Back to (language) school

This is the second year that fall has come around and my thoughts have turned to...Guadalajara. 

The foods, the family I lived with there for a few days and the Guadalajara sights.

The San Juan de Dios Market. (I just recently finished the vanilla I brought home from there, which reminded me of my trip every time I baked with it.) The Corona Market in Guadalajara's city center. And much more. My nice teacher at the IMAC Spanish language school in downtown Guadalajara. 

I was in a class with about five others, who ranged in age from teens to probably 60's. I loved the fact that la maestra couldn't revert to English to explain things (she didn't speak it well) and that I was able to follow along in Spanish pretty well.

The beauty of going to school for a half day was that it gave structure to my visit. I attended school, then I went sightseeing and window shopping, then I went home to my Mexican family where I watched my host mamita cook authentic dishes while I practiced my Spanish conversational skills with the family. 

Learning something while on vacation provides such a deeper experience.

If you're going to go to school for a week, of course you want to really like the subject you're going for, whether it's tango in Argentina, French lessons in Paris, fantasy baseball camp in the U.S. or some other glorious adventure.

I've found the two times I've studied languages, my vacation experiences in the countries I visited (France and Mexico) were much more in depth than they would have been if I had just visited cathedrals and eaten in restaurants on my own, or with other Americans.

The daily classes taught me a lot about the cultures, and the people I met and talked with from all over the world added to the fun of the adventure. These are  the kind of trips you'll likely have to do solo, since you might not have friends with the same interests.

But if you're learning a language, it's the better choice anyway because you don't want to switch back to English. You want to keep your mind in the language of choice for the full immersion experience.

Since I try to keep up my Spanish (though I haven't been doing a good job of it lately!) I daydream from time to time about the next country I want to visit for immersion Spanish.

The thoughts of the next adventure alone provide a bit of a mini-vacation, an escape from the everyday world. 

Photo by Ellen Perlman: Danes pasteleria - the corner bread and cake bakery I stopped by each day after school. The reward for all that studying!

Comments

[Derrick Jones]

Guadalajara would be a fun place to go and see a lot of culture. I guess I always think of a vacation as tropical and beaches. Get out and see the world!

[chrisp]

Studying languages on a trip is a great idea. Not only does it allow you to integrate other than a tourist but it gives you an opportunity to meet fellow travellers.Ideal if you are travelling solo.