jhnebob
11/29/2016 10:34 EST
Is there a Spanish language school that anyone would recommend? I am planning to visit Nicaragua and would like to learn the language during my visit. I would like to stay away from the major cities, perhaps Esteli or other smaller city. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
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KeyWestPirate
11/29/2016 12:45 EST
I spent two weeks at Hijos del Maiz in El Lagartillo. Close enough to come back to Estelí for a weekend steak (you'll need it, I lost ten pounds).
HomeStay, but families vary tremendously in accommodations they provide AND teachers are Maestros Campesinos (whatever the hell that means).
When I was there five or so years ago,, there were no English speakers, and I had a great teacher and a good home stay experience.
The school is run by a junta, they had no electricity, so it was a nice taste of Nicaragua the way it was.
Students are passed around so everyone gets a shot at him or her, but if you scream loud enough you will get what you need.
My teacher was a sharp university student, structured classes with a whiteboard and a good learning environment. Others only have a bench under a tree.
Bring learning materials like verb book and good (big) dictionary.
The town of Achuapa is close, but a little hard to get to, 7 KM. I walked it a few times, but I was younger. Safe environment. Swimming hole with waterfall a short distance, maybe a long hour's walk.
In Achuapa there were far more horses and mules that cars at the time.
Google Hijos del Maiz for more info.
Sounds like it would meet your requirements.
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atz111
11/29/2016 13:07 EST
If you have no or very little Spanish language skills, you are better off to start with a more traditional/structured environment where the teachers speak English and Spanish. Goes much quicker to get up to speed. immersion classes are good once you have gotten to past the beginner level.
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prpcof
11/29/2016 13:48 EST
Question. Is it better to have a tutor (how do I find) or classes. I am least 1 hour from a large town. Will travel if that is best. Not fond of driving here.
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novato1953
11/29/2016 15:41 EST
If you know a foreigner whose Spanish you admire, ask where they learned. Otherwise, I think a lot of it comes down to motivation. How badly you want it is a good predictor of whether you'll work hard enough to get it. Even the best teachers have students who flunk.
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cedelune
11/29/2016 19:33 EST
In the Spanish schools I've attended, almost all my "classes" were one-on-one. If you can find a teacher who is trained to teach Spanish as a second language you are likely to have a better experience than with a teacher such as a college student making some money on the side teaching Spanish. I agree about homestays--they vary widely, but if you get a family willing to speak slowly with you it can be very helpful. Food and accommodations vary greatly. I had one family I called my "weight loss program", and another where the hostess was an awesome, if unpredictable cook. So you might wind up with soup for breakfast, but it was delicious! Some homestay families are only in it for the money, while others genuinely want to help you learn.
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jhnebob
11/30/2016 08:53 EST
Thank you all for the information. I really appreciate the help. If you know of a decent place, let me know.
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elduendegrande
11/30/2016 13:43 EST
If you are a visual learner and benefit from drill and practice, bring your own materials. Dictionaries are available, but anything else will be tough to find. you might find a skimpy verb book geared to native speakers. Bring your own.
I won't mention the school I went to because it was 10 years ago, but their high card was bright motivated young women instructors. But, sitting in cheap patio chairs in miserable heat for 4 hours a day is not a great learning environment, plus the written take-home materials were skimpy.
Also, the pride of the industry, individual instructors, ain't all that great. You spend too much time under pressure to learn well. Better a class of 2 or 3 where you are not on the hot seat all the time and you can learn from the others.
After the first 2 weeks, i would suggest you break loose and find a tutor for 2 hour sessions a couple time a week. Read the paper and magazines, work in the workbooks, and let the tutor iron out the hard spots.
Immersion training is great if you are a young, healthy, disciplined soldier who can't leave the barracks even it you wanted to.
For normal mortals, it is torture in the classroom and talking to many people on the street or at the homestay will often do you more damage than good. Learn standard Nicaraguan Spanish like the professional people speak, then tackle Campesin, Street Talk, and Gang Banger.
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atz111
11/30/2016 13:52 EST
Good advice. i always found the 3-5 person class setting better than 1 on 1...certainly to start. gives you time to think and you learn by observing others as well.
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KeyWestPirate
11/30/2016 14:03 EST
Campesin is by far the toughest.
I can't understand half the older people up here,,, doesn't even sound like Spanish.
They don't talk in complete sentences, thick accents, drives me nuts.
Younger people with some school, OK, I can understand them. A lot of the campesinos drop out early,, kids see no purpose in school (and they are probably right).
Weird, having a person who doesn't speak English translate the campesino into understandable Spanish for me.
But, you make good points. Immersion is over-rated, but the necessity of speaking Spanish as much as possible is important.
Materials here are expensive and hard to find. But, Google Translate on a tablet goes a long way towards understanding (except when it doesn't)
People learn differently, no no one shoe fits everyone. I need to see the words,, I have trouble putting them in memory otherwise.
Other people are like parrots.
As the poster points out,, teachers vary like night and day. If it looks like yours is only interested in your money,, find another -quickly. You'll eventually stumble on a good one. And stumble on,, is probably how your will find him or her :)
The younger you are, the easier it will be. Mental acuity is important, and the learning process helps that, but it's also a matter of signals from the brain to mouth and tongue (and god knows what other) muscles.
This is where the constant practice comes in: The muscles need to work without conscious thought.
Good luck.
It's a struggle, like everything else worthwhile, but the results are finally rewarding.
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