower mortality rates. The Wisconsin longitudinal study confirms that volunteering positively influences psychological well-being and self-reported health. Volunteering fights depression, builds self confidence, keeps you physically healthy.

It is not wrong to say each part of Spain is worth to see and Andalusia is a bit different from the other regions with its history, art, culture and Spanish accent. If you consider a trip to Spain you should add these places to your list.

Seville which is the capital of Andalusia and the city of golden tower, split by the Guadalquivir River. You can start your trip with the Cathedral of Seville as you spend a little energy to go up to the Giralda -the bell tower- which is 95 meters high yet it is really worth to see the panoramic view of the city. Bear in mind that it is better not to be there on the hour otherwise you could have slight hearing loss. Another must go place in Seville is Plaza de España whose area is 50.000 square meters, is one of the fine examples of Renaissance architecture. If the time of your visit falls around April then you will enjoy the streets and the restaurants during Seville Fair (Feria de Abril)

La Joya Mora or in other words Moor Jewel completely fits to this attractive city. Granada is a total magnet located under the hills where the great Alhambra Palace takes place. Just next to Alhambra don’t forget to visit the Palace and the Gardens of Generalife. In winter it is a good opportunity to show your skiing skills in Sierra Nevada.

The enchanting scent of orange trees, the white Mediterranean houses with full of flowers and the fine blend of Moorish and Roman architecture, the time passes slowly in Cordoba. The most important historical place is the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba which is one of the largest buildings of Islamic architecture.  

Cadiz, Spain’s coast of Atlantic Ocean is another fantastic city to visit. The oldest navy town of Spain is an attractive point offering a wide range of Andalusian history to local and international tourists. Cathedral of Cadiz is one of the landmarks of the city with its golden dome and Tavira Tower is the only remaining watchtower where it is possible to have a panoramic view of the old city with a pinhole camera.

Malaga, the birth town of Picasso is a shining diamond of Costa del sol. Famous for its long and golden beaches the city is a perfect holiday destination. Alcazaba of Malaga , which is the best preserved citadel in Spain, was built on a hill dominating an entire view of the city. It will be a pity if you don't pay a visit to Picasso Museum and also the house where the great painter was born. For a little fun, you should go to Juzcar, a small town where all the houses were painted in blue two years ago for the premiere of Smurfs.

Spain is a wonderful country to live in or to spend some time.... Here you will also find many kinds of animals! As in the Netherlands, and many other countries, quite a few dogs are kept at home. This is often done in a house with a garden or just in their apartment in the city, all can be done here with all those parks!

Many people have an apartment in the city and a bigger house with a garden in a village. In this village they usually live in the summer or on weekends and holidays. If they have a dog it often lives in the village. Also many people just have a dog in their apartment. These are usually smaller companion dogs. And they can stay just fine in an apartment, which is perfectly normal in Spain. They are let out in one of the many Spanish parks.
When you are on vacation in Spain, you can easily take your dog with you too! You bring it to a part-time or full-time dog hotel. So when you want to go shopping or to the beach for a day without your dog, you can bring it to the dog hotel. This also applies when you live in Spain with your dog. Many foreigners who have settled in Spain, but also (rich) Spaniards themselves regularly bring their dogs to the shelter.

In Spain it also happens that people do not take good care of their dogs and there are quite a few stray dogs that end up in the shelter. What is unfortunate is that many of these shelters in Spain are already overcrowded. This is of course not nice for the dogs at all! As a Dutchman you have many opportunities to adopt a Spanish dog and give them a better life.

Many things are written about animal welfare in Spain. There are many different opinions, negative and positive. I can only write from my own experience and it is positive. Fortunately, I have never noticed anything strange! When I walk down the street or along the water here in Spain, or run through the park on weekends, I see many people walking and playing with their dogs. There are even true meeting places where people get together with their dogs!

Spain, the home of Spanish language or in original form Castilian (Castellano), can be the perfect location to start your language education. There are several options, as the country has 17 autonomous communities and each has its own characteristic features. For this reason most of the time the question “Where is the best Spanish spoken?” arises in minds. Spanish spoken in Spain differs in dialect and local language of some provinces so the answers vary as well. The history, culture and to be the source of the language are the biggest reasons in the process of selecting a Spanish course.

One of the most preferred destination in Spain is Castile and Leon (Castilla y León) region, might be the result of the common belief that the purest Spanish is spoken there. The purity is mostly about the accent since there has been no interaction with other dialects and it is clearer than the other regions. Accordingly public authorities and private tourism agencies have started collaboration to spread language tourism in Castile and Leon. The region has been selected one of the most popular destination by Spaniards and it is an important location for international students. Language tourism is not considered to be an ordinary travel type yet people who are dedicated to learn other languages have started to travel to other countries in order to realize this mission. Many universities in all over the world organize exchange programs for the students to learn Spanish in Castile and León.

There are 9 provinces to discover the beauty of Spanish culture and each one has a distinct importance. Valladolid once hosted the author of Don Quijote, Miguel Cervantes, the epic story of El Cid which is depicted in the oldest preserved poem "Cantar de Mio Cid" was born in Burgos, Salamanca has the 3^rd oldest university in Europe and is the center of DELE exams, Segovia, being one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, is an amazing place to see the Roman and medieval architecture and Leon is an important stop on the way to Camino de Santiago, in Palencia you can see the fourth tallest Christ statue in the world and many more other details are awaiting to be seen.

Castile and Leon is a must go place to understand history, culture, gastronomy and most importantly Spanish language. Why don't you select your next travel destination among these cities and start to live Spanish!

This metropolis of 3.2 million (!) inhabitants is a true paradise for art and architecture lovers! There are endless hotspots to be found here. With all the beautiful squares, extraordinary statues, sights and beautiful architecture, Madrid offers you everything your heart desires!

Madrid is so incredibly big! I remember my first time in Madrid. Where to start? I thought. Therefore, I made a list for you of the places where you can find the most interesting architecture that you should not miss!

The square not to be missed is Plaza Puerta del Sol, the heart of the city. And of course the Plaza Mayor, an ancient square where you can relax, designed by Juan de Villanueva. Furthermore, you can visit the impressive train station; Estación de Atocha where you will find, for example, in the waiting hall a tropical garden and the memorial of the 2004 bombings. Then continue to the Palacio Real (royal palace) and take an immediate walk down Gran Vía, as this street is known as the broadway of Spain!

What else should you see?

• Arco de la Victoria, the triumphal arch built in honor of the Spanish army, work of architect Arreguien
• Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, the dome, courtyard and royal salon are all examples of admirable architecture in this palace
• Faro de Madrid, this modern tower was designed by Salvador Perez Arroyo in honor of the Barcelona Summer Olympics
• Parque Retiro, on Sundays visit the most beautiful park in Madrid, where you will find the only statue in the world honoring the devil.
• Torre Picasso, this is the tallest building in Madrid, designed by the same designer as the Twin Towers in NYC, namely Japan's Minoru Yamasaki.

Puerta de Europa is a good example of how modern Madrid is. Still fairly new (1.5 years old) in this city, it is the largest inner-city park in the world! The huge park full of modern achitecture is built on a highway so that the residents are no longer bothered by the noise. This park is definitely worth a visit when you are in Madrid!

Madrid is the perfect city for a city break! As you may have read, there are many sights to see, but you can also go shopping and find some of the best nightclubs in the country and probably in Europe! But if you want to spend more time in this vibrant city, take a Spanish course! Where better to do this than in the capital of Spain?

When the rain and the first cold spells arrive, we feel like trying "comfort" recipes that can recharge our energy and fill our stomachs… and our spirits. Below, you'll find three of our favorite Spanish recipes, which can help you confront the rainy autumn and the cold winter. Keep on joining us on our blog - soon you will discover more traditional Spanish dishes of other Spanish regions.

Besugo al horno (Baked Sea Bream)

Ingredients

1 kilo sea bream, 4 potatoes, 1 green onion, 1 green pepper, 6 cloves of garlic, Spanish Olive oil, salt, chopped parsley, ½ guindilla pepper

Preparation
Cut 4 of the garlic cloves in slices, the green onion and the pepper in thin strips and the potatoes in thick slices. Cook it all in a pan on low heat. When it's almost done, transfer it to a cooking tray, covering the bottom surface. Put it in the preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes. Clean the bream, remove the head and the tail and save them. Separate the fillet meat, removing the spine. Salt as desired and place the bream fillet, with the skin side up, over the mattress of potatoes on the cooking tray. Also place the head and the tail here. Moisten with a little more oil and put the tray in the hot oven for 10 minutes. Serve in a serving dish with the skin side down. Chop the other two cloves of garlic into small cubes. Sauté them in a pan with oil and the guindilla pepper without the seeds (they're too spicy). Add some of the juice from the bream left in the cooking tray. Add the chopped parsley, mix well and pour the sauce of the fish.
Serve with the baked potatoes to one side and the fish with the skin side down.

Cocido madrileño (Madrilenian Stew)

Ingredients
250 g of garbanzo beans, 300 g of beef sirloin tip, ¼ chicken, 100 g of tocino entreverado (a type of bacon), 100 g of blood sausage, 100 g of chorizo sausage, 50 g of Serrano ham, 4 small beef marrow bones, 1 kg. of cabbage, 4 medium sized potatoes, 100 g of noodles for the soup, 2 carrots,  1 onion, 1 turnip, 1 clove of garlic, olive oil, salt

Preparation
Soak the garbanzo beans the night before in warm water and with a little bit of salt. In the morning, drain them. Place the meats, the tocino, the cleaned bones and the Serrano ham all in the pressure cooker and cover with water. Place it on the stove top and close it. When it starts to boil, the foam will rise to the surface. Remove the foam with a skimmer and add the garbanzos. When the water boils again, add the carrot, the onion and the turnip. Cook under pressure for 30 minutes to soften the garbanzos.
Open the cooker and add the potatoes (peeled and cut into pieces that aren't too small). Try it and salt to taste. Remove the vegetables and the garbanzos and put them to the side, leaving the broth to prepare the noodle soup. At the same time, in another cooking pot, cook the chopped cabbage for half an hour. Drain, and lightly fry with the garlic. Cook the chorizo sausage and the blood sausage in a separate pan so the color won't mix with the broth.

Presentation: Cocido Madrileño is eaten in three steps. First, the noodle soup is served (noodles must be cooked in the broth for 5 minutes). Then, the garbanzos are served in a serving dish with the vegetables: the lightly fried cabbage, the carrot, and the sliced turnip (about 2 centimeters). The onion is added to the broth to give it flavor, but then it's removed. In the third step, serve the meats cut into pieces, the chorizo and the blood sausage, the tocino and the bones pieces. The marrow spread over toast is delicious.

Patatas a la riojana (Rioja style potatoes)

Ingredients

6 potatoes, 3 chorizo sausages, 1 onion, 1 green pepper, 2 bell peppers, 1 head of garlic, Water, olive oil, salt, 2 bay leaves, 1 guindilla pepper (optional)

Preparation
Place the chopped onion and green pepper in a pressure cooker along with a little oil. Add the entire head of garlic, the bay leaves and the guindilla pepper (this is optional, depending on if you want it spicy or not). Add the sliced chorizo and the potatoes which must be broken into pieces using a knife and your hands (this makes the broth thicker). Cover with water and add salt. Cook for 5 minutes beginning from the time the cooker is pressurized. Soak the bell peppers in warm water after removing the seeds. When they've rehydrated, scrape off, chop up and save the pulp. Open the pressure cooker, take out the head of garlic and the guindilla pepper (if you added it). Add the bell peppers, stir and cook for two more minutes (so the flavors mix). Salt to taste.

A Spanish study, which was published in an international online journal, showed that the fossils of a giant panda bear were found in the northeast of Spain; in fact revealed the first panda remains outside of Asia.

Unlike popular belief the birthland of panda might not be China, instead Iberian Peninsula might be the very initial place for those lovely creatures. The fossils were found in Zaragoza and Barcelona including two jars and several teeth which are almost 11.6 million years old. It has been the oldest ancestor link to giant panda ever found. The previous findings of panda lineage had demonstrated that the oldest predecessor is 7-8 million years old that were discovered in China.

It is surprising to see the first traces of panda bear in Spain as they are always thought to have existed in Asia mainly in higher parts of China. Bamboo, which grows in humid and warm environment, is the main food of their nutrition; so it has brought a theory into light that million years ago there must have been similar plants and the climate was different back then in Spain.

There is still no clear explanation how the ancestors of panda bears got into interaction with other species and migrated to China or whether it is possible that they lived in Europe and Asia at the same period million years ago. Panda bear is a rare animal, originally was considered to be a member of racoon or cat family, even in ancient times it was called "the large bear cat". Genetically they are closely related to bears and have carnivorous digestion system yet they adjust themselves on vegetarian diet, eating fibrous plants mostly bamboos. Due to lack of humid area and scarcity of plants they face extinction and their fur is so precious that Chinese government put severe penalties on hunters and dealers however it does not seem a sufficient solution.

Spain has many historical treasures dating back to old ages but this scientific discovery comes a bit more forward by revealing an amazing fact. Still it is not a concrete fact whether they are the ancestors but the idea of panda bears once resided in Iberian Peninsula itself is enough to fascinate. There might be other uncovered fossils in the future and we will be able to learn the truth behind giant panda bears in Spanish history.

Everyone has heard of it and this trend is becoming more and more popular! I'm talking about Salsa dancing. It is of course a typical feature of Latin American culture, but at the same time it is also an intense sport! It is one of the few trends that has not gone away again after a while and is practiced all over the world.

Salsa is actually a collective name for various Latin American dances and forms of expression such as Son, Mambo, Cha-cha-cha and many more.... Each country has developed its own way of dancing salsa over time.

This dance is done in pairs, starting with 8 counts, divided into 2x4 counts. Every 4th beat is a rest beat. As you keep repeating this pattern, a rhythm develops in which a step is performed on each beat. The more you practice this, the easier it becomes and eventually you don't have to count anymore because then it goes by itself!

The music on which salsa is danced is also called salsa! Salsa music is a mix of many different styles of music. Nice detail: ´salsa´ means ´sauce´ or ´mixture´ in Spanish; it is a whole, a ´music sauce´ made by mixing all kinds of rhythms.

Salsa once originated in Cuba but today it is danced throughout Latin America and Spain! Young and old practice this sport. If you would like to take a salsa course or workshop, the best place to do it is in Latin America.

The best places for a salsa course are:

• Argentina, Córdoba and Mendoza
• Chile, Santiago de Chile
• Cuba, Havana
• Guatamala, Antigua

But you can take salsa lessons not only in Latin America! Also in Spain you can learn to dance salsa! In Málaga, for example, you can also find salsa courses and salsa workshops. During a salsa course you will be totally immersed in Latin American culture. You will learn to salsa dance and of course in South America and Spain you will find many salsa bars where you can put everything you have learned into practice! In these bars there is always a fun, relaxed and especially lively atmosphere!

It is of course great fun to take a salsa course in one of these countries! Through such a course you will also learn a lot about Latin American culture. You can also combine a salsa course with a Spanish course, giving you the best of both worlds! You learn to speak Spanish and dance salsa at the same time!

The Boom Movement in Latin America could be the turning point that lead to an innovation in literature. Between 1960’s and 1970’s, Latin America was suffering from the authoritarian military regimes and most of the writers had to leave their countries. Their literary works became the voice and the protest of their people.

The Boom Movement became widely known in Paris and Barcelona after publishing the works of the exiled Latin American authors like Mario Vargas Llosa and Gabriel García Márquez. Thanks to this movement Latin American literature came into prominence and many books were translated into other languages. Some critics claim that the very finest literary examples of Latin America were written during this period and on the 50^th anniversary of the Boom, let’s remember the authors and their famous novels.

Gabriel García Marquez: Beyond doubt Marquez is one of the most notable novelists along with Llosa among the Latin American writers. One Hundred Years of Solitude (Cien Años de Soledad) has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and his other works are No one Writes to the Colonel (El Coronel no tiene quien le escriba) and The Autumn of Patriarchy (El Otoño del Patriarcha).

Mario Vargas Llosa:  In his first novel The Time of the Hero (La ciudad y los perros literally must be The City and the Dogs) showed an excellent narrative skill. Later he wrote The Green House (La Casa Verde), Conversation in the Cathedral (Conversación en La Catedral).

Carlos Fuentes: The Mexican writer used to travel a lot because of his diplomat father so he witnessed the difficulties of Latin American people and the experiences of Mexican immigrants in USA. He wrote The Death of Artemio Cruz (La muerte de Artemio Cruz), Where the Air is Clear (La region más transparente), Aura and Terra Nostra during Boom age.

Julio Cortázar: Must be the most famous Argentine writer after Borges and his novel Rayuela(Hopscotch) added a different perspective on literature. There are numerous ways of reading it. The author suggests two options. Either the conventional way and reading from the start to the end of chapter 56 or starting from Chapter 73 and jump to another chapter according to a table of instructions.

Augusto Roa Basto: Some theorists thought that the movement started with Paraguayan writer’s Son of Man (Hijo de hombre).

José Donoso: Chilean writer spent most of his time in exile in Mexico, US and mostly in Spain. The most known works are Hell Has No Limits (El lugar sin limites), The Obscene Bird of Night (El obsceno pájaro de la noche).