I have finally raised enough money to go to South America for a month and do some Beginners spanish…i however am still mulling over which country to visit…
The shortlist is Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador…
My criterias are as follows…
Ease of learning spanish…i heard places like Chile for instance solely speak slang as do a lot of the Carribean places so iv been told thats a no-no…so far iv been recommended Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia…
Also i would prefer and area where most people speak little English so i actually learn some Spanish…
Cost of living…im taking about £800 spending for a month but would prefer to take less…any recommendations?..
Sightseeing and culture…im hoping for something a bit different…im hoping for a cultural experience during my month and would love to see some nice landmarks…
Friendliness…im not looking for the ‘Wow hes a Westerner thing’ and have all these passport chasing girls for instance…i would like a friendly hospitable people who are easy going…
Safety…not that im gonna bring all my bling with me but still would like to know how these countries are ranked in terms of safety…
Ladies…I am a guy after all…and would be looking to meet some attractive mamacitas…i tend to prefer the mulatto looking types…
Nightlife…Dont want to get bored obviously in those evenings when im not studying…
Quite a lot of criteria but any help from anyone would be much appreciated…
that's interesting... have u looked into exchange programs? or is this somet solo?
my friend in LA participates in an exchange program where she hosts students from all over the world. i have talked to some of these students and they say that staying with a family that speaks the language of interest really helped them pick up the language. i agree... during my own travels, i've done the homestay thing, and it sure beats staying in a hotel or apt all by yourself.
when do you plan on leaving? i knew someone who went to Ecuador for a year, she was really into the ancient ruins and anthropological stuff in south america... she got a job teaching english at a school to support herself while she was there. i'll see if i can get in touch with her.
I went to Venezuela for half a year and I didn't know much Spanish. Very nice country and nice people :) They do ask you "what you think of Bush" a lot, though. Every country is going to speak a lot of slang, but if they know you don't speak much they'll try to make it easy for you to understand them.
Lots of educated people know a little English but if you ask them they won't speak it around you.
It will be fun! An adventure!
Decided on Medellin Colombia...should be fun...
Selling points are that Colombia is supposed to have the easiest Spanish to understand in South America...
Medellins as a city seems damn interesting and a lot safer than it used to be during the Pablo Escobar days...
Colombian women certainly dont discourage me either...
And compared to Venezuela and Mexico iv heard Colombia is good value for money...
Maybe a kind of…They must learnt it first and then you can go there.