Several people have asked about how the Spanish is coming. Here are a few thoughts:
- Yanapuma is a very good school that we would recommend to others
- Spanish is not English – it has its own set of rules and irregularities, usually very different than those in English
- It seems far less important to learn grammar in one’s native language, but very important when learning another language
- As we started our study, it seemed like long forgotten pathways were opening. Unfortunately, they may have been created when studying other languages – French, German, and if we’re lucky Spanish.
- The school teaches not only Spanish, but Ecuadorian culture. We’ve had special sessions/demonstrations on Bocaditos (snacks) and Granos (grains).
- Our teacher, Mercedes, is great. She grew up in a family of 13 in Tena, a town in the Amazon. She is a certified guide across Ecuador, and encourages discussion (in Spanish) of all things Ecuadorian, and then some.
- Practice makes perfect – Ellen is a better understander than speaker, I am probably the opposite
Here are some pictures: