Before I left Amsterdam I asked the people around me to think up ways for me to connect with them while in Buenos Aires. I told them there would be days I’d be feeling somewhat blue and ‘wouldn’t it be great if I then could connect with you?’ I got 61 little assignments. Some are easy. ‘Make a self-portrait every day’ for example. But what about ‘Eat a complete Parilla. You may need some help.’ What??! I don’t even know what that means… One of my friends asked me to share with her the moment I heard a new Spanish word that ‘made my ears tingle’.

Back  home in Amsterdam I imagined I would be hearing beautiful words everyday while strolling around the many lushes cosmopolitan avenues here, but as it seems I’m all into semantics at the moment. I hardly ever have time (or space in my head) to focus on aesthetics. Except, but of course, yesterday.

We were in Spanish class and my mind wondered off when I first heard this ‘I am so pretty I should be wrapped around in cellophane with a ribbon on top’-word. Nubes. Nubes. Nubes. If you say it fast it makes me think of a string of little golden beads falling onto a wooden floor in a stately home somewhere in 1920′s Savannah. Stretched out, like my teacher Flavia says, it reminds me of thick white stripes of air dancing round oak trees in a deep and dark forest.

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So. Learning has started here at AMAUTA Spanish School in Buenos Aires. It’s back to school all over again. Students, teachers, classrooms. Some things are quite different though. It’s funny how something mandatory in high school can be so much fun later in life. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I’m in the beautiful city of Buenos Aires surrounded by bigger-then-big trees, and sweeter-then-sweet sweets* but new palabras and verbos (do go and search for them on Google Translate) are going round in my head like a 16-year old American girl going round her walk-in closet on a Friday night.

I even like my homework because every new bit of integrated information makes it easier for me to connect with Buenos Aires and her lovely Porteños. Being able to order your own café con leche con tres medialunas without having to use your hands and feet is not only easier but much more fun.

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Here at AMAUTA Spanish School we pride ourselves on our top quality Spanish courses and volunteer programs. For us, quality has always been very important and that is why we are so pleased to present our new and improved website! AMAUTA means teacher in the native Quechua language of the Peruvian people and it is our aim to teach anyone who wants to learn the Spanish language and about Latin American culture.

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Walking over rickety rope bridges and swimming with caimen sound like a typical day to you? Well, for Elke and Steffen Garden (Germany) it was. Here they describe their final days living and studying Spanish in the rainforest with AMAUTA Spanish School.

In the morning, the rainforest lived up to his name. During class it was stormy and rainy. When we left around 11.30am by boat to another lodge close by, the rain had already stopped. We arrived at the other lodge and a parrot welcomed us. Afterwards, we walked half an hour through the forest and then to a higher canopy floor – we moved 24 meters over the floor by way of a slip-lane and rope bridge – Unforgettable!
After lunch and a few hours of Spanish lessons, we went by boat to the sand bank.  Here we played volleyball and football with the locals, which was really funny! For our way back we could decide if we wanted to go by boat or if we want to swim. Once we were back at the lodge we enjoyed some time in the pool.

At 11.30am, after breakfast and Spanish lessons, we went by boat to the “Native-Peoples“. One man in an Indian dress welcomed us and offered a One-man-show, mostly in Indian language and in the Wild West style.  Afterwards he showed us how to make a fire with natural materials and he showed us different things, like a head of a boar and a bow and arrow.
In the afternoon we walked through the rainforest and walked with the guide over overturned trees and coveys of mosquitoes.
In the evening we went by boat to look for caimen, and with a floodlight we saw a lot – surprisingly. It was the highlight of the day! I have to admit, it was a bit scary thinking that we swam back from the sand bank to the lodge the day before…
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Elke and Steffen Garden (Germany) spent a week studying Spanish with AMAUTA in the Peruvian rainforest. Staying near the Tambopata National Reserve, the two students had a chance to live in one of the most species-rich natural habitats in the world! Here, the two describe their first few days living and studying in the Peruvian rainforest.

Once you have survived the ten-hour bus ride to Puerto Maldonado, you’ll have a great and unforgettable experience studying Spanish in Tambopata with AMAUTA.

At the port, Justo alias Tuto, our guide for the next week, was waiting for us where we went downstream to the Nài-Meci-Lodge by boat. Because of the tropical temperature, we enjoyed the boat’s breeze, which cooled us down. We arrived at the lodge, which consists of two large buildings, a swimming pool, and a lot of small cabanas. The lodge is located right next to the river and is surrounded by jungle vegetation. The first day, we swam in the swimming pool followed by a drink of coconut milk out on the patio. In the afternoon, we had Spanish classes because our teacher, Libia, made an effort to schedule all the Spanish lessons next to the activities.
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Finally, a family vacation that combines fun with learning! AMAUTA’s Spanish for Families program is specifically designed so that everyone in the family, including the kids, has a fantastic time on holiday in Argentina. Each program is custom designed to the needs of the family, and combines interactive Spanish learning mediums with kid-friendly excursions.

Two students (8 and 11 years old) and a family describe their experience with AMAUTA’s Spanish for Families program. Continue reading to hear their perspectives!…

My name is Stefan Kozlowsky. I am Polish and 11 years old

At AMAUTA there are no boring classes. Everything is interesting! After 7 weeks, I can speak four different Spanish tenses; presente, pasado, futuro, presente progresivo and now I am studying the imperfect tense. We play a lot of interesting games with the professors. For example, Mateología, masks, monsters, cardboard and paper, TV, movies and theater, cartoons, plants, and more. AMAUTA is very social, and we have picnics, birthdays, trips in Buenos Aires, cooking, tango and we drink mate. The professors only speak in Spanish, which is also very nice because it helps me develop an ear for the language.

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Learning a new language is challenging at the best of times however, following these handy hints will help make the process a lot easier (and fun too!).

• Use flashcards, and keep them with you EVERYWHERE you go.
• Label all your surroundings in Spanish.
• Do not expect perfection! Expect mistakes, and do not be embarrassed by them.
• Develop an “ear” for the way the language sounds – watch films, television, listen to the radio, etc.
• Be consistent with your learning – practice for a set period every day.
• Talk to yourself!

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2011 marks an extremely important occasion for Peru as it celebrates the 100th anniversary of the rediscovery of Machu Picchu. Join us at Amauta and be part of something momentous! Alongside studying Spanish you will experience the Peruvian culture in full flair.

In typical Peruvian style, festivities will be on a grand scale. There are a multitude of events planned to honor this momentous occasion, so if you are visiting Peru you will not be short of exciting activities.
There could be no better time to come and study Spanish in Peru, and especially here in Cusco! Many ongoing events are taking place in honor of the anniversary, including music festivals, school contests and more.
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There really could be no better time to study Spanish in Peru. As the month for festivals, June is set to be full of fun and activity, especially here in Cusco – the Incan capital. The traditional festivities revolve around this city, also known as the ´Navel of the Earth´.

Our AMAUTA Spanish School in Peru is located in the heart of this fascinating city, just minutes away from the Plaza de Armas and the centre of everything. At the school we participate actively in all the festivities, of which there are plenty

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I spent six weeks volunteering in Cusco at an organisation that works to contribute to improving the quality of life of children, teenagers and families living in extreme poverty, promoting the development of important life skills and encouraging them to realize their potential.

I volunteered there from March 28th until May 6th, and it was a wonderful six weeks. My volunteer coordinator from AMAUTA gave me two options as to how I would like to work – either in the mornings with children aged between 3 and 5 years, or in the afternoons with children ranging all the way from 5 to 17 years. I decided to work in the mornings, and was assigned to the class of 5 year olds, and my working hours were 9am-1pm.

The morning program is seen as more than just a kindergarten. It is referred to as an “Early Stimulation Program”, and the children are given structured lessons and homework. The range of abilities of the children in my class was enormous! While some of the children could read and write relatively proficiently for their ages, others were not even able to count to five. However all the children tried their best and the teacher would cater the work to suit all the differing needs of the children. During the period in which I volunteered the children learnt about body parts, figures and numbers. It was also great for me to develop the vocabulary I had learnt in my Spanish classes!

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