COINED Spanish Schools in South America

I am a sixty-plus year old retired history professor. I've been dabbling in Spanish for a few years, and I got the "itch" to visit a Spanish-speaking country. I don't care for very hot weather, and I don't care to be surrounded by tourists from the US, so I opted for Argentina in August -- their version of winter, which is like a Minnesota September. I also have shirt-tail relatives in Argentina, folks whose ancestors brought our German/Swiss family name from Europe. I settled on Cordoba because of the historical/cultural significance of the city, and because it was small enough to be a "walking city," unlike BA. I researched schools, looked at Google maps street view, and settled on COINED because of the location, good reviews, price, and because COINED is involved in humanitarian efforts in addition to teaching Spanish. I stayed in a home and, as luck would have it, my housemates were German girls, and our "Mom" was a very good cook.

I enjoyed being "alone" in Cordoba, meaning there were very, VERY, few people from the US there. There were two in the school, and I met a man for coffee one day that I had met on Facebook. Other than that, I was in a large Spanish speaking city where few people knew any English -- something I discovered my first day when I was lost, downtown, 5km from my lodgings, and had to navigate a couple of bus transfers to get home.

What fascinated me was the fact that nearly every day a "local" would mistake me for an Argentine and ask me for directions, the time, to sign a petition, whatever. This led to many spontaneous and humorous "conversations!" I also had the opportunity to teach a class to a group of teenagers in an area school, playing music and talking about the social and cultural background of American Rock and Roll music, with some US geography (foto attached). I found everyone to be friendly and helpful, and if I had my camera out someone was always willing to pose, as the guys loading furniture that yelled "Foto!! Foto!!" from their truck (foto attached).

My classmates and I took bus trips to nearby communities, one the birthplace of Che Guevera, and even though I was the "viejo" (old guy) I got invitations to join the young crowd in their activities, from futbol to asados (barbecues attached). I am a walker, and the museums, shopping (street, store, and mall), parks, plazas, zoo, and multitudes of bakeries and cafes provided high entertainment at low expense. I enjoyed simply walking into a hardware store, pet store, book store, whatever and saying that I was from the US and just wanted to visit their store.

Throughout my experience, I felt very safe and welcomed. People were courteous, offered me a seat on the bus if I had my backpack, were patient with my poor Spanish, and, in general, seemed to enjoy the opportunity to chat with a guy from the US. Since coins and small bills are difficult to come by in Argentina, I could "play dumb" and they would cut me some slack when I tried to by a 12 peso sandwich with a 100 peso note. ;)

Did YOU study abroad?! If so, where and what inspired you to go?

Cristian: I did a one-year exchange program in South Africa when I was 17 years old. It was the most challenging and exciting experience I’ve ever had. Two years before, a friend of mine received an exchange student from Japan named Kana, and of course I got to spend time with her every time we got together.

When I saw she was living in Argentina, her whole experience made me want to have the same experience for my life. That was what inspired me. From that moment on I nearly drove my mom insane, asking all the time to enroll me in that kind of program. She finally did, and I ended up living that great year overseas.

What country have you always wanted to visit?

Cristian: Instead of naming a country, I will name a city, which was the place that I had always wanted to visit, and that city is New York. The main reason was that when I was growing up during the ‘80s, I had a feeling that if anything was happening it was actually happening in New York: cultural activities, interesting people, fashion, music, theater, movies, etc.

So in 2009, I was able to see it for myself, and it was everything I expected it to be, and even more. It didn’t disappoint me at all! I was able to experience what I wanted, attend a Broadway show, walk through Central Park, and even buy the New York Times and read it while sipping a latte. It was amazing.

Why is language learning and cultural immersion important to you?

Cristian: It expands your horizons, and gives you a new perspective on life. I could not think of an experience that would help you learn a new language better than travelling to a new country and being able to see that new culture from the inside. I always compare cultural immersion to when we are toddlers and learning our mother tongue: as kids we learn without knowing we are learning, and that is what happens when you learn a foreign language immersed in a different culture than your own.

Nowadays it is difficult, due to globalization, to be fully immersed in a new culture, as you probably will travel with your personal computer, and use the Internet to talk with your family, and you will speak in your own language from time to time…BUT it will still be a life-changing experience all together.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

Cristian: Working for COINED has been the perfect job for me. I love traveling and I love being in contact with different cultures, and that’s what I do on a daily basis. Having lived an intercultural experience myself allows me to be more understanding of the students we receive every week at our school.

Some of them find it difficult to adapt or to learn the language. They go through some kind of culture shock, and I can relate to that and help them cope with those situations. For me, personal growth lies in continuing to have these amazing intercultural experiences though our new participants every week.