Immerse me in Spanish
September 3, 2013 5:53 PM Subscribe
Hi! I'm a public-interest lawyer who would like to spend 1-2 months traveling and improving my Spanish-language skills, and I would love any suggestions or experiences you'd care to share.
(Asking for a friend)
I'm a public interest lawyer with 1-2 months to spare as well as a few thousand in savings. I'm hoping to use the time/money to travel somewhere where I can improve my Spanish and ideally do some good.
Here's my wish-list of particulars:
1) Language: I already speak at a pretty high level so I'm interested in a language-immersion experience as opposed to a traditional language school (though I'd be open to exploring options at an advanced language school). I am most interested in improving my accent and expanding my vocabulary.
2) Destination: Ideally, I would go to the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico because many of my clients are from those places. I am, however, open to visiting other countries if I can find the right experience/program.
3) Work: I want to do something meaningful with my time. I know it might be difficult to find volunteer work that makes a real impact in only 1 - 2 months, but I'm really up for anything, from construction/farming to teaching.
4) Living: In my early 20s, I learned Spanish by staying with families in South America. At the time, this was a great way to get a sense of the language/culture. Now that I'm about a decade older, though, I'm not as excited to live under a family's rules. (My fragile digestive system also tends to punish me in all sorts of traumatic and colorful ways if I'm not careful, so needless to say, home-stay meals were always an adventure.) Because of this, though I'd be open to a good home-stay, I'd prefer to pay more for a slightly more independent living situation (i.e. access to a kitchen). That said, I'd ideally like some contact with native speakers wherever I end up staying.
5) General: If I go with a formal program (volunteer program, language school, or whatever), I want to find one that is socially conscious and pays their workers. I've found that not only do I feel better using those sorts of programs, the experience is also better because the families (at home-stays) or teachers (at language schools) are much happier. I would definitely spend more to enjoy a socially responsible experience.
Any thoughts are much appreciated! Thanks so much for your help!
(Asking for a friend)
I'm a public interest lawyer with 1-2 months to spare as well as a few thousand in savings. I'm hoping to use the time/money to travel somewhere where I can improve my Spanish and ideally do some good.
Here's my wish-list of particulars:
1) Language: I already speak at a pretty high level so I'm interested in a language-immersion experience as opposed to a traditional language school (though I'd be open to exploring options at an advanced language school). I am most interested in improving my accent and expanding my vocabulary.
2) Destination: Ideally, I would go to the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico because many of my clients are from those places. I am, however, open to visiting other countries if I can find the right experience/program.
3) Work: I want to do something meaningful with my time. I know it might be difficult to find volunteer work that makes a real impact in only 1 - 2 months, but I'm really up for anything, from construction/farming to teaching.
4) Living: In my early 20s, I learned Spanish by staying with families in South America. At the time, this was a great way to get a sense of the language/culture. Now that I'm about a decade older, though, I'm not as excited to live under a family's rules. (My fragile digestive system also tends to punish me in all sorts of traumatic and colorful ways if I'm not careful, so needless to say, home-stay meals were always an adventure.) Because of this, though I'd be open to a good home-stay, I'd prefer to pay more for a slightly more independent living situation (i.e. access to a kitchen). That said, I'd ideally like some contact with native speakers wherever I end up staying.
5) General: If I go with a formal program (volunteer program, language school, or whatever), I want to find one that is socially conscious and pays their workers. I've found that not only do I feel better using those sorts of programs, the experience is also better because the families (at home-stays) or teachers (at language schools) are much happier. I would definitely spend more to enjoy a socially responsible experience.
Any thoughts are much appreciated! Thanks so much for your help!
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posted by prettyboyfloyd at 10:49 PM on September 4, 2013