Typical Day of Junior Immersion in Quito

Teen_ecuador_masksJoin Garrett F. on his Ecuadorian quest with the Quito Junior Immersion program

Today is Friday and I have finished my first school week in Quito. Let me walk you through what the day is like for me here:

I wake up at 7:30 am and have breakfast courtesy of my host family. Breakfast isn’t always the same but it usually consists of fruit, toast and tea. Then at 8, my two friends and I walk to school. We can take the bus, which costs 25 cents, but our school is only a 15 minute walk away. On the way to school, I usually buy a water, which only costs 35 cents! School starts at 8:30 and for the first two hours of class, my teacher will usually go over vocabulary, verbs or other Spanish grammar. At 10:30, we have a half an hour break, during which I usually grab a pastry or some kind of snack from the school food stand. Then, for the second two hours of school, we do activities to practice what we learned earlier.

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La Comida

DSCN0478By Erin K., Teen Delegate Scholar and AmeriSpan Blogger studying at AmeriSpan's Alajuela Spanish school

Before I left for Costa Rica, I was warned by guide books and travel websites that Costa Rican food is nothing special compared to the food in Mexico and other popular travel destinations nearby.  Meals are usually typical Latin American dishes, always incorporating beans and rice.

I wasn’t expecting much, but I love Latin American food so I knew I’d be happy with anything I got. But what I got turned out to be much much better than what I expected.

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Teenager Junior Immersion Heredia Interview, Part 1 – Video

Teen_costa_rica_groupGuest blogger, Johanna G. had a great time on her Heredia Junior Immersion program! She did an excellent job asking questions of her classmates about their experiences at school, favorite Costa Rican foods and more! Check out the video below to see Part 1 of her interviews!

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Getting Started in Montevideo

Montevideo_schoolBy Renee S., Guest Blogger studying Spanish at AmeriSpan's Montevideo Spanish school

My host mom is really animated and considerate.  The food tastes good, but it is all variations of carbs and meat.  For example, the first night we ate noodles with potatoes covered in marinara sauce with bread on the side.  I have yet to see a vegetable.  The roommate, Debbie, asked for fruit or veggies before I came, but she only knew how to say orange.  So, we have a lot of oranges and nothing else.  My roommate is very nice.  She is from Boston and loves ice cream also.  She has a very low level of Spanish, which is bad for my Spanish because she can only really communicate in English.

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Oct 2011 Newsletter

Check out our latest newsletter: $250 off Spain programs; Free week in Costa Rica, Mexico & Russia; and save on Arabic, Russian & Ukrainian courses. Scholarship grants. Close-up on Quebec City program.  Go here: www.amerispan.com/newsletters/2011_10_14.htm

Off to Sosua in Less Than Two Weeks!

Blog1By Eleanor B., guest blogger and student at AmeriSpan's Sosua Spanish school

Hi everyone! My name is Eleanor and I'm an 18 year old who has a passion for traveling and Spanish. Next year I'm going off to Auburn University to study Spanish and International Trade. This summer I really wanted to go someplace to practice my Spanish. I spent four months this year living in Panama as an exchange student. When I got home, I found that I started to lose my speaking skills. It's really hard for me to practice because theres a very small Latino population in the area. I decided it was important for me to get my speaking skills back up to for college. I went on a massive online search and found Amerispan. They're a safe company, ran out of the United States and have decent prices. Can't beat that!

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Meet the School: Quebec City’s Director of Studies

Quebec_guardLast week, we interviewed Quebec City's School Director, Viviane Brassard. This week, we're meeting Nathalie Tremblay, the Director of Studies at our partner Quebec City French school. Here is what she had to say!

What is your background?
I am over 40 years old and the single parent of a 10-year old boy. I have 2 bachelor degrees as well as some post-grad courses in Teaching French as a Second Language. I obtained my CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) in 2001.

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Sámara Tourist Board & Community Development Organization

Samara_beach_sunbathingThe AmeriSpan staff love hearing about new resources abroad for students, so we were naturally excited to see the official Facebook page of the newly formed 'Sámara Tourist Board & Community Development Organization', recommended to us by staff at our partner Samara Beach Spanish school.

This site can help you find your way around Samara and give you important information about the area. It's also a charitable organization that gives back to the community!

 

See AmeriSpan's Samara Beach Spanish school

Check out Sámara Tourist Board & Community Development Organization

Bolivian Food

Blog2_homestay By Amanda S., a guest blogger studying Spanish and volunteering in Bolivia

And here I am again! Not much new going on, but more to tell you that I didn't in the first post.

There's a surprising amount to say about the food, actually, so I'll just stick with lunch right now. It's the biggest meal of the day; for other meals we eat barely anything. So it's huge. The first course is always soup. It's made of broth, and it's always got a huge chunk of meat and big piece of potatoes or two in broth, along with spices and some kind of starch like rice or beans. It's a big bowl of soup; my first day, I thought that was all there would be.

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Tips for La Ceiba

PRIVATE_LESSONS By Lucie C., student at AmeriSpan's La Ceiba Spanish school

When packing for Honduras, I had no idea what to bring. Should I bring makeup or jewelry? Is it okay for girls to wear pants where I'm going? What about shorts? Should I bring laundry detergent so that I can wash my own clothes by hand, or will there be washing machines in La Ceiba? What should I do about a cell phone? Traveler's checks?! Aah, so many questions! If you are traveling to La Ceiba specifically, I can tell you exactly what you need to pack and what to leave at home.

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