Study Abroad Programs Blog

Feel at home learning Spanish in San Juan

Amerispan is offering you the once in a lifetime opportunity to study Spanish in San Juan, the second oldest city in the Americas and the capital city of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is a small Caribbean island (only 100 miles long by 35 miles wide), characterized by sparkling white, sandy beaches, tropical rainforests and long coastal plains. Puerto Rico’s four major exports are coffee, sugar, tobacco and tropical fruits. Of all the economies in Latin America, Puerto Rico’s is the most stable. San Juan’s tourism industry is booming as a result of, beautiful beaches, a vibrant array of nightlife and entertainment choices and an average annual temperature of 26°C.

The Spanish School in San Juan is located in the business district of Hato Rey. The school is air-conditioned throughout with a computer room and free Wi-Fi access. There are bus stops and train stations within a short-walking distance of the school so downtown San Juan is easily accessible. The school is situated within close-proximity to a warm sandy beach, the perfect place to watch a sunset with new friends.

Class size never exceeds 8 students per teacher to enable a personal learning experience. Teachers are native speakers and experienced in the field of teaching Spanish as a foreign language. There is 3 hours worth of classes each day, so students have plenty of free time to explore the magnificent and unique island of Puerto Rico. The school organizes a guided tour of the city to enable the new arrivals to familiarize themselves with essential amenities such as supermarkets, restaurants, banks, doctors etc. The school also organizes activities for the students to get to know each other, a great opportunity to make friends from other cultures. Optional added extras include: a pick-up service from San Juan International Airport, one-to-one language lessons and weekend breaks to places of interest. 

Students have the option to stay with a host family. This is by far the best way to immerse oneself in the Puerto Rican language and culture. You'll experience the wonderful array of food, music, and family customs. Students who choose this option will have a private bedroom and shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. Puerto Rico is one of the most densely populated islands in the world and one-third of the population is concentrated in the San Juan area. Puerto Ricans speak using hand gestures and facial expressions. This is useful for foreign language students who may have trouble understanding spoken Spanish when they first arrive. Puerto Ricans are renowned for being friendly, warm-natured people. They are famous for their hospitality and make visitors feel at home.

MLK, Hispanics and The Claro Initiative

A Free Spanish program for Healthcare professionals and first responders is being offered by Bilingual America. Ricardo González, the Executive Director, writes below how he hopes that his company's Claro initiative will have a positive impact on some of today's challenges, in the same way as Martin Luther King positively impacted America's challenges during his time. 

Is Ricardo ambitious? Sure he is.  AmeriSpan's view is that people who participate in the Claro Initiative will make an impact on today's challenges and if enough people participate ... who knows?  If you have been considering one of our Medical Spanish programs, Claro is a great pre/post program to further your Spanish skills.

MLK, Hispanics and The Claro Initiative by Ricardo González

Martin Luther King said, "We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing a being too late."

On-Screen Spanish Translation: Welcome to the Future!

As our more tech-savvy students probably are aware of by now, there are hundreds of smart phone applications on the market dedicated to helping you learn a language.  There are mobile dictionaries, games, lessons, and more.

But did you know that there is now an application that will A. Analyze and translate a word or phrase that you are capturing with your camera and B. Show the translation directly on the images on the screen?  This invention would be a perfect accessory for the language traveler abroad.  We tested the application ourselves, and you've truly got to see it to believe it!

Here's a great Tech Crunch article reviewing the app:

Word Lens Translates Words Inside of Images. Yes, Really.

Learn a Language at Home

If you want to learn a new language, there are many ways to go about it. Of course, the best way way is to participate in an AmeriSpan Study Abroad program but most need to find the time to do this.  If you are in school, taking a few semesters is good choice, with perhaps a summer, semester, or year abroad in a country that speaks your target language. For those not still in school, many of you did take a language at one point and may want a way to refresh your skills. We have some suggestions on ways to do learn at home from language learning software & online programs to subscriptions to magazines in other lasnguages to language classes by telephone.

Lauren S.' Farewell to Austria

By Lauren S., guest video blogger from AmeriSpan's Teen program in Vienna, Austria

For details about studying in Vienna, see Studying German in Austria

See all of Lauren's video blogs from Vienna

 

Incredible Offer to Learn Spanish or French at Home

Just in time for the holidays, AmeriSpan and Think Language have teamed up for a very special offer: Save $80 off one year of Think Spanish or save $70 off one year of Think French. As an extra bonus, each subscription includes access to a full year of back issues.

Why do we love Think Spanish and Think French?
With a subscription to Think Spanish or Think French, you receive 12 months of continuous learning with new content every month:

• A complete learning package of monthly articles, audio, lessons and more!
• A proven method to increase Spanish or French fluency naturally and effectively, at home and at your own pace!

Terremotos, Maremotos, y Mote con Huesillos

By Jonathon L., guest blogger studying Spanish and skiing in Santiago, Chile

Chilean Mixology 102 - Terremotos y Maremotos  (101 is for Pisco Sour, but this is more interesting) 

Directions (vary depending on location): 

-Take 2 scoops of pineapple flavored ice cream and put them in a 16(ish) ounce glass.

-Take cheap white wine, Vino Pipeño (it tasted a lot like sangria)and fill the glass nearly to the top.

- Top it off with about a shot’s worth of one of the following (everyone I asked has told me different things) Cognac, Rum, or Pisco

Video: College Study Abroad in Cuenca, Ecuador (Pt. 2)

AmeriSpan offers semester, short-term, and year-long college study abroad programs at top foreign universities.  Here is another great video from our College Study Abroad program in Cuenca, Ecuador:

 

 

Is our world view influenced by the languages that we speak?

The question of whether languages shape the way we think goes back centuries; Charlemagne proclaimed that "to have a second language is to have a second soul."

Do the languages we speak shape the way we think? Do they merely express thoughts, or do the structures in languages (without our knowledge or consent) shape the very thoughts we wish to express? 

The Wall Street Journal's lifestyle section has a fascinating article on this topic.

Free Spanish for Critical Social Service Professionals!

Are you in the medical, law enforcement, school teaching, social work or ministerial fields? 

Do you need to learn Spanish or expand your Spanish language skills?

AmeriSpan Study Abroad has partnered once again with Bilingual America to offer a very special, high quality Spanish program for free to qualified participants. If you are in the medical, law enforcement, school teaching, social work or ministerial fields you can get Bilingual America's Basic to Expert Level Spanish Power course at no charge through The Claro Initiative. The Claro Initiative is a community service initiative to provide Spanish training to critical social service professionals at no charge. Spanish Power is considered the most comprehensive and results-driven Spanish training program in the country by many people and we encourage you to take advantage of this amazing opportunity. By the way, if you don't qualify but know someone who does, send them the link below so they can benefit.

Click or share this link to read more about this offer and request admittance to the free Spanish Power course here: https://bilingualamerica.infusionsoft.com/go/claro/immer$$ab/

Homestay and Host Family FAQs

Living with native speakers is an unequivocally educational part of the language immersion process, and in some ways it can give you the best possible scope of your unfamiliar surroundings and language.  We here at AmeriSpan couldn't help but notice how excited our former students are about their homestay experiences, or how anxious our students-to-be are to find out as many details about their families as possible!  So, we want to share with you some very common questions and answers about our homestay arrangement process, and what you can expect!