Everywhere you go in the world New Year's Eve is typically the biggest night out on the calendar and in Salamanca, a city renowned for the quality of its nightlife, this is no exception. However, it seems a bit odd to ring in a New Year with all the typical fanfare and celebrations in the middle of December, just as students at Salamanca's University do every year.

Even though actual New Year is still more than two weeks away, it is tradition that students from the university and beyond gather in Salamanca on the 15^th of December for one huge fiesta to celebrate before everyone goes home for Christmas. How huge? Try upwards of 30,000 people crammed into the city's spectacular renaissance Plaza Mayor. Just look at the pictures to get an idea of the atmosphere.

Seeing as my time left in Salamanca is now limited to just a few more days, I couldn't possibly miss out on experiencing la Nochevieja Universitaria. Even walking around the city during the day you could notice that the atmosphere was different with large happy groups of students gathering around and watching as a huge stage was being set up on Plaza Mayor. La Nochevieja Universitaria is a renowned event across the whole of Spain and Portugal with lots of universities organising big trips that descend on Salamanca for just one night to then leave, slightly worse for wear the next morning.

By 11pm the Plaza Mayor was already packed with people dancing away to what was quite possibly the best and only techno/electro violin player I will ever see live. Then an hour later it was time for the big countdown. Tradition in Spain dictates that at proper New Year (i.e. December 31^st) you should eat a grape every time the clock chimes at midnight. However, at la Nochevieja Universitaria eating grapes is considered bad luck and sweets are used as a substitute. Consequently, watching the concentration on the faces of 30,000 plus people intent on stuffing their mouths with sweets in order to keep up with the chiming clock was entertaining to watch to say the least.

After the countdown the Plaza gradually empties and people pour into the surrounding bars and clubs for what is undoubtedly one of their busiest nights of the year. As is typical of Spanish nights out, the night doesn't actually end until well into the day after and walking to work there were still people (clearly they are the ones with stamina who know how to pace themselves) outside some clubs and on the streets. A fantastic if slightly bizarre experience, I don't quite know what else to say except...

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Pictures of the new 2011 green and red lighting in Salamanca's world famous Plaza Mayor:

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We are proud to announce the new and improved don Quijote website! Although, you probably already noticed all the changes, right?

We decided to get a move on the New Year by revealing the site a bit early, let us know what you think!

Some of the changes include:

• Design changes: a cleaner look without sacrificing our trademark orange color.
• A navegational bar at the top of the page to give quick access to our courses and destinations.
• We added relevant videos to all the pages with related content, for example: http://www.donquijote.org/english/barcelona.asp
• Parallel language navegation, meaning you can switch from one language to another to view the same page in either language without being re-directed the homepage.
• We have improved web load times so hopefully you will notice that the website now is even faster and more efficient!

Would you like more information? Contact us or request a program brochure.

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Michael Bloomberg, for those of you who may not know, is the mayor of New York. He is 69 years old and has been studying Spanish for 8 years. Many people may not know this, but after press conferences he always gives a summary in Spanish, something noticed by the large Latin community that he represents.

Before we laugh at the quality of Mr. Bloomberg's Spanish, first I think I should make it clear that I think he is a great role model for other politicians as he shows a true effort to adapt to the changes in America. Learning a language is a big commitment and speaking it in front of people can be scary, and yet he tries :)

Before Hurricane Irene touched land, Bloomberg was warning the Latin population of its eminent danger. That was when Rachel Figueroa-Levin got creative. She is a blogger, a twitter hound, maintains her own website blog and writes just about anything. She thought that Michael Bloomberg's storm warnings delivered in Spanish the previous night were pretty funny, a strong American accent and terrible pronunciation, she laughed and created @ElBloombito on Twitter. The slogan: "I speaky the spanish. parody."

Miguel Bloombito is a "Spanglish" Twitter account that pokes lots of fun at the New York mayor by writing in Spanglish. She started writing:

“Hola Newo Yorko! El stormo grande is mucho dangeroso!”

“Fill los bathtub con agua por preparando el no agua, Los floodwaters!”

"Alerto: If usted see el somethingador por favor to say somethingador. Los terroristeros estan mucho malo! Que vigilance!"

As of the moment this article was written, the Twitter account has reached a whopping 19,781 followers after only 103 tweets.

Rachel Figueroa-Levin is enjoying her 15 minutes of fame, and is surprised to have gotten so much attention and so many interviews in such a short time. She promises to keep the account active as long as "it is still fun".

So we think it is funny to poke fun at a 69 year old mayor who certainly tries his best to represent the Hispanic/Latino population, which represents 27,5% of New York City's population. He may have a funny accent and all that, but we are pretty proud of him and think he is a role model for other people and politicians.

Want to learn Spanish better than the New York mayor?

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The DELE diploma is an official qualification demonstrating Spanish competence that is internationally recognized in academic and business areas for non-native Spanish speakers.

The exam is issued by Cervantes Institute on behalf of Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports and is held in official examination centers which are not only in Spain but also in other countries. There are six levels under three parts in the exam.

Basic level (Nivel Inicial) A1 and A2
Intermediate level (Nivel Intermedio) B1 and B2
Advanced level (Nivel Superior) C1 and C2

Statistics and experiences from the students show that, preliminary study for DELE is essential. Taking at least a four-week DELE preparation course, if possible a closer period to exam, increases the success rate in the exam. DELE courses are designed specifically based on the structure of DELE and offer great advantage with a lot of practice before the exam. If the Spanish knowledge is at basic level, it is highly recommended to take a general course then continue to a DELE course.

The exam for the first two levels (A1,A2) have four parts and the other four levels (B1,B2,C1,C2) have five parts The time given for level A1 is 105 minutes, A2 is 160 minutes, B1 is 170, B2 is 220, C1 is 240 and C2 is 270 minutes.

The first part examines the student's reading comprehension. After reading a text which is varied in vocabulary depending on the level, students answer multiple choice questions.
In the second part writing competence is examined.
In the third part the student answers a number of questions after listening to an audio text.
The fourth part examines the grammar and vocabulary. The student answers several multiple choice questions and fill the blanks in the given sentences.
The last part is testing the oral competence. The student is interviewed and must talk about a given topic in Spanish.

The student must be at least %70 successful in each part. One of the most important thing before the exam that the student is aware of which level he should take. The differences in learning a language between students also affect the preparation period. So it is important to consult an accredited language course about the levels and the exam. Since the exam is awarded by Spanish organizations, the vocabulary and the expressions are mostly from Castilian (the official language of Spain), so this is another reason why it is better to prepare the exam in Spain.

According to statistics of Cervantes Institute, a good preparation and the right choice of level are directly related in achieving an efficient result from DELE.The number of the students taking the exam, is rising gradually owing to the high demand of Spanish in academic and business world.

This year DELE exam will be held in May, August and November. For the exam on 25th of May, there is a great offer that you can start a DELE preparation course in Spain and get your diploma in a few weeks!

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More than 3,000 Spanish language students across the globe sat the written and oral tests last Friday to obtain a DELE, the Spanish Language certificate.

DELE, which stands for "Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera", or Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language, is an official diploma issued by Instituto Cervantes and the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, and is officially recognized on an international scale.

The DELE is split into six level, each corresponding to a certain Spanish language proficiency described by the Common European Framework of References for Languages. The levels range from A1 (very basic range of the most simple expressions) to C2 (advance use of language and extensive knowledge of cultural customs embedded within the Spanish language).

The first DELE exams were in 1988, and since then more and more students have been inspired to sit the standardized test. In fact, the number of students who enrolled to sit the DELE this year has increased a staggering 23% compared with August last year.

Of the six available levels, three were tested today- B1, B2 and C2.

The next exam date for the DELE is the 18th of November, enrollment opens on the 1st September until the 14th of October.

DELE is a great way to have your level of language graded in a form that is officially recognized. The only pre-requisites for sitting the exam is that Spanish cannot be your mother tongue or that of your parents and you must not have studied it extensively at primary or secondary level education.

The best way for DELE exam preparation is to fully immerse yourself into the world of Spanish. Whether it’s a vibrant and cosmopolitan city like Barcelona that appeals or a city brimming with fascinating culture and history, don Quijote offers a great range of destinations that would be perfect for DELE exam preparation.

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Often foreigners have doubts or hesitations when they greet or meet someone in Spain. Should they give a kiss on the cheek? Is it appropriate to give hugs? It is very usual to have these kind of questions when you first get to know a country or culture.

Different countries, different traditions

Latin American greetings traditions

Both in Latin America and in Spain greetings are generally handshaking and on informal occasions kissing on the cheek, even among strangers. In Colombia the usual greeting among men is a handshake. Women, however, prefer a verbal greeting or kiss on the cheek. The greeting in Argentina in most cases is a single kiss on the cheek even among men, although it depends on the degree of familiarity. In Mexico, for example, the greeting between two men is limited to a handshake.

Spanish greetings traditions

In Spain, it is advisable to distinguish formal situations from informal ones. The greeting with a kiss is seen among people who have a close or family relationship: between parents and children, close friends etc. Men do not often greet each other with kisses unless they have a family relationship instead they rather shake hands. It's not often give hugs when introduced to someone, this is available for people who maintain a close relationship as friends or family. Between friends, in addition to hugging often accompanies with a pat on the back.

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Did you know that the 11^th of July was the holiday of the Patron Saint of the famous Spanish Siesta Custom? San Benito de Nursia, also known as San Benito Abad, is the Patron Saint of Europe and also the Saint who established the "6^th hour" as the one dedicated to resting and napping.

It is said that San Benito taught the monks to make clocks that counted the hours. His rules established specific times for their obligations including eating, praying, ceremonies, etc. The 6^th hour was marked by the Benedictine Rule as the hour of rest, a time now immortalized as nap time or the hour of the siesta.

So this Spanish holiday is not very well known, but the idea of the Spanish siesta has been gaining momentum for some time now. Every year more and more studies show that siestas are just plain good for you.

In the US, the unofficial National Napping Day is celebrated in March and was started in 1999 by William Anthony, Ph.D. from Boston University. His goal is to promote napping as a healthy habit and explained that they chose March 14^th because it coincides with daylight savings time, meaning that people are more susceptible to napping since they lose an hour of sleep. He explained that the "goal is to encourage folks to take a nap wherever they may be, at home, at the workplace, or on vacation, and to make it a regular part of their healthy lifestyle. It is a day when nappers all over the country need to lie down and be counted."

Naps have been reported as being in widespread us by NBA players and many historians say that Winston Churchill was devoted to taking power naps. He once said:

"You must sleep sometime between lunch and dinner, and no half-way measures. Take off your clothes and get into bed. That's what I always do. Don't think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the day. That's a foolish notion held by people who have no imagination. You will be able to accomplish more. You get two days in one -- well, at least one and a half, I'm sure. When the war started, I had to sleep during the day because that was the only way I could cope with my responsibilities."

Even NASA investigators have proved that astronauts benefit greatly from taking short naps after an intense morning of work. According to the study, 26 minutes was the perfect length of time for a nap. But in general, your nap should aim to be between 20-30 minutes to recuperate strength and improve concentration and alertness.

US flight controllers are also studying the idea of implementing obligatory naps to avoid falling asleep while on duty. Experts believe that this will improve alertness and safety because controllers often maintain grueling work schedules that involve sitting in dark rooms at night waiting for pilots to call.

Sleep experts say that "controlled napping" may be the best solution for controllers to stay alert while directing aircraft. One expert, Gregory Belenky, explained that giving people 8 hours off in between shifts "isn´t going to do it. It might give them the opportunity to sleep, but they are physiologically unable to sleep."

Apart from all this, siestas are healthy!

Naps improve your digestion by relaxing your bowel muscles.

It is great for your heart! Siestas are recommended for those with hypertension, diabetes, heart problems, anxiety and stress. According to 2007 study by Nasaka A. and Oikonomou E, those who occasionally napped reduced their risk of coronary mortality by 12 percent. Those who habitually took naps reduced this risk by a staggering 37% . Combine your siesta with the traditional Mediterranean diet to really make sure you have healthy heart!

One thing is conclusive among all the studies: Naps should be short. Some say between 15-20 minutes, others say the magic number is 26. One this is agreed on, naps should not be longer than 30 minutes. Long naps can alter your sleep cycles, cause you to enter into rapid eye movement and therefore provoke more tiredness, and cause insomnia at night.

Most stores in Spain still close at midday to give employees time to go home, eat properly and rest or nap before returning for the evening. Come study in Spain and live the Spanish siesta!

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Talk about innovation in a time of crisis. Why didn't I think of it?

A new spa called "Cosquillarte" has opened in Madrid and is 100% dedicated to, you guessed it, tickling "massages".

The unique name is a play on words and can be translated as either "Tickle yourself" or "Tickle art".

The salon was the idea of Isabel Aires who claims that she has always loved being tickled softly as a way of relaxing. One day she realized that if she could pay someone to tickle her, she would.

So, she opened up her spa in December which has steadily built up a roster of loyal clients.

Since there is no school for the art of tickling, she worked with two trained massage therapists to develop different tickling treatments.

The small spa with 2 rooms is much like any other. Clients will be treated in a darkened and relaxing room with soothing music and nice aroma. The client will lie on a normal massage table and then the treatment will begin of light fingertip tickling along the body, and then with a feather.

The prices are reasonable, 25€ for 30 minutes and 45€ for an hour.

In the article I read about this, the reporter who visited the spa explained that she is not usually keen on being tickled. However, after a few minutes she noted how soothing the treatment was as all the "tension just flowed out of her".

The idea is to relax the client, not cause them to squirm.

Who goes to Cosquillarte? From teenagers to the elderly, men and women, it seems that there are lots of people who have been waiting for something new like this. They try it once, and they are hooked.

In fact, the idea is so new and interesting that Isabel Aires receives messages from Latin America and Russia, and also many inquiries about setting up franchises. In fact, she recently signed an agreement to give in-room treatments to a major Spanish hotel chain in Madrid.

Isabel continues to innovate, for the summer time she is developing a cold-hand treatment to chill people off from the hot weather.

So check out their web, make an appointment in Madrid, and let me know! I am very curious to see what you think!

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This month marks the 100th anniversary of the rediscovery of Machu Picchu, the "lost city" of the Incas, by the American historian Hiram Bingham III in 1911.

The five-day celebration of global interest, which is anticipated to be one of the greatest cultural events of the modern world, began on July 7^th, the same day that it was named one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.

The celebrations for the centennial anniversary of Machu Picchu began yesterday with the staging of the traditional Tinkay ceremony, carried out in the Inca citadel located in Urubamba (Cuzco). In this traditional ceremony the Inca pays tribute to the pachamama or mother earth. Activities have also been scheduled to highlight the most traditional aspects of Andean culture, from festivals showcasing typical dances to exhibits of Andean camelid species.

In a traditional Incan ceremony, indigenous residents performed a play that mirrored the ruins' history: its creation, the arrival of the Incas, the city's abandonment and its rediscovery by the American explorer. Dressed in folkloric costumes, the participants prayed in their native Quechua at the historic site that Bingham called "the eighth wonder of the world."

The Inca city, high in the Andes Mountains, is thought to date from the 1450s, but was abandoned as an official site for the Inca rulers a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Although known locally, Bingham is recognized as the man who brought the site to world attention, although many others helped to bring this site into the public eye.

It is now thought likely that other adventurers, both international and Peruvian, had been to the citadel prior to the journey by the Yale University scholar. Peru's government has sidestepped the issue of Bingham's much-disputed discovery by labelling the event: "100 years of Machu Picchu in the world".

For most Peruvians, however the celebrations will be more about the ruins themselves which have come to symbolise their national identity. The hallowed city will also be printed on 10-sol bills to mark the site's centennial celebrations, placing emphasis on strengthening the unity of the Peruvians.

If you feel inspired by this celebration of Peruvian culture, why not take a Spanish course at our school in Cuzco, in the same region as the beautiful ruins themselves!

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The Pope is going to visit Madrid in August 2011 for World Youth Day.

To prepare for the massive flow of youth that are planning to visit, 4,000 beds have been set-up by the city to provide accommodation including 1000+ parishes, schools, colleges, sport and recreational centers and even 30,000-40,000 families have offered rooms in their houses.

World Youth Day celebration takes place in the Spanish capital from the 16-21 of August. It was started in 1985 by Pope John Paul II to promote Catholicism among younger generations.

275 Madrid schools have been instructed to remain open for Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Madrid, leaving many without their traditional August vacations.

The Spanish government considers the event to be of considerable public interest which is why it has ordered many of these public buildings to remain open.

Additionally, police officers, ambulance technicians and civil protection service agents will not be allowed to take vacations during the Pope's visit.

The city of Madrid has also ceded Cuatro Vientos, Cibeles that they will also be equipped with screens, television, loud speakers, food, etc. Pilgrims will be expected to pay about 70% of the cost, between 30 and 210 Euros depending on what country they come from and if they contract accommodation and full board or just accommodation. The rest of the cost is to be footed by the many sponsors of the event.

Total estimated cost: 50 million euros.

As always, public officials are already exercising their rights to protest. Signatures are being collected at schools and the labor union is getting involved regarding the city's right to mandate public officials to work during these dates. Traditionally, schools in Spain remain closed for July and August providing their employees with ample vacation.

Others complain because only the janitors and a couple of volunteers will be on hand to maintain the schools' and other public building's facilities.

Some are also protesting because of the government's intention to use public schools for a religious event. The FERE, a Catholic Federation in charge of religious schooling, the cleaning cost for the centers will come out of the school's own budget.

The Spanish government has given the green light for a massive mass to be held at the Cuatro Vientos airport as well as the convention center near Santiago Bernabéu stadium, paid for by event organizers.

Those who require a visa to enter Spain (and the Schengen area of Europe) will not be charged by the Spanish government to acquire them.

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