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Ignite the power of language! https://wix.to/9AW9ylQ Hello DarKha Community! We are excited to share our latest updates and upcoming events for all age groups. Here’s what’s happening this month at DarKha Academy: 👶 For Little Ones: Fun and interactive language immersion activities designed to spark curiosity and love for languages. 👦👧 For Teenagers: Engaging language workshops and cultural events to enhance language skills and cultural understanding. 🧑👩 For Adults: Comprehensive language immersion programs to help you achieve fluency and confidence in a new language. 📚 Bilingual Book Club: Join our monthly book club to read and discuss books in both English and Spanish. All levels are welcome! 🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️ Monthly Bilingual Hiking: Explore nature while practicing your language skills. A great way to meet new friends and enjoy the outdoors! 🍳 Cooking Classes: Learn to cook delicious dishes from different cultures and practice your language skills in a fun, interactive environment. 📚 Book Exchange Window: Swap books and expand your bilingual library. Bring a book, take a book! ☀️ Summer School: Exciting summer programs are coming! Stay tuned for more information on our immersive language summer school. Join us and dive into the world of languages and cultures at DarKha Academy!

Join Us at DarKha Academy for English Summer School in Xativa! Looking for a fun and educational way to spend your summer? Look no further! DarKha Academy offers a fantastic opportunity for children to enhance their English skills while having a great time. Schedule: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Monday through Friday Price: 260€ per month,70€ per week, 16€ per day Activities: Projects, cooking, games, songs, activities, sports, stories, and more! Duration: Begins June 24th and runs until September 13th Free Registration.  Multifamily Discount Limited spots available. Reserve yours today.

¡DarKha Senderismo Bilingüe🥾: El domingo 19 de mayo exploramos las sepulturas islámicas excavadas en la roca! Nos reunimos en la academia (Sant Doménec, 32, Xativa) a las 10; lleva buenos zapatos para caminar, agua y ganas de explorar y practicar tu español/inglés. Hay que subir un poco pero no es difícil. 🥾⛰️🤩 DarKha Bilingual Hiking🥾: On Sunday, May 19, we explored the Islamic tombs excavated in the rock! Meet at the academy (Sant Doménec, 32, Xativa) at 10; wear good walking shoes, water and a desire to explore and practice your Spanish/English. You have to climb a little but it is not difficult. 🥾⛰️

Our Bilingual Book Club is reading the Little Prince, join us on Fridays to participate!

“Emilio, when you finish the outside walls, can you build a little box on the side for books?” “What do you mean, a box for books outside of the house?” He asked me with only a hint of sarcasm. Though out the last two years, he had shown up every day to renovate the dilapidated little castle I had bought. He was approaching retirement and, as yet, had never worked with a Californian and their unusual requests. By now, he was more familiar with my peculiarities, but I knew he would never embrace them. “What do you need a box for?” He continued. “I want a free book exchange library. People can take what they like and leave ones they have finished.” “We’ll need to put on a lock for when you are not watching it.” He warned. “No, it will always be open and welcome to all, no matter the day or time.” “Darcie”, he said, shaking his head slightly, showing that I had pushed my uniqueness too far; “but this is Spain, the books will be stolen”. “We’ll see”, I replied with optimistic stubbornness. Emilio never got around to building an actual book box, but I persisted. I loved the idea of those free libraries I had seen in California and France and Italy. They are small boxes, usually on a post and well sheltered from the weather. People leave books and take books. All free. I dreamt of having one in my academy; it supports reading, cultures, education, growth, good will… In short, the things that bring me joy. Since I wasn’t getting much support from Emilio, I found the perfect place that didn’t require adding another structure. Inside the window box! There the books were protected, easily accessible, and simple for me to maintain. Andthe glass of the window was reflective, so I could actually watch people as they browsed the collection without them being aware. A neighbour, who was 10 years old, asked me, “Why are you doing this? What does this mean?” “To share books and ideas,” I replied. And I believe she was speaking for a silent majority when she said, “I have never seen anything like this before! Can you just take books?” “Yes, and you can leave them, too. Why don’t you add some books that you are no longer reading?” And she did. Then a French family dropped off a bag full of French books, and others dropped books in Spanish. I added books in English. People browse through the books, take some and exchange others. It was actually working! Another neighbour exclaimed the other day, “Darcie, you’re changing Spain!!” I was pleased to hear it; however, what was important was that  I had faith in the Spaniards to support our free library! Emilio, now retired, still shaking his head with a smile.

On Sunday, June 23, for our monthly bilingual hiking excursion we will explore the Roman Aqueduct along the Alboi river in Xàtiva! Meet at the academy (Sant Doménec, 32, Xàtiva, Valencia) at 10; wear good walking shoes, water and a desire to explore and practice your Spanish/English. You have to climb a little but it is not difficult. 🥾⛰️🤩

“Asking isn’t as easy as they say and that is because you get what you ask for.” “Well, isn’t that the idea?” I replied to my brother as we walked along the Mediterranean beach in Valencia with the setting sun penetrating both the sky and the water, infusing them with the same deep blue, red, and orange hues. Breath-taking! With Easter upon us, it seems natural to contemplate the deeper “stuff”, to turn inward and perhaps do an internal spring cleaning. We may ask ourselves: ˝what do I want to continue developing as the days grow longer and the flowers and birds come to life once again? And what do I want to discard?˝ At least that is what my siblings and I pondered under the dramatic Valencia sky. It was the first time they were visiting and as we explored the sea, the mountains and the towns together, our conversation got philosophical. ˝I read about Julia Butterfly, a girl who lived in an old-growth Redwood tree in California for two years in order to protect it. There was a point in her protest that she was tiring, so she put her hands together and asked for strength to persevere˝. ˝She got what she wanted,˝ continued my brother, ˝but soon after her prayer, the loggers sent out helicopters that buzzed around her day and night for two weeks. It also began pelting rain, nonstop for the same two weeks.˝ ˝When she was at the point of collapse, in another prayer she asked angrily why she was being beaten down instead of helped! When she could gather herself together, the answer came,˝ continued my brother, ˝one gets stronger by overcoming adversity, not by having things come easily. She had gotten what she asked for. She needed to connect with her inner strength!˝ In the story, she did reach down and find that inner strength to go on. She became even more dynamic and powerful; the tree was saved. I thought of my students who, like Julia Butterfly, wanted to develop skills. If they simply ask to be fluent in English, they won’t magically begin communicating. I suspect what actually happens is that when the petition is heard, we are given the tools to achieve what we want. In this example, a teacher enters the student’s life and begins pushing and prodding against complaints and laziness until the students find that inner confidence and discipline to master English or Spanish! With the realisation of how asking and getting works, we all stopped with all the petitions and simply enjoy the sunset

If you have not been attending our Friday evening, I'm afraid you've been missing out! But don't worry, we keep growing and sharing new ideas, cultural treats and a lot of fun. Here's the schedule for end of March and April: Our "Special" Bilingual Book Club. We just began a new book: The Knight in Rusty Armor, by Robert Fisher. We will continue reading until the end and discuss it on Friday, April 19. If you have the next book in mind, please mention it! Our Adult Immersion Classes are going at a full roar of laughter and learning! As we share our talents, not only do we learn different culturas, but new skills! Adult Immersion Class for Friday, March 29, we will share the Holy Week Processions together. Our Spanish friends are preparing an informative evening. Adult Immersion Class for Friday, April 12 We will have a Salsa Dance lesson! Bring a friend if you like and let's bust out some moves! Will we meet at 7:00 pm at Carrer Corretgeria, 35, Xativa.

Si no podido asistir a nuestra noche de inmersión los viernes, ¡me temo que te lo estés faltando algo importante con tu crecimiento lingüístico! Pero no te preocupes, seguimos creciendo y compartiendo nuevas ideas, delicias culturales y mucha diversión. Aquí está las fechas para finales de marzo y abril: Nuestro Club de Lectura Bilingüe "Especial". Acabamos de comenzar un nuevo libro: El caballero de la armadura oxidada, de Robert Fisher. Continuaremos leyendo hasta el final del libro para el viernes 19 de abril, y lo discutiremos. Si quieres compartir una sugerencia para el próximo libro, ¡menciónalo! ¡Nuestras clases de inmersión para adultos están llenas de risas y aprendizaje! Al compartir nuestros talentos, no sólo aprendemos diferentes culturas, ¡sino también nuevas habilidades! Clase de Inmersión para Adultos para el viernes 29 de marzo, compartiremos juntos las Procesiones de Semana Santa. Nuestros amigos españoles se están preparando darnos una velada informativa y divertida. Clase de Inmersión de Idiomas para Adultos para el viernes 12 de abril ¡Tendremos una clase de bailar Salsa! ¡Trae a un@ amig@ si quieres y hagamos algunos movimientos! Nos encontraremos a las 19:00 horas en Carrer Corretgeria, 35, Xàtiva.

Visit the Free Little Library just outside DarKha Academy. We put out books and music to share. Please feel free to let a book and pick up a book.

“Those look great! I love fluffy biscuits!” I exclaimed as Betty unveiled her afternoon baking project. However, when I scuttled to the kitchen to get plates, I glimpsed a fleeting puzzled look cross her face. I grabbed the final items for the Bilingual Book Club meeting: tea, wine glasses, and my book when I heard Mike, who had just entered, exclaim, “Yes, some proper scones!” He also was commenting on Betty’s contribution to our gathering. I knew it was him because of his English accent. I’m American; we speak the same language, almost. The conversation between Mike and Betty continued: “And we have clotted cream! Couldn’t buy it in this country (Spain), so I learned how to make it!” “You are an angel straight from heaven!” sighed Mike, bliss radiating from his smile. “You got the jam, correct?” She motioned with a nod and a smile which said: “What do you take me for?!” Betty must have made some sort of English comfort food. Which, to me, was questionable…. how comforting could “clotted” cream be? Sounds like something that went bad. I kept the thought to myself. I’ve been living in Spain now for a couple of years and I expect to learn new things daily. However, I realized now that there are those with whom I share a language and who also live in Spain that are equally educating: the English! As Betty passed the “scones” around (which look like American biscuits…) for all to try, Mike went into lecturer mode and explained to all non English or New Zealand persons, such as us Spaniards, Americans, Argentinians, Dutch and French, exactly how to apply the clotted cream and the jam. Jam goes on first and then the cream. The lecture also included what NOT to do and that the consequence of doing such an act has apparently started civil wars. Never put the clotted cream on first and then the jam! Or was it the other way around? I sat next to Amparo from Valencia and Susana from Argentina. When the scones came to me, I sneakily observed Amparo and Susana to imitate their actions: the jam first or the cream first? I didn’t want problems! They were fidgeting with their napkins, obviously waiting for me to make the first move. “You, guys!” I whispered, “which goes first? The jam or the cream?!” “I don’t remember, you’re the who speaks English!” whispered Amparo back to me as if hers was a viable excuse. I rolled my eyes. Fortunately, as the tension built, a voice rose above the heated whispers: “So, Mike remind us again”, said Sara, the always cool, calm Dutch, “which goes on first? We don’t want to start another civil war!”

“I can’t wait to try all the food!” exclaimed Dylan excitedly as we entered the supermarket. My son and his family from California had just landed in Spain and they were ready for adventure! His musings through the prepared food isles brought back memories of when I had asked similar questions. He stopped in front of the Russian salad. “What’s this?” he asked, studying it through the packaging. “It’s the Spanish version of our potato salad except that they add tuna, peas, carrots and tomatoes and there is no mustard nor pickles” I explained. “No mustard! Interesting!” he replied as he put it in the cart. Next item in question: “What is this round yellow thing?» “A tortilla”. “That is NOT a tortilla, Mom, sorry; that is something with lots of eggs and potatoes!” “Dylan, I know Spanish is spoken here but; we are not in Mexico. Here, they make tortillas with eggs and potatoes, not ground corn flour.” “I like eggs and potatoes” he said as he added one to the cart. Brandie, his wife, quickly noticed the picture of an onion on the packaging and asked for a version without onions. Interesting, I thought, Californians have the same dispute as Spaniards; which is better, tortilla with or without onions. Personally, I think it is a silly argument since everything is better with onions. Keeping that to myself, I switched the tortilla to one without onions. Later during the visit, the Californians sat down to paella, eager to try the traditional dish. “I love it!” exclaimed Dylan, “I bet every family has their own secret recipe for this!” Xavi, the native Valenciano imparting his rich culture to my Californian family, joined in the conversation. He was a little more familiar with Californian thinking. “Dylan, we don’t change recipes in Spain; we follow them”. Surprised, Dylan inquired, “Really, but why?” For him, and for me also, it is quite a concept to not change a recipe. At a barbecue or a family gathering in the U.S., one joy is to try the different homemade versions of our traditional foods. Most everyone has a specialty dish with its secret recipe, such as potato salad, pizza, sushi, or barbecue sauce. When we sat down to bocadillos, Dylan, not understanding the menu, said: “I’ll have whatever Xavi has”. He was thrilled by the Spanish ham, cheese, egg, onions, and allioi combination served on a large baguette. The next day, Dylan greeted Xavi at lunchtime with a homemade bocadillo. Impressed, Xavi exclaimed: “This is even better than the restaurant!” “Of course,” smiled Dylan, “it’s my secret recipe.” Dylan, Brandie, Hero and Lily enjoying Montesa cuisine. Photo