Cuba is a Latin American country situated in the Caribbean Sea and is the largest island in the Caribbean region. The country is the most heavly populated of all Caribbean islands and countries with a population of 11.3 million inhabitants. The country has over 3,700 km of coastline and is the home to some of the most incredible flora and fauna in the world. The region has a tropical climate that is moderated by trade winds, with warm temperatures. The mean temperature for January is 21 degrees, whilst in July it is 27 degrees. There is a drier season from November to April, and a wetter season from May to October. Cuba lies in the path of hurricanes and tropical storms, which are most common in September and October. Santiago de Cuba is the country's second city, situated in the south east, in the foothills of the Sierra Maesta mountains. The vibrant and vivacious city has a population of 490,000 inhabitants. Founded in 1514 by Spanish conquistador Diego Velazquez de Cuellar and like Havana, Santiago is a very old city with much history. The cathedral dates back to 1528 and interestingly enough, Santiago was the capital of Cuba between 1522 and 1589 when the country was still a Spanish colony and before Cuba had gained its independence. In the late 18th and 19th centuries, the region experienced an influx of French immigrants, many of which came from Haiti after the Haitian slave revolt of 1791. This added to the city's mix which was already rich with African and Spanish culture. There is a lot to see and do in the city, and much of this is achieved throught the school's social programme which is described below. There are numerous attractive bars and restaurants typical of the country's southern region.
Learn Spanish in Santiago de Cuba
Since 1997 we have offered Spanish language courses in Santiago de Cuba. All teachers are university graduates and have been well trained in language teaching to foreigners. Classes are held either at the teacher's home, in the house of the host family or (in some cases with mini group language course) in one of the cultural centres. The average age of our students is 30 years and they mainly come from the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Austria and Great Britain. Occasionally also students from France, Italy, Japan, Canada and other countries come to learn Spanish in Santiago de Cuba.
Social Programme
Apart from learning Spanish, you can undertake serveral excursions. For example excursions to:
- a rum museum
- tobacco factory
- the Morro Castle
- a mango farm
- go horse riding and diving.
- visit the beaches; playa El Francés, playa Caletón Blanco
- Basilica el Cobre - Cuba's only basilica ("Cuban Lourdes")
- El Saltón
- Gran Piedra - Highest point (1214 m) near Santiago with
spectacular views
- Bacanao Parque - Visit the car museum, valle de la
prehistorica, dolphinarium and relax at the Bacanao Lagoon
or at a small beach.
* Guided tour of Santiago de Cuba Discovering the city in old-
times.
* Party evening at teacher's home with rum and dancing.
If you require further information or would like to find out more about please have look at our sister company StudyTeam or contact us via the following telephone numbers:
Call FREE from the UK: 0808-2348578
Call FREE from the USA: 1-866-864-4489
Impression
After having received Spanish language lessons in Santiago de Cuba for 3 weeks, I travelled on to Trinidad and Havana. Cuba is a beautiful country with a long history, friendly people and of course the characteristic 50's American cars. I would love to go back.
Daniela Garattoni, San Marino.
