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Length of stay in Peru to learn Spanish??

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12 messages over 2 pages: 1 2  Next >>
eerised12
Newbie
United States
Joined 5334 days ago
7 posts - 7 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: Spanish

 
 Message 1 of 12
18 April 2010 at 2:20am | IP Logged 
Hello everyone!

I am planning a trip to Peru to a language school next year to help improve my Spanish and am wondering how much I can expect to improve.

Some background info: I have taken three college classes in Spanish (two elementary classes and then an intense intermediate class that was really two semesters worth of class) and will have taken two more classes by the time I would leave. However, I really only know the basics as far as actually speaking Spanish goes and can only have the very most simple of conversations (how are you? kinda stuff).

At this point I think I know PLENTY of grammar rules and I think the best thing to boost my Spanish would be to immerse myself so that I will be forced to SPEAK Spanish.

So my question is (finally) I would be able to spend at most about 6 months abroad. I know everyone is different and there are factors that play into it, but in general given how much I know now, how far do you think this length of time would take me in learning Spanish? Does anyone have any personal experience with this?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me!

Desiree

1 person has voted this message useful



datsunking1
Diglot
Senior Member
United States
Joined 5585 days ago
1014 posts - 1533 votes 
Speaks: English*, Spanish
Studies: German, Russian, Dutch, French

 
 Message 2 of 12
18 April 2010 at 3:06am | IP Logged 
You should easily be fluent in my opinion, no trouble at all if you PUT FORTH THE EFFORT. 6 months in a true Spanish speaking country (Many people in Peru don't know English, so no crutches for you!) is MORE than enough time :)

You are extremely lucky, and if you truely immerse yourself in the language and culture, your skill will skyrocket beyond what you can imagine.

my tips:

1. NEVER USE English
2. STAY AWAY FROM English SPEAKERS
3. IF YOU WANT TO USE English, REFER TO RULE #1, then #2.
4. Get a BIG dictionary
5. A good grammar guide.
6. Talk to natives, listen to the radio, read the paper, etc.
7. Keep an open mind, remember what you are in Peru to do, and HAVE FUN!!!
8. NEVER BE SCARED TO MAKE MISTAKES. (everyone does, learn from them, laugh them off, apologize (lo siento :D) and try again!!)

send a message to "irishpolyglot" on this forum. He learned Spanish to a GREAT level in just 3 months. Ask him tons of questions, I'm sure he won't mind :)

Best of luck to you, and enjoy every moment. Language opens doors to friendships, and great memories. You are going to live a dream of mine, I would trade anything for a trip to a foreign country to learn languages. :)

-Jordan


3 persons have voted this message useful



Smart
Tetraglot
Senior Member
United States
Joined 5339 days ago
352 posts - 398 votes 
Speaks: Spanish, English*, Latin, French
Studies: German

 
 Message 3 of 12
18 April 2010 at 3:39am | IP Logged 
^said very well

However, instead of spending your money and going abroad, just buy Assimil and Teach Yourself along with a big English/Spanish dictionary.

This will save you 100s of dollars and you'll have a lot more fun.

At least that's my opinion.
1 person has voted this message useful



TixhiiDon
Tetraglot
Senior Member
Japan
Joined 5464 days ago
772 posts - 1474 votes 
Speaks: English*, Japanese, German, Russian
Studies: Georgian

 
 Message 4 of 12
18 April 2010 at 3:56am | IP Logged 
Smart wrote:
However, instead of spending your money and going abroad, just buy
Assimil and Teach Yourself along with a big English/Spanish dictionary.

This will save you 100s of dollars and you'll have a lot more fun.

At least that's my opinion.


I would think that's probably quite a minority opinion you have Smart, but each to
their own I suppose!

To the OP, you will be able to improve drastically in six months, but not simply by
being in Peru. You have to create lots of opportunities for yourself to use the
language while you are there. In addition to DatsunKing's very sensible advice, my
tips would be:

1. Do a home stay with a local family.
2. Take Spanish lessons while you are there, or at least continue to study actively
using books and so on.
3. It's OK to have English-speaking friends and use English. Often you need this for
your psychological health while living abroad. Just make sure you don't become caught
in an ex-pat bubble where you have very little contact with locals. This can happen
all too easily, especially if you choose to live in a big city.
4. Don't assume that you will just learn the language through osmosis because you are
living in Peru. You will still need to put in some hard work.

Edited by TixhiiDon on 18 April 2010 at 4:01am
5 persons have voted this message useful



eerised12
Newbie
United States
Joined 5334 days ago
7 posts - 7 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: Spanish

 
 Message 5 of 12
18 April 2010 at 6:14am | IP Logged 
datsunking1 wrote:
You should easily be fluent in my opinion, no trouble at all if you PUT FORTH THE EFFORT. 6 months in a true Spanish speaking country (Many people in Peru don't know English, so no crutches for you!) is MORE than enough time :)

You are extremely lucky, and if you truely immerse yourself in the language and culture, your skill will skyrocket beyond what you can imagine.

my tips:

1. NEVER USE English
2. STAY AWAY FROM English SPEAKERS
3. IF YOU WANT TO USE English, REFER TO RULE #1, then #2.
4. Get a BIG dictionary
5. A good grammar guide.
6. Talk to natives, listen to the radio, read the paper, etc.
7. Keep an open mind, remember what you are in Peru to do, and HAVE FUN!!!
8. NEVER BE SCARED TO MAKE MISTAKES. (everyone does, learn from them, laugh them off, apologize (lo siento :D) and try again!!)

send a message to "irishpolyglot" on this forum. He learned Spanish to a GREAT level in just 3 months. Ask him tons of questions, I'm sure he won't mind :)

Best of luck to you, and enjoy every moment. Language opens doors to friendships, and great memories. You are going to live a dream of mine, I would trade anything for a trip to a foreign country to learn languages. :)

-Jordan



Thanks! I'm going to message irishpolyglot soon, I always love meeting new people with experiences like these! You've given me some really great tips! However, because I will be bringing my boyfriend with me, I'm pretty sure I will be speaking SOME English, besides this, my mother would die if I didn't call her for 6 months, haha. However, I have already told myself that I will not fall into the trap of going all the way to Peru and wasting it by clinging to my beloved English and those who speak it. Nope, instead I'm going to take your advise and remember why it was I came to Peru to begin with.

DON'T GIVE UP! If that is a dream of yours, hold on to it and some day I'm sure you'll actually live it. That's what my Spanish professor told me (it took her 45 years to live her dream of visiting cusco, but it happened).

Thanks again, Jordan!
1 person has voted this message useful



Smart
Tetraglot
Senior Member
United States
Joined 5339 days ago
352 posts - 398 votes 
Speaks: Spanish, English*, Latin, French
Studies: German

 
 Message 6 of 12
18 April 2010 at 6:22am | IP Logged 
TixhiiDon wrote:
Smart wrote:
However, instead of spending your money and going abroad, just buy
Assimil and Teach Yourself along with a big English/Spanish dictionary.

This will save you 100s of dollars and you'll have a lot more fun.

At least that's my opinion.


I would think that's probably quite a minority opinion you have Smart, but each to
their own I suppose!

To the OP, you will be able to improve drastically in six months, but not simply by
being in Peru. You have to create lots of opportunities for yourself to use the
language while you are there. In addition to DatsunKing's very sensible advice, my
tips would be:

1. Do a home stay with a local family.
2. Take Spanish lessons while you are there, or at least continue to study actively
using books and so on.
3. It's OK to have English-speaking friends and use English. Often you need this for
your psychological health while living abroad. Just make sure you don't become caught
in an ex-pat bubble where you have very little contact with locals. This can happen
all too easily, especially if you choose to live in a big city.
4. Don't assume that you will just learn the language through osmosis because you are
living in Peru. You will still need to put in some hard work.


“Mistrust first impulses; they are nearly always good.”
Charles M. de Talleyrand
1 person has voted this message useful



eerised12
Newbie
United States
Joined 5334 days ago
7 posts - 7 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: Spanish

 
 Message 7 of 12
18 April 2010 at 6:24am | IP Logged 
TixhiiDon wrote:

I would think that's probably quite a minority opinion you have Smart, but each to
their own I suppose!

To the OP, you will be able to improve drastically in six months, but not simply by
being in Peru. You have to create lots of opportunities for yourself to use the
language while you are there. In addition to DatsunKing's very sensible advice, my
tips would be:

1. Do a home stay with a local family.
2. Take Spanish lessons while you are there, or at least continue to study actively
using books and so on.
3. It's OK to have English-speaking friends and use English. Often you need this for
your psychological health while living abroad. Just make sure you don't become caught
in an ex-pat bubble where you have very little contact with locals. This can happen
all too easily, especially if you choose to live in a big city.
4. Don't assume that you will just learn the language through osmosis because you are
living in Peru. You will still need to put in some hard work.


If only just crossing the border to Peru would give me instant knowledge of all that is Spanish, haha, what I thought, huh? I'm going to have to completly agree with you here!

I know that, while being in Peru is going to be a big help, I still have to do the work. I am planning on taking classes for the first few months I am there and maybe doing and intership, all of which I will do while stay with a host family. I will have my boyfriend there with me for support,so I won't get too homesick or feel completly alone or anything.

At first I thought having him there would hold me back from learning as much as I could (he isn't 100% into learning Spanish), but now I think it is actually going to be a plus because I know he will make me feel safer so I'll probably try things I might otherwise be to scared to do. I plan to use up every moment though, won't be seeing much of the inside of my room.

Thanks for the tips! I just need to keep them in mind during my trip. :)
1 person has voted this message useful



eerised12
Newbie
United States
Joined 5334 days ago
7 posts - 7 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: Spanish

 
 Message 8 of 12
18 April 2010 at 6:26am | IP Logged 
Smart wrote:
^said very well

However, instead of spending your money and going abroad, just buy Assimil and Teach Yourself along with a big English/Spanish dictionary.

This will save you 100s of dollars and you'll have a lot more fun.

At least that's my opinion.


Oh, going abroad is well worth the money to me, I can't wait! Even if I didn't care about Spanish (Crazy!) I would still love just traveling. We all learn differently though ....


1 person has voted this message useful



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