O.k. That last post was really just a test as I was setting things up. Now the real, good stuff begins.
Where to next?
My kids and I are on our way to Ecuador for a month of Spanish language school. Steve will be joining us the middle two weeks of our adventure. I will answer each question in turn.
Why spanish school?
We don't know any spanish. Actually hablo Espaniol en poco. Muy poco. (The people who know spanish and are reading this are probably laughing.) Tate and I went to Honduras two years ago and I figured we would be able to get by because lots of people speak English. It is pretty much a universal language, right? Wrong! I could not function and felt very detached from the people and culture I was learning about. (The same thing happened in France but that was o.k. The French did not want to talk to me anyway.) We got separated from the fluent Spanish speaker we were with and I nearly had a meltdown. I coped by going into a Wendy's (yes, they have Wendy's in Honduras. And Burger King, KFC, etc. No Taco Bell though.) and ordering a Ocho sin queso y coke sin heilo. That is a number 8 meal with no cheese and a Coke with no ice. I told Tate to eat slowly while I tried to figure out what to do. To sum up (to late) I never want to be that helpless in Central or South America again and want to learn Spanish so I can travel there more.
--side note--I will not be learning French for when I go back there. I was permanently scarred by my high school French teacher and now can only stutter miserably when faced with anything beyond "Parlez vous Englais?"
Why Ecuador?
There are Spanish schools all over Central and South America, but we have never been south of the equator so that sounded cool. Also Ecuador is more economical than Peru or Bolivia. It is a peaceful country too.
Which school are you going to?
When I started researching schools I found several in Quito, the capital, and sent out inquiries. There were a lot I liked but settled on the one that gave the best response about the classes for my kids. Also, this school has a satellite campus in a fishing village on the coast which really appeals to me. We will attend La-Langua for four weeks and you can see it by visiting thier website. http://www.la-lengua.com/
Why a month?
The basic program takes 60 to 80 hours. We are doing four hours a day, five days a week for four weeks. Steve will only be doing two weeks of that but he is a fast learner and should do fine. I have a private teacher and the kids are together with another teacher.
Where will you be?
We will be in Quito for two weeks and then fly down to Puerto Lopez, the small fishing village for the final two weeks. Quito is at 9350 feet in Andes Mountains. The second highest capital city in the world. (La Paz, Bolivia is the highest for you curious folks.) It is one hour south of the equator but cold because of the elevation. I expect temps in the low 60's to high 40's at night and lots of rain. P. Lopez will be hot and humid and buggy.
That pretty much covers it. We leave for St. Louis this afternoon. Stay in a hotel and the fly out at 7am tomorrow. I will send another post during the five hour layover in Miami.
Where to next?
My kids and I are on our way to Ecuador for a month of Spanish language school. Steve will be joining us the middle two weeks of our adventure. I will answer each question in turn.
Why spanish school?
We don't know any spanish. Actually hablo Espaniol en poco. Muy poco. (The people who know spanish and are reading this are probably laughing.) Tate and I went to Honduras two years ago and I figured we would be able to get by because lots of people speak English. It is pretty much a universal language, right? Wrong! I could not function and felt very detached from the people and culture I was learning about. (The same thing happened in France but that was o.k. The French did not want to talk to me anyway.) We got separated from the fluent Spanish speaker we were with and I nearly had a meltdown. I coped by going into a Wendy's (yes, they have Wendy's in Honduras. And Burger King, KFC, etc. No Taco Bell though.) and ordering a Ocho sin queso y coke sin heilo. That is a number 8 meal with no cheese and a Coke with no ice. I told Tate to eat slowly while I tried to figure out what to do. To sum up (to late) I never want to be that helpless in Central or South America again and want to learn Spanish so I can travel there more.
--side note--I will not be learning French for when I go back there. I was permanently scarred by my high school French teacher and now can only stutter miserably when faced with anything beyond "Parlez vous Englais?"
Why Ecuador?
There are Spanish schools all over Central and South America, but we have never been south of the equator so that sounded cool. Also Ecuador is more economical than Peru or Bolivia. It is a peaceful country too.
Which school are you going to?
When I started researching schools I found several in Quito, the capital, and sent out inquiries. There were a lot I liked but settled on the one that gave the best response about the classes for my kids. Also, this school has a satellite campus in a fishing village on the coast which really appeals to me. We will attend La-Langua for four weeks and you can see it by visiting thier website. http://www.la-lengua.com/
Why a month?
The basic program takes 60 to 80 hours. We are doing four hours a day, five days a week for four weeks. Steve will only be doing two weeks of that but he is a fast learner and should do fine. I have a private teacher and the kids are together with another teacher.
Where will you be?
We will be in Quito for two weeks and then fly down to Puerto Lopez, the small fishing village for the final two weeks. Quito is at 9350 feet in Andes Mountains. The second highest capital city in the world. (La Paz, Bolivia is the highest for you curious folks.) It is one hour south of the equator but cold because of the elevation. I expect temps in the low 60's to high 40's at night and lots of rain. P. Lopez will be hot and humid and buggy.
That pretty much covers it. We leave for St. Louis this afternoon. Stay in a hotel and the fly out at 7am tomorrow. I will send another post during the five hour layover in Miami.
Comments
También, diga a Cora: Alex está habitando a nuestra casa en Chicago esta semana (para hacer visitas) y hablamos de ella a todo tiempo.
I am sure there will be lots of interesting stories!
BTW - Frank - put a cork in it, show-off! AMERICAN is the legally official language of Chicago -- look it up!
And Cora, I was with Frank and Alex all weekend, they only spoke about how wonderful it will be to speak WITH, not about you, in a second language.
Hope you all are having a great time.
Sarah