IF you are a high school student here in Spain, chances are you must have an English subject. The European Union has long instituted to make second language acquisition a must in all high schools all over the continent. And English is extremely popular here in the country because it is the only way to be competitive. After all, there are lots of British tourists roaming around the country and it will not help you deal with them if you only know how to speak Spanish. Aside from the English studies that you have acquired in school, there are lots of benefits if you both watch English programming on television and browse the Internet.

And the Internet, do not just browse the web. There are lots of ways to loiter around the Internet. You can have a video conference with someone from the other side of the globe. You can watch streaming videos. Even playing in such games as Rainbow Six, Resident Evil or Counterstrike can already complement what formal English lessons you are taught in school. You can do these on weekends or the whole summer and holiday season long. If you’re bored at home, you can even watch movies at your local IMAX moviehouse.

The one currently playing which I certainly recommend you to watch is Eastern Promises. Because of heavy male nudity scenes, the movie is for moviegoers 18 years old and above only so make sure you have already celebrated your debut before you get in. For many Spanish girls who are turning 18 this February, make this as your gift to yourself. This film has already been released in Spain last September but because star Viggo Mortensen has been nominated for a best actor Oscar for his poignant role in the movie, it is currently enjoying a rerun all over the country. And I definitely recommend it for Spanish girls who have just turned 18 because Viggo is nude here in a three-minute fight scene. Think of it as your coming-of-age gift. Aside from enjoying the movie, you can also enjoy listening to the English dialogue and learn something. And I also want to recommend that you watch the movie in a cinema with no subtitles at all so you really can make out the conversations yourself without visual assistance. That is if you really want to learn English that bad.

Aside from Viggo, another awesome star in a movie that I like is Naomi Watts. Even now that she’s turning 40, Naomi is still lovely and would still pass as a 27-year-old hottie. The English conversations in all her movies are also worth renting and watching again and again at home especially if you pause and rewind them all over if you really are interested to maximize learning English. Her first movie that I like is The Ring. Although it is a remake of a Japanese original, the Hollywood version has perfect English pitch.