Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
8:30-9:20 a.m. Grammatical Problems
9:30-11:20 a.m. Intensive Spanish
11:30-12:20 p.m. Conversation
Afternoons:
12:30-1:45 p.m. Novo Hispanic Literature
Lunch break:
3:35-5:00 p.m. Mexican Themes (Civics and Sociology)
5:05-6:20 p.m. History of Mexico
Three afternoon courses were lectures. An hour of grammar didn't seem too bad and the
Intensive Spanish referred to as “Vamos a hablar español” offered conversation. The Old
Gringo took the placement test. There were five levels, and he was assigned to Level
Three.
The teachers were professional, animated, prepared, spoke clearly and took an interest in
the students. But for the Old Gringo, there was a surprise. Intensive Spanish meant two
more hours a day of grammar: Ser and Estar, Por and Para, Preterit and Co-preterit, that
the Old Gringo thought he had learned years ago as the Imperfect Tense.
Where was the hablar? And since he tested at Level Three, the conversation was not a
challenge. The literature class nudged his vocabulary forward, and the afternoon lectures
added to his knowledge and understanding.
The high school and college students were being well grounded in grammar for a return to
classes in the fall. Their writing, already solid, would be superior, but the Old Gringo had
expected more spontaneous conversation. And in San Miguel de Allende you had to fight
to speak Spanish on the street. Clerks, waiters, shopkeepers often practice their English
as foreign students try out Spanish. Even cultural events are largely conducted in English.
The Festival Camara de Music (Chamber Music) began with all introductions in English,
and when a piano key broke and the program was delayed, the Mexican audience in the
upper balcony had to hiss and demand an explanation, chanting, “Español, español, es-
pañol.”
Academia Hispano Americano is academic and professional, but for this student it was not
a center for expanding conversational skill. Conversation for most students was with their
host families.
