I have been in Málaga for one month to study Spanish at the Universidad de Málaga. I took an 80-hours course. Which meant I had class from Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 13:00. To give you an idea of what to expect I will tell you how a typical day was for me.
8:00. I wake up and drink some coffee. I get my stuff and take the bus to Centro Internacial Español, where I had my classes. It takes me about 30 minutes to get there by bus. Luckily the bus is not expensive.
9:00. My class begins with 2 hours of grammar exercises which we mostly do in groups or classically. The class give you enough opportunity to practice your talking and listening skills as well, since nobody was allowed to talk in English. It scared me at first but it really does improve your level of Spanish a lot.
Every hour we have a short break in which you can get coffee or something to eat. The second break is just long enough for me to go to my favourite spot called Tejeringo’s. This is where I get my breakfast, a toasted bread with olive oil and tomato salsa (which I ate a lot during this month, it is definitely recommended) and some coffee.
The last two hours of class is even more practicing with speaking, listening, and writing as well.
13:00. Just after midday my class is done and since it is already quite hot out, and the beach is only 100 meters from the school, I am going to take a swim in the sea. The beach of El Palo is my absolute favourite in all of Málaga.
14:30. After swimming I’m heading back to my apartment where I mostly relax and chat with my flatmates. This is the hottest time of the day and most of the stores are closed. Supermarkets are still open but I am waiting until it gets cooler to do my groceries. In the meantime I can do my homework as well. Because yes I have 4 hours of school a day, but yes I also still get homework that can take up to an hour every day (you got to do something to improve right?).
17:00. Now that it’s better outside I am going to the local supermarket to get my dinner. The pro of living in the country where they speak the language you are learning is that no matter where you go, you are still practicing. So even going groceries shopping is a good test.
21:00. After I cooked and ate my dinner I am pretty much only chilling. Most of the time I just chat and have fun with my flatmates. But sometimes we go out to the beach (going to the beach at night is even better than during the day) or walk in the centre. If we are really feeling ourselves and don’t have class the next morning, we go to the club (there is a hidden club in Málaga that is called Pastrami. And yes it is literally hidden, it looks like a kebab place from the outside).
So there you have it, a typical Malaguese day. I hope you will experience some of those yourself. The experience is absolutely worth it.