[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Lucy Allan, Bilingual Bridges’ Marketing Assistant, is a Butler University in Indianapolis, IN senior. She majors in Elementary Education and Peace and conflict Studies and minors in Spanish and Mild Intervention. From May 12 to June 1, 2019, Allan participated in Butler’s Spanish Immersion trip to Costa Rica. Part of this trip involved learning Spanish through language classes at the ILISA Language School in San José, which she describes below as her first of a series of travel stories!
Learning Spanish in San Jose, Costa Rica
We spent our afternoons working one-on-one with a private tutor at ILISA on Tuesdays through Thursdays. They assigned us a new tutor each week so that we could work on understanding various accents.
During my second week in Costa Rica, I worked with Elizabeth, a university professor from San José who has been teaching Spanish for 19 years. We spent the first part of each session discussing what we had done that morning, our weekend plans, and our hopes for the future—all in Spanish, of course!
We engaged in fun, interactive Spanish language activities throughout the three-hour session. Two of my favorites were a Candy Land-style game and Boggle SLAM Cartas. For the first game, Elizabeth created questions on each square for us to read aloud; however, Boggle SLAM Cartas was my favorite. I received five cards at a time, each with one letter, and I manipulated those letters to create new words in Spanish.(Click here to see the game in action!)
At the end of the week, I completed an opinion-based presentation about creating a better world. (This is Perfect for a Peace and Conflict Studies major!)
Learning a new language with a private tutor
Working with a private tutor like Elizabeth was arguably my most advantageous language-learning experience. The lesson content focused on my needs and matched my interests. I loved it! Instead of being forced to memorize vocabulary terms or complete grammar worksheets, I was building on what I could already do in a fun, engaging way.
Want to learn Spanish? Visit our Spanish page to learn how we can help![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
