Spanish Tune-Up in Mexico
by Carla Felsted

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"Menu Spanish" works for the occasional tourist, but those of us who love Latin America need greater fluency to truly enjoy its peoples and culture. Both informal and college credit classes are readily available, but they are hard to schedule in with work/family demands. A possible solution is to take Spanish classes as a part of vacation; some employers might even pay for lessons abroad.

San Miguel de Allende (SMA), some 4 hours north of Mexico City, is noted for its language programs. Six years ago we decided to take a one week "crash" course at the Academia Hispano Americana. We had been to SMA the previous year and enjoyed its colonial ambiance and cultural offerings.

The older school in town, the Instituto Allende, offered a greater variety of courses in the arts but the Spanish classes seemed to be less intensive and more expensive. To force us to use our knowledge, we also opted to stay with a local family; with all its North Americans, San Miguel is a place one can too easily coast by in English.

A recent conversation with the Academia's Director, Gary Mirjyn, revealed that the basic structure of the school remains the same. The day's classes begin at 8:30 with an hour of drill in punctuation, not unlike morning calisthenics in a military boot camp. There is now an alternative session in advanced grammar for intermediate and above students who need to fine tune their command of the language and address trouble spots. Two hours of classroom sessions follow, with instructors rotating at the hour. After break, there is a 45-minute conversational session.

Students at any level are encouraged to attend at least one daily lecture in the afternoon; topics such as Mexican literature and indigenous groups are offered. We signed up for the latter, and found the instructor excellent. Using well-paced and clear pronunciation, gestures and drawing, he was able to reach even the beginner-level students. There is now also a writing workshop, which includes everything from business and social letters to creative pieces. Friday afternoons feature a popular cooking class that includes a trip to the market preliminary to preparing the ingredients and, even better, consuming them.

The school is in a pleasant colonial building, with a nice courtyard for those welcome breaks. It is well-organized, and offers conveniences such as mail and telephone service. Our lodging was comfortable and very well-located. We were placed with one of the instructors; this would be an advantage to many students but be prepared for dinner table corrections!

Costs for both lessons and home stays are still very reasonable. Two weeks of standard classes are $250; the 2 week "Intensive" (5 hours a day, one on one) is $500. A private room with three meals is $266 for two weeks, shared room $224. For four weeks the prices for the above are $400, $1000, $504 and $420. A one-week session such as we did is available but I would recommend at least two weeks for real benefit.

This past Spring I felt the need for a "tune-up" and took advantage of the fact we were living and working in Oaxaca for five weeks. I signed up for one week of classes and ended up taking two. After looking at both the Instituto de Comunicacion y Cultura and the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca, I chose the latter. However, we heard good reports from the other school from two chaps whom we came to know; they were studying on the intermediate level and shared one instructor.

The Instituto Cultural Oaxaca is on the northern edge of downtown Oaxaca, about three blocks from the first-class bus station and close to Casa Arnel, where we were staying. Although some students come in groups from high schools and universities, individual students are welcome and have their own classes. I was classified at the Intermediate level on the basis of a written test.

Morning classes run from 9am-1pm, with a break mid-way. Instructors remain with classes, rather than rotating. Here I found much more interaction with the instructor and other students, and the exercises more varied.

We played "charades" to act out verb tenses on occasion, and used illustrations when studying adjectives and adverbs. Three hours of classroom were followed by an informal hour of conversation on the patio of the Instituto. Another optional element we admire is the intercambio, in which students have conversation partners from Oaxaca who want to practice their English and are willing to help students with their Spanish.

The cooking class was a real treat. The instructor, Soledad Ramirez, has a great heart and a good sense of humor. We learned by doing, from shopping at the market to grinding corn for masa. Dishes gained complexity as we gained skill. Soledad spoke only Spanish, but with clear enunciation and plenty of demonstration. The lessons went beyond the culinary, as we learned how meals are planned to use ingredients carefully through the week, and the ingredients themselves are both economical and healthful (well, except for the manteca, or lard).

Some of the beginning students felt somewhat overwhelmed at the Instituto. Perhaps a more structured program like the Academia in San Miguel would be better at this level. I found the Instituto suited my needs as an intermediate level student quite well.

The school is well-run, and has a congenial staff under the direction of Lic. Lucero Topete. Classes are $100 a week; sessions last one month, although one can enroll for as little as one week. There is also a registration fee of $50. Extra-intensive classes are offered twice a year. Home stays are encouraged, and my fellow students seemed satisfied with their arrangements. The cost of housing with a family is $11, which covers breakfast only; additional meals can often be arranged.

There are many other fine language schools in Mexico. One we have visited, but not attended, is the Centro Bilingue in San Cristóbal de las Casas. It has small group and one-on-one classes for $75-$165 a week; the program includes additional classes in weaving and photography and provides homestays.

A good listing of programs can be found annually in the July-August issue of Transitions Abroad. The National Register for Studies Abroad will actually place you in a school and with a family, as well as arrange your airline transportation. Central Texas residents would do well to contact Glenda Mikeska in Austin, who has successfully led study tours to Mexico for several years.

Carla Felsted is co-author and co-editor of Mexican Meanderings, a bi-monthly newsletter of "Explorations in an Enchanted Land."

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