After seven years of Spanish classes growing up in the US, you’d think we’d be prepared to head to South America, right? Wrong! Unfortunately languages aren’t really emphasized in the US, so while we had a basic knowledge of Spanish (¿dónde está la biblioteca?), we wanted to refresh and really immerse ourselves in the Spanish-speaking culture.
So, we set out to research Spanish schools for travelers. We knew we wanted to do at least two weeks of school during the first half of our trip. So, we decided to target schools in Medellin, Colombia and Cusco, Peru. Here’s what we found!
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Toucan, Medellin, Colombia
Overall rating: 9/10
Location: El Poblado, Medellin
Duration: 1 week
Price: $150
Free classes: yes
Other events yes
Toucan is an excellent Spanish school and a fun experience! They have multiple locations (Medellin, Cartagena, and Bogota), and various types of classes to choose from (group & private). The school was well planned and coordinated so literally all you have to do is show up!
We absolutely loved the location in El Poblado. There are a ton of restaurants surrounding Toucan, and it has its own Cafe attached to the school. Plus there are several hostels in the area. We opted for an Airbnb apartment so that we had some space to study, cook meals, etc. We found a top floor apartment with a private balcony for about $150 for the week, so it was very affordable.
One of our favorite parts were all the free activities! Almost every night there was a free dance class or language exchange with locals from the area so students can practice outside of the classroom. There were also paid activities available, such as the walking tour of Comuna 13 and a cocktail making class with a local bartender. We highly recommend participating in as many of these activities as you can!! It gives you a chance to bond with classmates, meet new people, and learn more about the culture.
The teaching was also top notch. The ratio of students to teachers was optimal, the amount of homework was minimal, and the use of time in the classroom was super productive! Students take a placement test prior to starting classes, and can switch levels at any point. In one week we refreshed and learned enough to get by in taxis, grocery stores, and restaurants – all important for traveling in foreign countries. We wish we had more time to spend here, as the benefits of multiple weeks of Spanish here must be outstanding.
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Wiracocha, Cusco, Peru
Overall rating: 7/10
Location: San Blas, Cusco
Duration: 1 week
Price: $140
Free classes: yes
Other events: no
Wiracocha was a great overall experience, but we felt it could have been coordinated more effectively. Similar to Toucan, students take a placement test before classes start. Despite this, we were placed in the very beginner class with a woman who had never studied Spanish. The teacher did a decent job of teaching to both beginner and intermediate levels, but about half the time we were bored with the content (we’re talking literal present tense conjugation of verbs… again!!). It took two tries but finally we were able to share our concerns and the owner took over our classes instead. The last two days were extremely effective at teaching new, practical content. However, it was a bit frustrating that we didn’t get much out of the first half of the week.
That being said, there were also many things we enjoyed about the school. The student to teacher ratio was even better than Toucan so you are able to really engage the whole lesson. There was very little homework, but we asked for extra so we could practice on our own after class, and they were very accommodating and even reviewed it for us during breaks. Even though we didn’t feel we were heard during the first half of classes they did their best to make up for it.
Wiracocha offers free salsa dancing classes during the week. They also have connections with a local trekking company to help you plan out treks to Machu Picchu and other locations. However, it was unclear how to connect with that company (no one ever came to the school, or at least we never heard about it), so we ended up choosing a different company we found online that was cheaper.
The location was amazing! San Blas is a beautiful area, just a few blocks away from Plaza de Armas. There are a ton of delicious restaurants in the area, including many gluten-free and vegetarian options, which we were stoked about! We again opted for an Airbnb instead of a hostel here and it was such a cute little apartment. It overlooked the city, had a fireplace, and was about 5 minutes away from the school.
Some other features that set Wiracocha apart from the rest were that they offered full time exchanges with local families to immerse students in their culture. They also had many different types of classes, including part and full time spanish classes and specialized courses like medical spanish. They even offer online classes!
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All in all, we learned a ton at both schools, and are so grateful for the staff and students for making them such helpful, collaborative environments. We would recommend both schools to those visiting Medellin and Cusco and interested in continuing their Spanish education!
Final Tips:
- Communicate your needs to teachers and other staff so you get the best experience possible
- Make sure the location is somewhere you want to be and explore for at least a week
- Proactively ask about free/paid activities so you are aware and can plan accordingly
- If you’re wondering where to stay, check the website or send the school an email. We had great luck with Airbnb, but both also made recommendations for nearby hostels and other options
- Compare costs – $150 seemed pretty average for a week of Spanish, but there were some more expensive options that offered additional classes and housing options
- The longer you stay the better, but one week is hugely helpful if that’s all you have time for!
We hope this helps! If anyone else has taken Spanish elsewhere we would love to hear how it went for you!
Happy traveling, friends!
Summer & Jackson
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