Spanish

Contact the adviser, Sandra

About the adviser

I'm the convenor of several Spanish groups for my u3a in Lincolnshire. I'm not a language expert and I firmly believe you don't have to be. The driving belief of the u3a (by the members for the members) underpins this. I write a monthly article on languages for my u3a newsletter and I produce a separate monthly Spanish newsletter.

I've been a member of the committee at my local u3a since 2022, supporting the Groups Convenor and Special Events.

I have attached the latest newsletter below. You will also find more support under Spanish FAQs and Useful Resources.

Get in touch via my contact form and if you want more help do ask. I'm always happy to talk about Spain, the language and it's rich culture.

My Spanish journey

I joined u3a about five years ago in order to access a Spanish language group in my local area. At that time I'd not heard a great deal about the u3a. The convenor of the Spanish group welcomed me along and after a shaky start with my own learning I soon felt that I was beginning to get the hang of a language I'd only come across briefly in my sixth form years but had never used.

After about a year the convenor announced they would be stepping down and as the room went quiet I felt that although I knew the least Spanish, I would be able to lead the group well enough.

That was back just before the Covid pandemic. So it's fair to say I took on a new challenge during challenging times. The group settled into a new norm as we all learned to grapple with a virus that seemed out of control alongside learning and supporting people with new skills such as Zoom. The group remained a lifeline to normality and it's fair to say that we all became a much more cohesive group during that time. We took opportunities to meet up and visit in a small group (in gardens, I recall) when the legislation allowed. Our group has continued to grow and has welcomed many new members since then.

Why Spanish?

Spanish is the third most widely spoken language in the world after Chinese and English. You'll come across Spanish speakers on every continent. I've used it in North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. The largest population of Spanish speakers is in the United States where about 40% of the population speak the language. The most unusual place I used my Spanish was on a cruise down the Bosphorus when I visited Istanbul.

You don't need an expert to lead a group. Take a look at the following resources to help you find out more and get started.

Learning a Language is good for the mind

I fully intended to make the best of my retirement years. I bought a boat and joined a sailing club, I went regularly to the gym; in fact I started to do many things I'd not had the time for while I was at work. However, I was never one to sit on my laurels. Having witnessed the steady decline of several members of my own or my partner's family, due to Alzeimers, I was determined to do everything that I could to keep my mind active.

I'd had a frenetic working life mostly spent in educational management and the research pointed to the need to continue to "exercise the mind." With both these factors to consider I felt that learning a language would be a good plan.

Plans for the Future

The popularity of this group gave rise to the development of further groups such as Holiday Spanish, Beginners Spanish and more recently, an Advanced Spanish Group in our u3a. The growth and development of these groups has had a major impact on the development of other language groups that had closed since 2019.

I've developed links with other groups through Spanish which has led to an enrichment of ideas and shared initiatives. We meet up occasionally with another u3a Spanish group in our region to share tapas and conversation in a Spanish restaurant in Lincoln.

I've attended Spanish groups at the Yorkshire and Humber Region Summer school and have made good contacts through all of these opportunities. It's certainly made retirement a great deal of fun.

Supporting members in your groups

Please find additional documents to support everyone take part in your Spanish groups. These documents are available for download (below) under the section Useful Resources.