When I first came to live in the Alpujarras in 2003, I had only the most basic words and
phrases, and had already forgotten most of those! Without language I felt I had lost my
independence and confidence. So one of the first things I did was to sign up for classes
at PUENTES Language School.
Eduardo assessed my fluency (or lack of it!) and placed me at Level 4, which felt just
right. My teacher, Carmen, spoke with a crystal-clear accent. She was charming,
encouraging and had endless patience with me and my classmates as we stumbled
through our early conversations.
Socializing and lots of laughs were a bonus, and I would leave class eager to tackle
Orgiva’s cafes, shops and admin tasks.
Classes always felt more like play, because the ‘hard stuff’ was disguised as song lyrics,
cartoons, local news and national issues. I had to stop classes a year ago as I started to
study for a degree. But just writing about it now makes me want to go back!
Arpi Shivley
Arpi Shively
