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ABOUT AVENTURAS
In 1981, in between years of graduate study for our
MSW in social work at the School of Social Work at the University of Washington
in Seattle, we traveled to Mexico to study and learn Spanish in an intensive
Spanish language immersion school. We knew then that acquisition of the Spanish
language and knowledge of Mexican and Latin culture would be important to
us in building cultural and language competency in our profession working
as clinical social workers with mental health clients in California. We knew
that with most of our clientele speaking Mexican Spanish that learning Spanish
in Mexico was important. We traveled to Cuernavaca, Mexico, in the state
of Morelos. We learned that this was one of the two world centers for
the study of the Spanish language. Upon arrival in Cuernavaca, we began our
research of the many schools there. After visiting many Cuernavaca Spanish
immersion schools and meeting their staff, we decided upon the program at
EXPERIENCIA, Centro de Intercambio Bilingüe y Cultural. It had many
things that we were looking for and more.
We decided upon a six week course of studies with very little background
in Spanish. During our stay, we fell in love with the people and the culture
of Mexico. Our experience at EXPERIENCIA was one that left a lasting impression.
In the spirit of our graduate studies professor at the University of Washington,
our experience was one of "fun and learning, too!" We made life-long friends
from Mexico and Europe. We traveled for two weeks in Mexico after our studies
before returning home. Since that time, we have returned to Mexico for a
dozen additional "aventuras" there, totaling about a year of time spent in
various parts of the country (Oaxaca, Guanajuato, Chiapas, San Miguel de
Allende, Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Baja California, Mazatlan, Merida,
Yucatan, Acapulco, Zihuatenejo, San Cristobal, Palenque, Bonampak,
Yachilán in Chiapas). In 1999, we returned to Experiencia with
our children (now 18 and 15) for a "tune-up". Since that time, our
children have taken 15 weeks of immersion classes themselves in classes designed
for children. Our daughter was able to begin Spanish classes in high
school at year three. Also, our own level of fluency has continued to
build. We also work with the Experiencia Tepozltan Spanish school in the
nearby indigenous village of Tepoztlan, near the birthplace of Emiliano Zapata
and the Quetzacoatl, plumed serpent of Azteca times.
Each time we have returned we have taken additional students with us.
We started AVENTURAS: Educational Travel Adventures out of our love
for México, her people and a desire to help bring increased Spanish
language skills and cultural competency to the services that many people
need in their employment setting today. The students that we send down and
take down in group trips with us come from many different backgrounds. Some
are Social Workers, Mental Health Therapists, Teachers, Doctors, Nurses,
Embassy Diplomates, Government Employees, Education Professionals, Priests
and other Clergy, Nuns, Ministers, Business Executives and
Professionals, Medical Students, Law Students, Social Work Students
and other College Students, Retirees, and other Mexico-lovers that just want
to be able to speak better when they travel. Many of our students are Latinos
who either want to learn the language for themselves, fine-tune some aspect
of grammar, or expose their children to the culture and the language in a
more intense way. Many students have traveled with their families who
study with them. Some students feel more comfortable traveling in a group
so we have enjoyed setting up these experiences as well. We look forward
to many more "AVENTURAS" ourselves.
We want to share our experience with you in
providing you with
individualized help in planning your next adventure
in learning!
In 2000 we found a common interest with Professor Paulino Vesasco, an
instructor at the Experiencia Spanish language school in Cuernvaca with more
than 29 years of language immersion instruction experience. We thought that
useful inexpensive live online classes could be developed via the internet
using instant messaging formats. In the fall of 2000, we pioneered the first
live online Spanish classes via internet. In recent years we have expanded
this to include voice technology and now offer live voice and text based
Spanish immersion style classes via internet. We continue our own live online
classes with Paulino each Sunday morning at 10AM. This has allowed us to
continue to grow in our Spanish skills after returning from our annual in-country
tune up each summer. We have also been surprised at the improvement in our
ability to read and write Spanish. You can contact Paulino at
![[AVENIDAS: Online live Spanish tutoring from Cuernavaca, Mexico]](pict143.jpg) , a website
(www.SpanishTutorOnline.com)
to provide Online Spanish Tutoring using email and live instant chat to
facilitate learning. He also arranges translations, studies in Latin literature,
art, politics, culture competency consultation and in-country instruction
in Cuernavaca and Oaxaca, Mexico. Currently, this program is offered
in an immersion-style format with the learning occuring completely in Spanish.
This is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced students. For
some students it will help them brush-up on their Spanish and be at a higher
level of fluency when they arrive in México for intensive study. For
others, it will help to maintain and build their fluency when they have returned
home. Other Spanish language learning programs are also possible.
Since 2004, we have expanded the schools and programs that we work with
to include other high quality Spanish immersion language schools in other
Latin America and in Spain. We contract with the University of California
at Santa Cruz, in their English Language International program and Educational
Consortium Institute in the Monterey Bay area near Santa Cruz, California
bringing foreign students to the United States to study English and American
English and American culture. We are now also working with Accord Languages
in Paris, France, including their summer program in French language immersion
in a secure residential setting outside of Paris. We will soon offer options
to study, learn and travel to schools and institutes teaching German, Italian,
Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin and Catonese dialects), Russian, and Greek immersion
school with concurrent cultural immersion.
These programs include schools in other parts of Mexico (Solexico Spanish
Schools: Playa del Carmen, Oaxaca and Puerto Vallarta); Escuela Mexicana
in Guanajuato, Guanajuato; Academia Hispania Spanish School in San Miguel
de Allende, Guanajuato; and other programs in La Paz, Baja California,
Guadalajara, Acapulco and Zihuatenejo. Our other Latin American partners
are in Costa Rica (Costa Rica Spanish Institute: COSI
A sus ordenes,
Charley and Laura
![[Aventuras: Educational Travel Adventures Image]](pict71.jpg) ®
Educational Travel
Adventures |
