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:
Our classroom
Linda in the office
Ellen, me and Mercedes
Break area
Mercedes, Ellen and me
Front door
Upstairs from the break area
Presents under the palm
Kitchen
View of school from street
Almuerzo (lunch) after class – Bill and Lauraine (Toronto), Ellen, Richard (San Francisco), Regina (Stockholm)
Often when we leave, a nearby school is getting out
