SPANISH WITH VOLUNTEERING

It is difficult for me to re-view my experience there because I had two wonderful classmates that really were helpful to both my understanding of Spanish and my enjoyment of the class. I particularly liked the 5 PM activities that were scheduled. I thought the teacher Fausto could have spoken of a little more slowly at times since he had two complete beginners. I thought the organization of the lectures was such that I could go home and referring to my notes try to better understand and speak. I particularly appreciated the moral support I received from Marta and Sandy. I don’t know if there’s a better way to introduce the material and still get the students (meaning myself particularly) two say back the sentence sentences and hence perhaps en code in the mind, the language without having to mentally translate.

I really enjoyed everything about my experience with Equinoxio. I worked with Fausto every morning for four hours - at 78 my ability to pick stuff up quickly is fading, but Fausto was extremely patient. By the end of the first week I found myself being able to follow along conversations that focused quite a bit on Ecuadorian culture, history, and contemporary concerns and issues. Because I live in Mexico it was great to compare the two. We also took walks through the central district, and he even took me to visit the studio of one of Ecuador's premier ceramic artists after finding out about my love of ceramics. Every afternoon there was an included cultural activity - cooking, dance, cocktail making as examples. By the end of my 3-weeks I feel confident enough to strike up conversations with strangers and be able to express myself without worrying if my grammar is right or not.

My homestay was terrific. My host had enough English so we could talk lots in both languages, especially about personal lives, experiences and family life. She was the same age as my daughter, and her daughter was the same age as my granddaughter. She was an awesome cook, and I got to enjoy fabulous traditional Ecuadorian home-cooking throughout my stay.

The only thing that slowed me down was the weather. I’ve lived in pretty warm places for the last 40 years, so I found Cuenca in September cold, gray with a fair amount of rain. An excuse to purchase a fabulous wool jacket!

Although I was already taking Spanish lessons at another school, I realized I was freezing up when I needed to speak Spanish out in the real world. I lacked confidence, and was too afraid of making mistakes. I signed up for private lessons just for conversation at Equinoxio. It was wonderful! My instructor had the patience of a saint. He made it low key, relaxed and comfortable. By the end of the month, I was speaking Spanish in my day to day life. I learned that it’s ok to make mistakes, it’s more important to try. My confidence was much better, and I even received compliments on my Spanish when I was shopping. I highly recommend this school.

The team of Spanish teachers at this center are great resources not just for learning Spanish but for discovering Ecuadorian culture. They have experience working with students of all proficiency levels. The center is located downtown, in a patrimonial building close to tons of interesting spots. I personally enjoy that Martha makes classes conversational, but also takes time to explain tricky grammar points and clear up any questions that I have. Martha is very warm but also very professional and creates an excellent atmosphere for learning. There is also a free language exchange each week that is a great opportunity to meet people of all backgrounds.

I really enjoyed learning Spanish here and getting immersed into Cuenca. My teacher made my class very engaging and interactive. It was incredible having both in class work and class out in the town utilizing our Spanish. My teacher Victor made it easy to learn Spanish. Our teachers and the staff made us feel comfortable and part of the family. The immersion activities such as learning salsa and about the city were really fun.

We have enjoyed our refresher class on beginners Spanish. Dora is an amazing teacher and her style of teaching is very easy to follow and understand. She is very engaging and well versed in English and Spanish. The location of the school is located near public transit stops. My only suggestion would be to pre-test incoming students to know what level of Spanish they have.

Der spanisch Unterricht mit Martha war jeden Tag interessant, es wurde auf das aktuelle Tagesgeschehen wie auf Grammatik und Sprachschatz eingegangen.

Die Schule ist ein wunderbarer Ort, architektonisch und vor allem der liebevollen Einrichtung und des überaus freundlichen Personals wegen. Ich wurde jeden Morgen herzlich begrüßt und der Kaffee war schon zubereite☕️.

Die Ausflüge auf den Markt, das Kennenlernen neuer Obst- Gemüsegarten, sowie die Säfte, Getränke und die Marktkultur in Cuenca waren sehr aufschlussreich.

Die Unterkunft war großzügig, großes Zimmer, Badezimmer- am Anfang gab es ein Warmwasser -Problem, was aber prompt beseitigt wurde.
Das Essen war sehr lecker, es wurde mit der Familie gegessen, was meine Sprachkenntnisse förderte.
Elena, ist eine herzliche Gastgeberin, die sich immer nach den Wünschen und dem Befinden erkundigte, sie lud zum Gui - Essen ein und machte Ausflüge mit.