Where to go for Spanish Immersion?
My wife and I have been learning Spanish for a little over a year now, and now want to go to a Spanish Immersion School - but where?
We are currently in Canada, so Latin America is the obvious choice, but should we go to Mexico, Cuba, Panama, Costa Rica...?
We are very interested in experiencing the local culture too, so are hoping to organise a homestay along with daily classes.
For my work I need to have some access to the internet in the evenings, which might be a consideration.
Have you done an immersion already?
What were your experiences? (good and bad)
Thanks!
p.s. I realise that many Latin Americans are deeply religious. My wife and I are atheists, but very respectful of other people's beliefs and culture, so I hope it wouldn't be a problem.
4 Answers
I would suggest Mexico. And particularly the Warren Hardy School in San Miguel de Allende. I did not attend but used their books. They are excellent.
I did an immersion in La Paz for a month. It was great. But I wanted to learn spanish quickly so on top of immersion I did 4-6 hours a day of tarea. That is what I used the Warren Hardy books for.
We went to Costa Rica for a very short time and they speak very clear Spanish and have many, many language schools to choose from. We felt very good about our experience there. I can only speak for the internet in San Jose, but it was good depending on which package you choose. Plus, the beauty of the country is amazing. Because of the tourism industry there are quite a few folks that speak English but as long as you stay out of the tourist areas, you will need Spanish to get by. Some people that have gone to Mexico have been somewhat disappointed, not because the schools are inferior, but because the Spanish has a lot of Spanglish influence and you might have a harder time understanding other Spanish speakers, especially those from South America. We live in Chile and there are many schools here and I know you would feel full immersion here. You cannot get by in English here and the Spanish is very, very fast compared to what I've heard in Central America. It is very modern and you will have no problem securing great internet. Feel free to PM me as we have several friends that have taken Spanish in several countries. Chilean Spanish is heavily idiomatic, but if you can understand the lovely people of Chile, you can understand any Spanish speaker.
Immersion? It depends. If you want to learn Spanish for the fun of it, Mexico would do it. If you want to learn Spanish for business or to learn a better quality, language wise, then Colombia, Peru and Ecuador would be a better choice for business/cleanest Spanish. Mexican Spanish is mixed with English, Aztec and Mayan languages.
My suggestion is that you take a web tour, of sort, of each country in South America or the ones you would think will be best for you two.
