Events & Blogs

Practise English and Spanish through literature, conversation and community at DarKha Academy’s Bilingual Book Club in Xàtiva. On Thursday, July 30 at 19:30, we’ll read selected stories from Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street aloud in both languages, explore vocabulary and cultural themes, and enjoy an informal evening of conversation together.

What do swallows, the summer solstice and Spain's World Cup victory have in common? A California educator reflects on life in Spain, cultural immersion, and the memories that return each summer in Algemesí, Valencia.

DarKha Academy invites you to a relaxed and welcoming bilingual book club in Xàtiva. This April, we explore The House on Mango Street and enjoy language learning through conversation, culture and community connection.

DarKha Academy’s bilingual book club brings together English and Spanish learners through literature, conversation and community. This month we are reading The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros in both languages.

Even with strong Spanish skills, real conversations can surprise you. This story from Xàtiva shows how accents, exposure, and cultural immersion shape true language learning.

DarKha Academy invites you to a relaxed and welcoming bilingual book club in Xàtiva. This April, we explore The House on Mango Street and enjoy language learning through conversation, culture and community connection.

Just as one celebration ends in Spain, another begins. From Fallas to Semana Santa, life in Xàtiva doesn’t slow down — it swings between extremes. Through real schedule changes, busy students, and everyday moments, this story explores how cultural rhythm shapes not only daily life, but also the way we learn, adapt, and connect through language.

Language learning is often described as mastering vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. But anyone who has truly immersed themselves in another culture knows that learning a language is also about understanding rhythm, traditions, and ways of life. For those learning Spanish in Valencia, there is perhaps no better cultural lesson than Las Fallas. Recently, I learned this lesson firsthand.

This March, DarKha Academy’s Bilingual Book Club explores "Thank You, Ma’am" by Langston Hughes — a powerful short story about kindness, dignity and unexpected change. The story follows a surprising encounter between a determined woman and a young boy who tries to steal her purse, leading to a moment that transforms them both. During our Friday session in Xàtiva, participants will read the story together, review key vocabulary and engage in meaningful discussion.

📖 DarKha Book Club – January Edition is a story of kindness and change: Join Our January Book Club Wednesday, January 30 | 7:00–8:30 PM📍 DarKha Academy, Carrer Sant Domènec 32, Xàtiva. This month, we’ll dive into “Thank You, Ma’am” — a powerful short story by Langston Hughes about a chance encounter between a tough, kind woman and a young boy who tries to steal her purse. It’s short, sharp, and full of heart — just a few pages you can read in advance or with us during th

I remember my first Valencian orange juice. It was thick, sweet, and sunshine in a glass. I’ve been hooked ever since. As I was preparing it one morning, my friend Xavi watched with curiosity as I squeezed the orange — pulp and all — into the cup. “Does everyone in California drink it like that?” he asked curiously “No,” I laughed, “most people drink just the juice. But I love it with the pulp, too.” A flicker of horror flashed across his face. Just a blink. Then he quick

📚✨ Bilingual Book Club – December 12 @ DarKha 🗓️ Friday, January 2 🕖 7:00 PM 📍 DarKha Academy – Carrer Sant Domènec, 32 This month we’ll be reading “My Brother Walter” from Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin. Some of us found last week’s story a bit intense 😅 — so this time, we’re exploring a gentler, more reflective piece. “My Brother Walter” offers a new tone: emotional, a little mysterious, and very human. Let’s keep enjoying fresh literary styles while practicing

📚✨ Bilingual Book Club – December 12 @ DarKha 🗓️ Thursday, December 12 🕖 7:00 PM 📍 DarKha Academy – Carrer Sant Domènec, 32 This month we’ll be reading “My Brother Walter” from Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin. Some of us found last week’s story a bit intense 😅 — so this time, we’re exploring a gentler, more reflective piece. “My Brother Walter” offers a new tone: emotional, a little mysterious, and very human. Let’s keep enjoying fresh literary styles while practi

Ready to switch stories? 💫 We’re putting Don Quijote back on the shelf (for now 😉) and diving into a captivating, slightly eerie, and beautifully written short story collection: 🕊️ “Birds in the Mouth” by Samanta Schweblin. 🔁 As always, it’s our DarKha Special Bilingual Book Club — where language learners and literature lovers meet to share, laugh, and practice Spanish & English in a relaxed, thoughtful space. 🗓️ Get a copy of book in PDFs in both Spanish and English at

Here at the academy, September is our month of coordinating and accommodating: matching parents with afterschool schedules filled with sports, music, dance… and of course, English! Lives are modified, groups are formed and tweaked, alliances made and broken — all because of fencing class. It's glorious madness. And then comes October.

Ah yes, the legendary Chapter 6… when everyone decides the best way to “cure” Don Quixote is to burn down his entire library. 📚🔥 While our would-be knight sleeps peacefully, dreaming of glorious adventures, the village priest and barber stage a full-on medieval intervention. They team up with the housekeeper and niece, grab some lanterns, and sneak into the library like they’re part of CSI: La Mancha. 🕵️‍♂️📖

So, our “valiant knight” Don Quijote has just been beaten up by some muleteers (big surprise). He’s lying half-dead in a field, when a kind farmer from his village finds him. Instead of proudly declaring his real name, Don Quijote insists (in true delusional fashion) on being called Valdovinos (a hero from an old ballad). Yes, he’s still roleplaying while bleeding. The poor farmer, trying to make sense of this nonsense, loads Don Quijote onto his donkey (not a noble steed, b

“Mommy, I slipped a note in your pocket. Everything will be okay. I’ll be back this afternoon.” That was from my 5-year-old nephew. He was off to his first day of school and feeling confident. More confident than his mother, who had set out all his clothes the evening before (she posted the picture…) and fretted about lunch and if he would find friends. I know this because it was on Facebook. Cute, I thought. And then came more postings of little kids, ...

📚✨ Bilingual Book Club Announcement! ✨📚 Hola, valientes lectores y caballeros andantes! ⚔️ This Friday at 7 PM at the academy, our Special Bilingual Book Club meets again — and we’re riding straight into Chapter 3 of Don Quijote de La Mancha! 🐴📖 What madness awaits in Chapter 3? Oh, just your average knight demanding to be dubbed in an inn he mistakes for a castle, with innkeepers, prostitutes, and muleteers all unwittingly cast as noble courtiers and holy men. 😅🏰👑

Summer has always been a season of contrasts, but I’ve never felt it more than when reflecting on life between my hometown in California and my current home here in Spain. Though the landscapes, traditions, and languages are different, there’s an unmistakable rhythm to summer that crosses cultures — one that celebrates community, connection, and the simple joy of staying cool.