Language Immersion

This picture is from Baños, Ecuador. It's the waterfall there called "El Pailon del Diablo," the devil's frypan. It's a metaphor for the rush of Spanish I got while I was there. I had my own teacher 4 hours a day, which was heavenly. I stayed with an Ecuadorian family in Quito 2 weeks, and then spent one week at Puerto Lopez. Taking language classes here is different. There is just a different flow to the class when you are the only student.

I have just returned from these 3 weeks of language immersion training in Ecuador. Vale la pena (It was worth it). Some of the language programs at the Foreign Service Institute allow you to take a language immersion trip. You pay all your own expenses, but it counts as time spent at work so you don't have to take leave. I would recommend it to anyone. It was worthwhile if only to change up the pace after 4 months at the Foreign Service Institute.

It's hard to measure how much my Spanish improved, but at least I feel better about it. The highlight was when I checked in at the airport to leave and started talking to the lady in Spanish, and handed over my passport, and she asked me if I preferred English or Spanish and she complimented me on my Spanish! I was quickly brought back down to earth in Miami. The customs officer asked me what I had done on my trip and I told him taking Spanish classes. I could barely understand him in Spanish. The Ecuadorians have a much clearer and plainer accent.

Four more weeks until my suggested end of Spanish. I hear about half of the people don't pass the first try and have to take an additional four weeks of training.