BajaNomad

Spanish Immersion Recommendations

panhandle - 6-9-2014 at 01:02 PM

I’d like to take a couple of weeks of Spanish Immersion classes, at a school that offers home stay accommodations. I’d prefer Ensenada, since I can drive there, but would be interested in anyone’s experience or recommendations.

pauldavidmena - 6-10-2014 at 07:03 AM

Being in Southern Baja, these may be geographically inconvenient, but http://guillermolanguageandtravel.com/language/ lists 3 different courses in the Todos Santos area.

David K - 6-10-2014 at 07:12 AM

Here you go (in Ensenada, and other locations): http://www.bajacal.com/

http://www.bajacal.com/spanish-immersion-programs.html

[Edited on 6-10-2014 by David K]

bajacalifornian - 6-10-2014 at 08:05 AM

Practice with your Mexican friends.


Begin early, with verbs moving you out of present tense only.

Start with just one irregular, and just one ar er & ir.

Mulegena - 6-10-2014 at 08:10 AM

While practicing with Mexicans is always in order, a good total-emersion intense classroom experience is invaluable, as it offers structure and achievable defined goals.

DianaT - 6-10-2014 at 08:26 AM

Maybe check with lauriboats as I know she went to La Paz and enjoyed the experience. While further away, at least there is an airport there.

bajajudy - 6-10-2014 at 08:38 AM

Check with Se Habla, La Paz.
http://www.sehablalapaz.com/
I was there many years ago, stayed with a family, had classes in the mornings.

ELINVESTIG8R - 6-10-2014 at 08:57 AM

http://warrenhardy.com/school

Ensenada school

Whale-ista - 6-10-2014 at 09:11 AM

I attended a school in Ensenada many years back for a few weeks. The name escapes me, but the city has several good, reputable places. (But I lived at my own place- not as effective.)

Make sure they give you a good preliminary assessment so you are in a class suitable for your skill level. Better schools offer outings to wine tastings cooking classes etc. to help reinforce classroom learning.

Agree living with Spanish speaking family, immersion style is best. Give yourself at least 2-3 weeks, a month is ideal.

Handy learning tip: Carry post-it notes. Write down key verbs/conjugations to review, and nouns of things in your room: attach to things to help reinforce lessons.

Warning: Do not try this out of your room! Or try it and see what happens.... you might make some new friends that way.

David K - 6-10-2014 at 11:34 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Whale-ista
I attended a school in Ensenada many years back for a few weeks. The name escapes me, but the city has several good, reputable places. (But I lived at my own place- not as effective.)

Make sure they give you a good preliminary assessment so you are in a class suitable for your skill level. Better schools offer outings to wine tastings cooking classes etc. to help reinforce classroom learning.

Agree living with Spanish speaking family, immersion style is best. Give yourself at least 2-3 weeks, a month is ideal.

Handy learning tip: Carry post-it notes. Write down key verbs/conjugations to review, and nouns of things in your room: attach to things to help reinforce lessons.

Warning: Do not try this out of your room! Or try it and see what happens.... you might make some new friends that way.


See my link above, it is in Ensenada... maybe the same?

Thanks

panhandle - 6-11-2014 at 04:29 PM

Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions. I'll check them out.

speaking spanish

amigobaja - 1-6-2020 at 09:46 AM

Has anyone been to a immersion school since this was originally posted?
Looking for a school to attend location doesn't matter. Would prefer to find one someone has actually experience with.

Ken Cooke - 1-6-2020 at 10:01 AM

Quote: Originally posted by amigobaja  
Has anyone been to a immersion school since this was originally posted?
Looking for a school to attend location doesn't matter. Would prefer to find one someone has actually experience with.


Wife is from Northern Colombia and states that many foreign visitors visit Barranquilla for Spanish immersion programs. In my travels, I know first hand that Spanish (Castilian) is only used in Colombia and it is rare than anyone knows English. While I don't know of any immersion schools, I do know that Northern Colombia is inexpensive and you will be learning Castilian Spanish in an environment with very little English spoken.

chippy - 1-6-2020 at 11:21 AM

I went here https://www.academiahispanoamericana.com/ about 17 years ago. It was a very good experience.

pacificobob - 1-7-2020 at 07:40 AM

Quote: Originally posted by soulpatch  
I think anywhere in baja would be difficult for a true immersion experience.... all my friends that have done it have gone to Guatemala and said it was better and less expensive.
Need to try it myself!

I studied in Guatemala in the late 70s. 7 hrs@day, 1 on 1 with a instructor. Stayed with a family. All during a lot of shooting. [Revolution] the school had 60 students when i started but the violence ran all but 6 of us off. The school shut down at that point. I had a great time....the locals...not so much.

pacificobob - 1-7-2020 at 03:12 PM

As i remember i did it for about 6 weeks. What i did wrong was party with English speakers too much in off hours. The thing is, after 7 hours, my head hurt. I just wanted to have a drink and spark a fatty. I do believe it is a good learning method. [ the 7hr@day part]

Alm - 1-8-2020 at 07:20 PM

If you try and speak Castellano in Baja, locals won't understand 1/3 of what you are saying.

Quote: Originally posted by lencho  
my personal experience is that just a short period of reversion back into the first language, has a huge negative impact on the submersive acquisition process in the second.

True.
Given that most "nomads" here don't live in Spanish immersion while in Baja, don't have Spanish-speaking spouses, prefer English TV to Spanish, and then spend 50% of time in the US, such setbacks are inevitable and quite irreversible. Especially in older age. You forget words, tenses, irregular conjugations, and have to look it up, or when there is no time, you reduce future to present, cut subjunctive out etc.

pauldavidmena - 1-9-2020 at 01:50 PM

Spanish and Go, one of many online language resources, offers a number of immersion "tours" in Mexico. Here is a list of the current offerings from their website.

amigobaja - 1-9-2020 at 02:34 PM

Mucho gracias

pacificobob - 1-9-2020 at 08:14 PM

I would think a year in prison and fluency would be cinch.

BajaTed - 1-10-2020 at 11:47 AM

Working in SoCal as a contractor you get to know Spanglish.

My father learned his Spanish in Peru and as with every geographical region it is nuanced by the local culture over time.

The more eurocentric your Spanish is the greater authority it will carry in certain situations.

Alm - 1-10-2020 at 11:51 AM

Quote: Originally posted by pacificobob  
I would think a year in prison and fluency would be cinch.

Mexican girlfriend or "esposa" is better (for language, at least).

The problem is, with modern technology and English being much simpler grammatically than Spanish, they learn English faster than you learn Spanish. It's hard to find any store or auto shop today where they wouldn't speak "some" English.

pauldavidmena - 1-10-2020 at 12:32 PM

My brother learned "Cholo" thanks to 30 years with the LAPD. He wouldn't be able to order a meal in Mexico, but he could read you your rights.

pacificobob - 1-10-2020 at 05:11 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Alm  
Quote: Originally posted by pacificobob  
I would think a year in prison and fluency would be cinch.

Mexican girlfriend or "esposa" is better (for language, at least).

The problem is, with modern technology and English being much simpler grammatically than Spanish, they learn English faster than you learn Spanish. It's hard to find any store or auto shop today where they wouldn't speak "some" English.


ah yes, in the 70s I was tutored horizontally in Honduras. indeed a good methodology. i find english far more complex grammatically than spanish.