In this article, Laura Graichen shares her experience learning Spanish with Proyecto Peru.
Five years ago, I came to South America with zero knowledge of the Spanish language. I thought that I would be able to get by with just some hand signals and a few rords, but nothing could have been further from the truth. Some basic knowledge of Spanish is actually indispensable as it makes traveling a lot easier. In addition, it is a much nicer travelling experience if you can chat a little with the locals. You immediately get a lot of respect if they only see that you are trying!
Learn Spanish in South America
This time I decided to learn Spanish during my trip, I went looking for what would be the best place for me. Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia or Peru? After reading a lot on forums on the internet I found out that they speak with a pronounced accent in countries such as Chile and Argentina. The Chileans swallow half of their sentences and the Argentines use a lot of “sh” in their sentences. For example, where “pollo” (chicken) is pronounced in Spanish as “pojo”, the Argentines again say “posho”. So I decided to look for somewhere with a more neural Spanish.
In the end I concluded that Peru, Colombia, Bolivia and Ecuador were the best options. Ecuador was not on my list to visit, but Peru, Colombia and Bolivia were. I heard that Peruvians in particular appear to speak Spanish very clearly. After a little more searching, I realized that Cusco, the former capital of the Empire of the Incas, is a beautiful city where they speak beautiful Spanish and would be a nice base for all the interesting sightseeing spots in the area such as Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca.
Language School in Cusco
In the Facebook group “Central and South America backpackers” I read positive comments about the school Proyecto Peru. Good lessons, small classes, fun tours to different places in the area… Exactly what I was looking for. It all looked good, so I decided to make the decision: I’m going to learn Spanish in Cusco!
I booked the four-week summer course via the Proyecto Peru website. That it is not really a summer in December and that they have no other seasons in Peru at all than the dry and wet season does not seem to matter.
The “summer course” is offered throughout the year. The package includes five days a week three hours a day of Spanish lessons, four weeks stay with a host family including all meals and tours on weekends to Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, a day of rafting and a day to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. I also booked the “Lima package”. I flew from the Netherlands to Lima in Peru in the evening and I was picked up from the airport and taken to a hotel in Lima. The next morning I was taken back to the airport for my flight to Cusco. The total costs for the course were around € 1500. There were other cheaper options available, but I really wanted to do and see everything while I was learning Spanish in Peru.
I was very interested in experiencing real Peruvian life and, thus, staying with a Peruvian family while I was leanrning. How do they live? What traditions do they have? Do they speak a little English or do I have to speak Spanish right from the start? Which would actually be very useful to learn Spanish in a short time. it was a great choice, and speaking with families over delicous local meals taught me almost as much Spanish as my classes.
What did I learn in 4 weeks?
From December I have had Spanish lessons five days a week. It turned out to be low season and there were few other students, so my group lessons became private lessons (while it was less hours, having a private tutor at no extra cost was amazing!). I enjoyed the intensive nature of one to one classes even if it was very mentally tiring. After every 3 hour classes I just wanted to sleep/
Side note: It’s important to have a good click with your teacher because that makes studying a lot more fun.
Luckily, I had great raport with my teacher. I was taught by Lydha, a friendly woman who has been teaching at the school for ten years. I started with a beginner class, so everything went smoothly. From asking questions and having conversations to grammar and games to increase my vocabulary, everything was covered during the lessons.
In addition to the lessons, the school also organises small field trips to practise Spanish. We went to an alpaca farm, and I went to two museums with Lydha. First a museum with paintings by a local painter and later a chocolate museum. The latter appealed to me the most as a chocolate lover! During the outings, she almost only spoke to me in Spanish and wanted me to speak Spanish as much as possible to ensure I became comfrotable using the language quickly.
In just four weeks I have certainly learned more than just basic knowledge of Spanish. I can at least ask where the bus stops is now as I travel around the rest of Peru. I will need more classes so that I can improve my grasp of more complicated grammar, particularly the past tense. A small chat with the locals is possible but it remains a kind of mix of Spanish and English (also called “Spanglish” here). In any case, traveling is a lot easier and I think that I will learn more from practising.
My Host Family
I enjoyed the stay with my host family. I really experienced the Peruvian culture, how people live. We have also celebrated Christmas and New Year’s Eve together in the traditional way. My host family consisted of Yoni, her daughter Wendy, her husband Branco, and their two children Raffael (2 years) and Luana (4 years). In addition, two Belgian girls also lived in a separate part of the house. I had my own bedroom and shared the bathroom with the two girls. The food consisted of three meals a day. Varied food too, although lunch and dinner were often rice based.
Conclusion
I can definitely recommend Proyecto Peru if you want to learn Spanish in Peru. Classes consist of a maximum of four people so you get all the attention during class. Host families are carefully selected by the school, so you will certainly end up comfortab;e. The school offers everything outside of class, such as volunteering or learning “quechua”, the language of the Incas. This language is still spoken, for example, on the islands of Lake Titicaca.
Thank you Laura for sharing your experience and for your kind words!
Are you interested in learning Spanish in Cusco check out our Immersion Program or contact us for more information at info@proyectoperucentre.org
Translated and adapted from Alleen Op Reis