TRIP REPORT – SPANISH SCHOOL

Report on your Puerto Vallarta trip, hotel, restaurant, tour, etc.

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Vallero
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TRIP REPORT – SPANISH SCHOOL

Post by Vallero » Mon Sep 28, 2009 2:40 pm

I joined this discussion group a month ago while preparing for my first trip to Puerto Vallarta to take a Spanish language course. A number of people asked me to post my impressions of the course, which I am happy to do.

I attended the SPANISH EXPERIENCE CENTER located on Calle Chili, (three blocks north from the end of the Malecon).
Prior to arriving at the school I did an on-line placement exam, which tested basic grammar skills, and then when I arrived at the school for my first class I was interviewed to assess my conversational level. I was placed in a class with one other student with the same fluency as myself, the maximum number of students per classroom is 3.

Initially I was somewhat surprised by the structure of the courses. I was expecting an emphasis on grammar and verb conjugations but instead the course is more focused on improving conversational skills. The instructors are very experienced with this style of teaching and through the use of books and multi-media presentations they always kept a lively and informative conversation going among themselves and the students. Although appearing very casual the instructors listen very carefully to everything you say and correct pronunciation, poor sentence structure or other errors as soon as you make a mistake. Overall learning this way is very effective, I only attended classes for three weeks but I have noticed a huge improvement in my ability to carry on a conversation and with that I have more confidence to start conversations that I might otherwise have not begun for fear of getting lost.

I don’t think this course would be suitable for someone with absolutely no knowledge of Spanish. However for someone who has a limited vocabulary and knows a few of the basic conjugation and grammar rules the course would definitely be helpful. I am probably lower-intermediate in my language skills and for me I would rate my experience at the school at 10 out of 10!

I will return in a few months for another 3 or 4 week course, and continue to do so in the future.

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Post by pvgemini » Mon Sep 28, 2009 7:52 pm

Did you stay with a host family at all? Or did you talk to anyone who did while you were there? I would like to know any of your impressions about this.

The school sounds great!

My daughter plans to attend classes for one week next summer, and this will be just after 4 years of high school Spanish study.

Sally

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Post by Vallero » Mon Sep 28, 2009 8:41 pm

I chose to stay at Hotel Encino mainly because the prices were so cheap during the off season. There were other students who stayed with host families and I received mixed reviews from them. All said that their accomodations were clean and secure but none had air conditioning which made for uncomfortable sleeping in September. One student opted for the meal plan with the host family and found the food to be nourishing but very very repetative.

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Post by teatrolimon » Tue Sep 29, 2009 12:52 am

this might be an option for me

thanks for the information

ive been running a business here for a while and have learned to communicate very well

but for me, i think i would benefit from the sentence structuring


crap who knows
i meat even learn how to type and do proper sentences in english

ok thats probably not going to happen anytime soon


but once again ty


bruce

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Post by ronald » Tue Sep 29, 2009 5:27 am

Don't be so hard on yourself Bruce.

English is very hard to learn to write correctly, and you really aren't doing all that bad with English as your second language.

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Post by benito » Tue Sep 29, 2009 11:38 pm

which program did you pick? hours a day, and how many weeks?

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Post by Vallero » Fri Oct 02, 2009 2:00 pm

You can pick any number of hours per day from 3 to 8. I did 4 plus and an optional hour to discuss specific subjects such as perterito-imperfecto etc.. The course schedule is flexible and consequently the teachers will arrange the curriculum to suit your preferences.
I only did a three week course, some people were doing 10. It is your preference. I was happy with my selection, I have returned home, I will do some home study then return for a month for more training in a few months. It is whatever suits your preferred learning style and free time for travelling to Mexico.

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