Panamania: Spanish By the River

Hola!

Today I'm going to tell you about Spanish By the River-the school I am taking my lessons from.

It's located outside of town on a little acreage with orange and banana trees and also many trails through a garden.

The residence is made up of 4 bedrooms (with bunks) a shared kitchen, dining area and living room. It also has several outdoor tables to study at and hammocks for lounging in.

Classes are taught outside in palm-thatched villas.

The classes cost $70 for 5 days of classes and last for 4 hours a day in a group or 2 hours a day in private.

Classes are taught based on your experience-I am beginner-and focus a lot on grammar and writing skills (of which I am less than beginner!).

I think the absolute best thing about the way the classes are run is that there is no strict schedule to follow. Twice I have asked Estaban (my prof.) to change it up and teach me useful travelling phrases and he has given me almost a notebook of them.

I am super impressed with his patience. I don't know how many times he's had to tell me what watermelon is (la sandia) and keeps a straight face.

I am definitely noticing that I am able to move around town a little bit easier because of my lessons. The locals definitely appreciate the effort even if I butcher the words!

Today's class was by far the best: We started out by playing Hide and Seek and then Guess Who-all in Spanish of course. It was a blast!