Introducing: 'La Crisis' Collection
¡Hola!
This is Ben, in Madrid.
One question we keep hearing from our listeners is: "How can I get the Spanish I need to talk about things that are happening in the world right now?"
Or, put it another way, how can you learn the right vocabulary on specialist subjects, and be able to access it fast and fluently when necessary?
This is a problem I personally lived through here in Spain as I moved from Intermediate into the realms of Advanced Spanish.
When the people you are with suddenly start talking about advanced topics such as the cultural differences between your country and theirs, what's going on in the news right now, or the global 'Crisis Economica', you need to be able to access the right source of rich vocabulary fast.
Marina and I know that the answer to this problem is simple: exposure, exposure, exposure.
The more real life Spanish conversations on up-to-date, real-world topics you are exposed to, the faster you build up a great vocabulary on specific subjects that you can access quickly later on.
But there was just one small problem...
Marina's been out of the picture....
As many of you know, Marina was on maternity leave for 6 months in early 2009 after the birth of our son.
We knew we had to record some new, high-level audio tuned to exactly what's going on in the world right now, but with Marina otherwise occupied, there was no way we were going to be able to get a new batch of audio ready for months...
I went back to work with a 'Crisis' of my own. Working alone on Notes in Spanish wasn't half the fun as when Marina was at my side, and her maternity leave was set to last until Spring. Something had to be done...
Isabel to the Rescue!
Then one day one of Marina's oldest Madrileña friends, Isabel, came round to say hi, and mentioned that she had some time off between projects, and we had a brilliant idea:
While Marina was busy, I could make some great new audio with Isabel, one of the most interesting, well travelled, intelligent, up-to-date and generally switched on Spanish people we know.
You may know Isabel as well, she has worked with us before on Advanced podcasts: here's what one long-term listener had to say about one of her previous recordings with us on the Camino de Santiago...
"Tengo que decir que fue muy intersante y yo creo que debe de ser uno de los mejores. ...NiS debería realizar más de este tipo de programas en el futuro." Graham, Wales
(We've included a copy of the worksheet for that recording as a bonus in this pack.)
So I knew salvation was at hand! Isabel was the solution we needed, and she and I sat down to record some of the most interesting conversations I've ever been involved in, covering inspiring concepts that quite honestly kept me thinking for days afterwards...
Here's What We Came Up With: 'La Crisis' Collection
Six brand new, ten to fifteen minute real Spanish audio conversations, each with it's own accompanying, vocab-exploding transcript and worksheet, on the following fascinating topics:
1. "La Crisis"
Just how big is the economic 'Crisis' in spain? What are the causes, and the drastic results? And can it actually be good for us (no matter how hard that can be to believe)? The whole world is talking about it, this recording will make sure you can in Spanish too.
2. Las Tiendas de Segunda Mano
A Culture-Comparisons Classic: There are plenty of second-hand shops in the UK, but why won't spanish people be seen dead in clothes from charity shops (and do they really all have to dress the same?)
3. La Naturaleza: Holy Island
Isabel is a world-class expert in conservation, find out what she was doing on a tiny island in Scotland with a buddhist commune. Plus she tells us why the best conserved places on the planet are those associated with spritual values, and what we can do to get closer to nature in our everyday lives.
4. La Religon
Did you know that a quarter of all the "monjas de contemplación" (closed order nuns) in the world are in Spain? Yet what hope is there for the country's devout catholicism when religion in spain is often seen as just an excuse for a fiesta...
5. La Bolsa De Por Vida
What's so shocking about the 'carrito' granny shopping cart my young neighbour takes to the supermarket? Why hasn't anyone in Spain heard of 'bags for life', and can potatoes really answer Spain's crushing plastic shopping bag crisis?
6. Incendios
Find out how Ben and Marina got involved in a potentially dangerous forest fire and why Isabel was in the right place to tell them what to do. Plus, why a quarter of all the forest fires in europe are in Spain's greenest region (it's not as crime-related as people think)...
What 'La Crisis' Collection Will Do For You
Focusing directly on news and culture in Spain and the world today, 'La Crisis' Collection is designed to solve the exact problems we outlined earlier...
It gives you the Spanish you need to talk about things that are happening in the world right now, the right vocabulary on specialist subjects, for you to access fast and fluently when necessary.
The accompanying worksheets include a full transcript of our conversations, analysis of key vocabulary, useful exercises to help you retain the new vocab and better understand the audio, and thought-provoking discussion questions to promote fluency on these subjects.
We've also added a quick-start guide and action tracker to make sure you really get the most out of this pack.
Who 'La Crisis' Collection is Most Designed to Help
We put this exclusive pack together with both our Advanced, and our most Inspired Intermediate Students in mind. If you fall into one of these categories then we strongly suggest you consider investing in 'La Crisis' Collection.
1) Advanced
These recordings are at the same level as our Advanced podcasts, and some of the most interesting audio ever to come from Notes in Spanish. We guarantee you won't be disappointed if you're a fan of our other Advanced materials.
2) Inspired Intermediates
What do I mean by 'inspired intermediates'? I mean that you feel that you are at an intermediate level with your Spanish, but are really motivated to get to grips with higher level material.
Frankly, this is an excellent idea. After all, I learned my Spanish in the highest-level environment possible: here in Spain, surrounded by real Spanish conversations every day!
And it was the best way on earth to progress quickly with a new language. Constantly having real-life, challenging new material to listen to rocketed my Spanish forward towards complete fluency.
If you are motivated, then these recordings will make a huge difference to how quickly you move up to a truly advanced level of Spanish.
Who this pack is NOT for
If you feel that you are not yet ready to progress beyond our Inspired Beginner level conversations, then 'La Crisis' Collection is probably a little above your level right now.
Having said that, if you are a really Inspired Beginner who wants to know what high-level conversation on real-world topics sounds like, then don't let us hold you back! The full Spanish transcripts are there to help you out.
The Big Surprise BONUS! Marina and Ben on Parenting in Spain!
Yes Marina was out on Maternity leave, but yes, as massively requested, I persuaded her to sit down and have a one-off conversation with me about our recent parenting experiences in Spain.
In this special recording we cover:
- The differences between maternity leave in the UK and Spain. - Giving birth in Spain. - How baby's are treated here, and why our 'softer' approach gets us a lot of criticism. - Why everyone says 'pobrecito' when they see me and the baby out and about. - How songs are hopefully helping make our baby bilingual (plus you get to hear Marina sing!)
And of course we provide a full transcript of this conversation so you don't miss a thing.
Bonus 2: More Isabel Worksheets!
As mentioned above, this isn't the only material we've ever recorded with Isabel, so we'll make sure to include two more great worksheets from previous fascinating recordings with Isabel.
"I've listened to The Crisis Collection... Did I enjoy it? Yes. It's professional, informative, well thought through and Isabel's Spanish, like Marina's, is a delight to the ear. Well done Ben and Isabel." Jill W., Spain
The investment for 'La Crisis' Collection
The total investment for 'La Crisis' Collection is just €34.99 Euros.
The real value of this special audio and worksheet pack is MUCH higher, but we are dedicated to maintaining the incredibly low price of €34.99 Euros to make sure as many people as possible get to improve their Spanish faster.
Our 100%, No Hoops to Jump Though, One Year Money Back Guarantee
'La Crisis' Collection is covered by our 100%, no questions asked, no hoops to jump though, one year guarantee.
If during one year from the date of your purchase, you aren't satisfied that 'La Crisis' Collection has improved your Spanish, just get in touch and we’ll give you your money back. It’s as simple as that.
What to do next....
'La Crisis' Collection is delivered in digital download format so you can get to work on your Spanish immediately.
All you have to do is to click on the Add To Cart button below, and complete all the steps in the payment process.
As soon as you are returned to our site at the end of the payment process, we’ll email you instant access to the pack so that you can download it and get to work straight away.
Click on the "Add To Cart" button to continue:
List Price: €47 Now: €34.99 Euros (Excluding 16% VAT for EU customers. Exact total in $USD and other currencies confirmed at final payment stage)
Speak soon!
Ben
P.S. As Isabel said when we'd finished recording the second audio for this pack, ¡Que Divertido! (What fun!)
These really are some of the most interesting, fun, inspiring conversations I've had the priveledge to be involved in for a long time, they certainly got me out of my recent 'crisis'! We think you'll love them too.