College Int’l. Programs Cordinator and Writter, USA

I chose Amazonas Spanish School because they employ communicative / conversational methods of teaching Spanish.

“For my College Language Abroad Program in Ecuador, I do not need to look any further than Amazonas Education and Travel. Executive Director, Gustavo Guzman and General Director, Jenny Jacome, delivered a top-notch program of language study and travel in Quito, the Amazon rain forest and the Galapagos Islands to my group of 18 participants in June/July 2007. In each location the students had classes in the mornigs and exciting excursions in the afternoons. I feel the program was a great value for the all-inclusive price we paid.

I chose Amazonas Spanish School because they employ communicative/conversational methods of teaching Spanish, because the teachers are highly trained and experienced (and, we found out, wonderfully engaging), and because Gustavo is an excellent businessman who worked with me every step of the way and addressed every detail of the complex multi-location program I had chosen for my students. Thanks to his planning and constant attention, our every need was more than met. Excursions, transport, flights, tours, guides; everything happened as planned, making my job as program coordinator so easy that the three weeks was a vacation for me!”.

England

“I am happy to give you my comments about my time with Amazonas Spanish School. I have always wanted to visit the country and knew that the way that Spanish was spoken here would be an advantage to someone learning the language. People here speak quite clearly and fairly slowly, so it is easier to understand. They have also been very friendly. I spent two and a half weeks studying with the school in Quito for 5 hours a day and living with a family, which was aranged by the school. I then had a further week with the school in the jungle near to Coca, where we combined 4 hours a day of Spanish study with exploring the jungle near to the lodge.

We also had homework to complete. It was the jungle option that attracted me, although I had also researched the reputation of the school before arriving in Ecuador As I am a solo traveller, I felt that this would be a good way to be able to experience the selva. The teacher who accompanied me to the lodge was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna that we encountered and this helped to make the trip very enjoyable, not to mention the games organised with other teachers and students at the lodge! I had individual tuition throughout and the school changed teachers each week, giving you exposure to a cross-section of people. The school asked me what my aims were in learning Spanish, checked my existing level of comprehension and then tailored the course to help me meet my aims. There was a questionnaire to be filled in by me each week to comment on my experience of the course and teacher.

I found all the teachers to be very friendly and professional. Apart from formal Spanish study we also discussed aspects of Ecuadorian society, politics and social and environmental issues, which helped my understanding of the country and made learning new vocabulary very interesting. During the break periods students have the opportunity to talk with other teachers and students, and there were also visits arranged to local markets, the old town and to a children’s foundation.

The school also offered salsa classes – but I am already a salsa addict so I did not really use this option. At all times the teachers took great care of the students and this helped us to gain confidence in using the public buses and to visit other places. I have every intention of returning to Ecuador and will certainly be happy to expand my Spanish language education with the school. People have commented to me that the vocabulary I use in conversation is much wider than expected of someone with my level of study, a compliment to the school and the way that the teachers reacted to my constant questions and diversions. I believe that they have given me a very good base and confidence on which to build my knowledge”.