Learn Spanish Travel Spanish Blog

inside campus Universidad Internacional Cuernavaca, Mexico

Sherry blogs:Monday morning we were served a good breakfast of scrambled eggs with roasted pablano peppers and onions, tortillas, salsa (of course!) and fresh squeezed orange juice. (Note: There is an abundance of fresh fruit here in Cuernavaca—all types. I recently grabbed an apple for a snack and it tasted like it was just picked off the tree.) After a quick breakfast, Rodolfo headed off to work (a couple of hours away, so he only comes home on weekends), and Martha drove Trudy and me to school.

As at most schools, we started our first day with a quick exam on the computer and a short conversation with one of the teachers so they could determine where to place us. I had signed up for the intensive program (6 hours per day), but then they told me about their executive program, which sounded great. When I asked about the price difference, they told me I would receive a discount as a returning student, so the price was $389 USD each week instead of the regular price of $450. This was still quite a bit higher than the $235 USD than the intensive program, but this includes several outstanding features. First, I have 3 hours of private grammar class and 2 hours of private conversation. One on one. There is another hour of lecture (Mexican history, culture, current events, etc.) in a small class and a final small class (3 students) in pronunciation, which Bill and I had talked about adding anyway. I need pronunciation help. This school is already one of the more expensive, but they are complete professionals. Every teacher, every staff member – it seems that they’re all gung ho on helping you learns Spanish. So now I’m in the Executive program. 8 hours a day of Spanish class, plus an immersion homestay. I just feel that I’m so close. So close to being able to open my mouth and having Spanish come out without translating or thinking (well, maybe not without thinking, but you know what I mean).

Other perks are discounts on books, a private “executive” lounge area with tables, comfortable couches, computers, a printer and WIFI for our personal computers. This lounge isn’t to be snobbish or exclusive, but many 1st time or 1st semester students want to speak English during breaks. The school wants me to be “immersed”. There is a telephone that we can use for free local calls or with a calling card for long distance calls. They provide filtered water, coffee and tea is always available and they have a refrigerator (in case we prefer to bring a lunch or snack) and a microwave. It also has a private bathroom. There is usually someone on staff there most of the time. If we need to purchase a book we just tell him and it is waiting for us during the next class break. It’s great. Okay, maybe it’s a little exclusive.

Here’s the schedule. Every 50 minutes we have a 10 minute break. And there are two 20 minute breaks each day. During that time most of us return to our little haven for some relaxation and or to do a little studying or computer work. I call Bill using my notebook computer and Skype from there every afternoon. Considering that private Spanish lessons at home are about $40 per hour, I think it’s a pretty good deal. Not the deal I had in Oaxaca, but first class teaching here. You want great cheap? Go to Oaxaca to Español Interactivo. If it were for more than 2 weeks, I might re-evaluate, but for two weeks, for where my Spanish is now, we’re going to bite the bullet and go for it.

I’m writing this after two days of classes, and I am very happy with my classes. My teachers are great. I feel that I am getting some very high quality instruction and learning a lot. I understand more and more Spanish everyday and my speech is improving, too. It’s my second day of classes and my 4th day in Cuernavaca and there have been NO negative experiences, not even a small irritation. The atmosphere is perfect for learning Spanish. Everyone is very positive and enthusiastic and the atmosphere is very conducive to learning.

This is Trudy’s second and final week here in Cuernavaca. She was planning to leave on Friday to stay in a hotel for the weekend before heading off to Mexico City to meet her husband for a couple more weeks of travel in Mexico. However, at dinner on Sunday I asked Martha and Rodolfo if they knew where the monarch butterflies spend the winter in Mexico. They told me that it is not far from Mexico City, but a 3 hour drive from here. I asked if there was a bus that went there, but they said there wasn’t. Evidently, it is outside a city and not that easy to get to. There are tours, but normally they are complete with an overnight stay in a hotel. Then Rodolfo made a wonderful offer — he would drive all of us there next Saturday! Trudy and I couldn’t believe it. I offered to pay for the gas so as not to take advantage of his generosity. Trudy said she would stay here at the house for the weekend instead of in a hotel if her room is vacant (we’ll know that tomorrow). So, we are looking forward to an adventure and a spectacular site on Saturday. (Note: We just found out that Martha and Rodolfo are being honored by the school tomorrow for being the most highly rated host family. The school works with over 400 host families, so that is quite an honor and it’s already easy to see that they earned it.)

Today Trudy and I headed for the garden as soon as we got home. Martha had a late appointment, so we had the house to ourselves. While we enjoyed the perfect weather in the garden and completed our homework, the family pet Dansca, a 12 year old black lab kept us entertained. She would bring us a limon (her ‘ball’ or what we call a lime in N Carolina) and drop it beside us and we would play fetch.

By the way, I have finally arrived someplace warm. The weather is pretty similar to what it was when I was here last year. Mornings are cool enough for a light sweater. The rest of the day is perfect for just a light blouse. At last! Even though Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende got into the 70s every day, it so cold in the evenings (and the warm period was so short) that I never felt that I was warm enough. I was getting tired of being cold.