Where's The best country to Study Spanish fast and cheaply, have a good time socailising with locals ( fit local girls ) with hardly any tourists and safe enough to get around?? Anybody had any experiences and would love to share??
brayds,
I've been looking up similar things myself - I've read up on one that seems a highly regarded set of spanish schools in Spain. Like you I'd rather not learn it in spain, so their partner spanish programs in central/south america are at the following website: www.spanishinlatinamerica.com (the countries available are listed at the top)
I haven't used it yet though so no idea if it's what you're after, just thought I'd mention it. If you come up with any other places or ways to learn it, please post them here as I'm curious too!
I have a friend who went to study spanish in colombia, in bogota, he has now moved there from Oz. He reported costs at $200USD/term
After having travelled in the Spanish speaking parts of South America for a year and a half I reckon I can give you some decent advise about this.
I already spoke spanish, so I don't know how much the courses themselves cost but here goes, based on what living'll cost you and on meeting locals (and fit girls ^^).
Go for Colombia mate! BUT ! not Bogota. Bogota is wet and grey, and the people are standoffish. It's also expensive compared to other parts of the country not to mention damn dodgy at night. You'll find Colombians are very friendly, the girls are hot, and you'll have a GREAT time there. Having said that if you want to learn spanish don't go up to the coast either; the Spanish you might learn there would be an equivalent to learning english in Barbados. Your best bet would be somewhere in the Coffee triangle, I'd recommend Medellin (best looking girls, but lots of gringos) or maybe a smaller student town about 6 hours south called Manizales. Pereira if it's just girls you're interested in (no gringos here) or Cali even, if you want girls and salsa.
As for not many tourists going to Colombia...well that's kind of a thing of the past.
Looking at your other options, I haven't been up to central america, so I really can't say anything about those countries.
Venezuela sucks bigtime, it is dangerous and even with the black market exchange gig its expensive. Don't bother going.
Another option you could consider for cheap tuiton and life is Bolivia. Santa Cruz, Sucre and Cochabamba are pleasant cities with nice girls. I found La Paz a fascinating city, but the girls there are nothing to write home about.
Northern Argentina is also a good area, their accent isn't as strong as in the rest of the country, it's also quite cheap to live there and they are the friendliest of the argentines.
Forget Chile and Peru, Chile is expensive and they speak the worst Spanish in the whole world and Peru is kind of expensive as well mostly. Beautiful places to travel in, but definetely not the best to learn the language...well maybe they speak decent Spanish in Peru :P
Anyhow i'll shut up now I've gone on a bit...
hope it helps!
Good luck!
I second decrying Chile for Spanish. The country is far too expensive for what you get and they DO have the worst Spanish I have ever had the misfortune to hear, Cachai?
The cheapest and fastest, with the cleanest accent, if you ask me, would be Guatemala. Anywhere but Antigua, where there are so many English speakers that you never get the chance to practice.
Colombia is good second choice. The word is getting out. Everybody is going to Colombia. Too bad. I wanted it all to myself. Beautiful women in Colombia. Try the coast, where it's always hot and life is Caribbean style. Barranquilla, maybe. Or Santa Marta.
D
I agree, Antigua has far to many English speakers. Another option for Guatemala would be Xela in the North. I would say that Ecuador is another good option. You really do need to find somewhere though that you won't be inclined to speak english. Look for a programme that offers rooms for rent with local families.
Different (but all good) suggestions here. And mine is different again.
I had Spainish lessons for a month (a couple of hours every day, Mon-Fri) in Mexico. The lessons were so cheap. However, as I'm sure everyone will agree, the Spanish in Central and South America is rather different to what they speak in Spain.
After having travelled in the Spanish speaking parts of South America for a year and a half I reckon I can give you some decent advise about this.
I already spoke spanish, so I don't know how much the courses themselves cost but here goes, based on what living'll cost you and on meeting locals (and fit girls ^^).
Go for Colombia mate! BUT ! not Bogota. Bogota is wet and grey, and the people are standoffish. It's also expensive compared to other parts of the country not to mention damn dodgy at night. You'll find Colombians are very friendly, the girls are hot, and you'll have a GREAT time there. Having said that if you want to learn spanish don't go up to the coast either; the Spanish you might learn there would be an equivalent to learning english in Barbados. Your best bet would be somewhere in the Coffee triangle, I'd recommend Medellin (best looking girls, but lots of gringos) or maybe a smaller student town about 6 hours south called Manizales. Pereira if it's just girls you're interested in (no gringos here) or Cali even, if you want girls and salsa.
As for not many tourists going to Colombia...well that's kind of a thing of the past.
Looking at your other options, I haven't been up to central america, so I really can't say anything about those countries.
Venezuela sucks bigtime, it is dangerous and even with the black market exchange gig its expensive. Don't bother going.
Another option you could consider for cheap tuiton and life is Bolivia. Santa Cruz, Sucre and Cochabamba are pleasant cities with nice girls. I found La Paz a fascinating city, but the girls there are nothing to write home about.
Northern Argentina is also a good area, their accent isn't as strong as in the rest of the country, it's also quite cheap to live there and they are the friendliest of the argentines.
Forget Chile and Peru, Chile is expensive and they speak the worst Spanish in the whole world and Peru is kind of expensive as well mostly. Beautiful places to travel in, but definetely not the best to learn the language...well maybe they speak decent Spanish in Peru :P
Anyhow i'll shut up now I've gone on a bit...
hope it helps!
Good luck!
I respect your opinion about the Spanish learning options in Colombia, especially related to the CARIBBEAN COAST, but you are completelly wrong, mate.
Most of Colombian people speak good, even excellent Spanish, obviously with different accents:
Paisa accent: Medellin, Manizales, Pereira, Armenia, etc.
Rolo (cachaco) accent: Bogota and Cundinamarca.
Valluno accent: Cali, valle del Cauca, etc.
Caribbean accent: Santa Marta, Cartagena, Barranquilla, Valledupar, etc.
Pacific accent: Tumaco, Buenaventura, Quibdó, Chocó, etc.
Santader accent: Bucaramanga, Barrancabermeja, Cucuta, etc.
Pastuso accent: Pasto, Nariño, etc. (similar to Ecuador)
There are other accents in Colombia, with terrible speakers, but with many good and excellent accents. It doesn't matter the accent in Colombia, the real influence is the social, educative and economical status of each person.
Despite your opinion about the Caribbean accent, it's rare that most of the very important people in Colombia are from this region, people who have had a strong influence in the international image of Colombia around the world: GABRIEL GARCÍA MÁRQUEZ, the unique Nobel Prize of Colombia: the best writer of Colombia in 500 years of history, he is from Aracataca, Magdalena, near Santa Marta: a beautiful Caribbean city: HE SPEAKS PERFECT SPANISH. SHAKIRA the best singer of the Colombia history, SHE is from Barranquilla and SHE SPEAKS AND SING IN AN EXCELLENT SPANISH. The most important music of Colombia: vallenato and Cumbia, are both from the Caribbean, and are part of the most important festivity in the country: The Great Carnival of Barranquilla., the second most important of the world. Most of Barranquilla's singers, actors, artists speak and use a very good Spanish.
Any foreign person can learn Spanish in Bogotá, Medellín or Barranquilla, but it won't depend on the accent, it will depend on what kind of people you are going to have relationships: it is not the same to live in the poorest zones than a normal neighbourhood in Cali, Manizalez or Cartagena.
You will learn in any part, but you have tyo be very smart and have contact with middle and high social class people, or people with a high level of education, this is about 80 % of people in many cities.
It has been a pleassure to share my point of view, like a Spanish teacher and lecturer ( High School and University)
G' day, mate !
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