Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Students work in pairs. The method emphasizes speaking and repetition. Warren is alert to
personality and makes sure students are compatible. Teachers are available to fill in if the
class is an odd number of students.
Unlike the AHA school, the average age in the class tended to be mature rather than
college-aged. In a class of twenty, I noted only three students I thought were under forty.
Warren assigned a teacher as my partner to work on the preterit tense. First Warren lec-
tured at the white board. He described the lesson, and gave examples in English. No one
was lost. Then as a group we pronounced the words, the conjugations, and a few sentences.
Next we followed step-by-step instructions; some sentences were in English to translate.
Later, questions were in Spanish to be answered in Spanish.
The students were remarkably alert, active and communicative. When there were ques-
tions, they were asked in English and clarified. At the break several students told me how
they had tried a number of times to learn Spanish with little success, but here they felt con-
fident and were progressing.
Warren has a system. The beginner class lasts two and one-half weeks, and he promises
that the student will learn a basic vocabulary of 500 practical words and a power vocab-
ulary. He emphasizes learning proper courtesy when speaking and interacting in Mexico.
Yet, classes are only nine hours a week. He assigns homework from the workbook. And
the workbook explains all exercises in English. No one gets lost. Classes are on alternate
days. The student has time to memorize the vocabulary, practice, write the assignments,
and see San Miguel de Allende, something grossly lacking in my current (well, former)
schedule.
And what's my reward for being a runaway? As always, good luck.
I was hustling back to AHA and the Novo-Hispanic Literature Class, walking fast up
Canal Street when I heard my name called out. Camie Sands, who I had met a year before,
was racing after me. When she stopped and caught her breath, she invited me to “cock-
tails and dinner tonight at the Bibliotheca, a Familiarization Tour for Writers to promote
San Miguel de Allende.”
I accepted her invitation.
