A group of 11 people came here from the US a couple of months ago. They are volunteering in a non-profit, and I go there to teach them Spanish. In-person lessons.
Everything was going well, but almost two weeks ago something happened:
People started protesting in the streets. They are not happy with the government, and the situation is getting violent, so the volunteers were told to stay home.
I talked to their supervisor, and she told me to do online lessons with them. They were getting bored at home, and taking a class, even if it was online, could help.
I said yes, of course.
Yesterday they texted me. The volunteers, I mean.
They wanted to know if I would like to teach the class in a mall or a coffee shop. They were so bored of being at home that anywhere but the house was fine for them.
I’m tired of being at home too, so I immediately said yes.
We went to a mall, bought coffee and started the lesson.
A food court in a mall is not the best place for a Spanish class, so we made it very informal.
It was more like a conversation between friends with some corrections and explanations mixed in.
It was fun. I liked it, and I think they liked it too. I hope so anyway.
It reminded me of how I learned English.
For the most part, I learned the language by myself, and I used to spend a lot of time with my American friends, so speaking the language is something that happened naturally.
Of course, when I had questions, I asked them or did a search on the internet; but putting myself in situations where I had to speak in English was the most important thing.
That’s what my students are doing here in Ecuador, and that’s what you should do if you want to learn the language at a level that allows you to communicate well.
I mean, you don’t need to come to Ecuador, although if you could it would be great. But you can also make some Spanish-speaking friends, look for online language exchanges or anything else that helps you to practice your Spanish, even if you are just starting.
The secret to learning languages is “simple”: The more you practice, the better you become.
If you are learning Spanish for Ecuadorian reasons, I have something for you:
