the_lochsa - 2-24-2004 at 02:14 PM
Hello everyone-
My wife, my son, and I are thinking very seriously about spending this Fall down in La Paz studying Spanish at the University down there (UABCS).
While we have read and heard wonderful things about La Paz in print and on the Internet, we have not been able to find anything about the Spanish
classes offered at UABCS.
I've trolled the UABCS website several times, and have only found a course schedule from 2000 that mentions an "Espanol para extranjeros" class.
Other than that there is nothing about the cirriculum that can be found. Does anyone have any experience they can share about studying Spanish in La
Paz at the UABCS?
Also, would La Paz be a good place for a family (with a 2-year old and a dog) to rent a house and spend four months studying, snorkeling, and fishing
in the sun?
Thanks so much for your help!
I think
Tucker - 2-24-2004 at 08:08 PM
classes are held 3 afternoons a week at UABCS. I know gringos who have attended but have no direct personal knowledge, private lessons are available
from several sources. Check with the Marina de La Paz for specifics.
La Paz is as family friendly a city as there is on the planet.
Stephanie Jackter - 2-24-2004 at 10:40 PM
There's also a language school with a pretty good reputation there called "Se Habla La Paz". They're a little pricey, but have intensive courses that
I've heard are very well done. I think they have a web site too. - Stephanie
La Paz
Skeet/Loreto - 2-25-2004 at 06:17 AM
I would like to second Steph's recommend for La Paz as a Family place My wife and I lived in Loreto for many years and stayed in La Paz many times.
That was the closest place to Shop!. My wife had no fear of shopping all day while I went fishing.up to 2002 a women could walk the Beach and feel
secure.
Escellent place for the Children!
Skeet/Loreto
Stephanie Jackter - 2-25-2004 at 09:36 AM
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=700
If your child's not swimming already, this is a thread that I think might be useful for you to check out. The swim aids I talk about are just
wonderful for giving your little one a head start on swimming and a wonderful sense of freedom as he putzes around the beaches and learns to swim. It
also gives parents the freedom to be in the water without the 2 year old glomming onto them the whole time. - Stephanie
Language School in La Paz
Anonymous - 2-28-2004 at 01:16 AM
Stephanie is correct. There is an excellent school called Se Habla La Paz. Go to www.SeHablaLaPaz.com to see their web site.
My wife and I have attended their school, and found the instruction to be excellent.The director and the staff are friendly, helpful and well
connected to the community. They are more expensive than the other schools, but they deliver in every regard.
Differing views on La Paz -- Thanks for your insight
the_lochsa - 3-19-2004 at 02:29 PM
Thank you everyone for your helpful advice. It's in large part due to this board that we are planning our extended stay down in La Paz.
One thing that we have noticed when talking with people about Baja and La Paz is that there have been some highly divergent views about whether it
would be a good place to spend a few months.
Two very good friends of ours quit their jobs and are now traveling around the Pacific Coast of Mexico -- I think they are in Sayulita right now.
They traveled the length of Baja in their RV towing a Jeep Wrangler behind them and with their surfboards strapped on top of their rig.
They were underwhelmed by Baja -- the food, the countryside, and the towns. They seemed to appreciate the small artist/surfer community of Todos
Santos more than anywhere else. Their recommendation was that we should look elsewhere for our extended stay. They absolutely love Sayulita and the
verdant coast near PV.
Perhaps the issue is that we are looking for something other than what they seek. The idea of hanging out in a place dominated by Americans is
counterproductive to what we want to accomplish: improving our Spanish and getting a taste of the Mexican culture. A small expat community can be a
wonderful resource, we just don't want to preclude the benefits of immersing ourselves in Mexican culture.
From what you all have mentioned, and what we have read, La Paz seems to be a town that is big enough to offer amenities such as different cuisines,
the University, and good health care, but not so big that the ills of large cities of the developing world drag it down.
We're just looking for a good place to rent a house, swim, snorkel, stroll, kayak, body board (on the pacific coast), sail, and study, and La Paz
sounds ideal. (Before you mention that you don't recommend doing this with a 2 yr old, we plan on hiring some help for that!) Most likely we will be
in Guanajuato in August and Sept before heading to La Paz in Oct for the rest of the year. The only other beach town in the running is old town
Mazatlan outside of the tourist area.
Thanks again and keep the insights coming!
BTW -- "Living Better South of the Border in Mexico" is a wonderfully concise read about the pros and cons of living in Mexico, with short but
insightful reviews on likely retirement/extended vacation locations - some on the beaten track such as Cabo and others such as the Gulf Coast that
don't get as much press. The Moon Guide to Baja has also been helpful.
another view of La Paz
Juan - 3-20-2004 at 10:27 AM
It is a good thing to read all you can about an area you are planning on visiting. The Moon handbook, et al, gets you started but keep in mind that
things change almost daily in Baja and Baja Sur.
I think I have seen your friends driving up and down Mex 1; the RV towing another vehicle with the surf boards on top. Not an uncommon sight on the
way to and from Todos Santos.
You state that you want a place where you can surf, study, rent a house, etc and you are specific in wanting to be on the Pacific side of the
peninsula. Since you are considering La Paz as your destination you might want to know it is NOT on the Pacific side. However, Todos Santos is, if
that is the type of experience you are looking for.
Although La Paz is situated on the Gulf of Mexico it would probably fill most of your needs. Tourism is everywhere but not so noticible in La Paz.
In addition, many of the La Paz tourists are Mexican nationals from the mainland.
Whatever you decide your child will have a wonderful time and so will you. Mexican people generally love children and your child will open doors for
you that otherwise you would miss.
Best wishes, Juan
University may not work, we'll probably try the marina
the_lochsa - 4-2-2004 at 03:27 PM
Thanks for all of your responses.
Se Habla La Paz seems like a great a program. Our major issue is that the classes are $220USD a week for half-time, which translates to $950USD a
month. This would definitely crater our budget if we enrolled for a couple of months. 
It has been well-nigh impossible to get any information regarding classes at the University. I must have exchanged five or six emails with one of the
directors over there, but no one ever got back to me about the class schedules and content. Best I can tell is that they offer 1 hr classes three
days a week for the entire semester. So the classes would not be *intensive* enough for us and the schedule won't work as we will not be there the
entire semester.
Maybe Raymundo's classes at the Marina de la Paz for $35/wk for 2 hrs classes on M/W/F will be the best option. I haven't heard about the quality of
the classes, but we will but just on the heels of studying at the University of Guanajuato for two months and so we will probably need a break. 
Anonymous - 4-8-2004 at 09:53 PM
First off, kudos to your choice of heading to La Paz. Todos Santos was very disappointing to me whereas I love La Paz, opposite of what your frends
found. However, then again, I'm not in an RV and hanging around the ex-pat areas exclusively...
I'd pass on lessons with Raymond directly at the Marina. Friends staying at the marina took classes with him just a month ago or so, and were very
disappointed. The last class of the week was entirely devoted to getting them to sign up for more lessons. They didn't even learn how to pronounce
the spanish alphabet in that week.
There are 3 major language schools there to my knowledge, of which Se Habla is but one (though it is the newest and gets very high ratings from
people). I'm looking into taking lessons there myself (going there in about a month), so please share anything you find.