Language Arts: A Class for Travelers

Español Andando is an unusual four-day Spanish language course for which the magnificent city of Buenos Aires doubles as its classroom. It’s the ideal program for Argentina-bound travelers who want to learn basic Spanish, brush up, or fine-tune the Argentine accent but are unwilling to sacrifice precious vacation days sitting indoors as the city beckons.“It was part tour, part Spanish class,” a 33-year-old American, Daniel Kostas, said of his Español Andando experience. Classifying his pre-Argentina Spanish level as “able to order off a Taco Bell menu” and frustrated by his attempts to learn Spanish from a CD alone in his room, Mr. Kostas signed up for the course. He soon found himself, as do all Español Andando students, following its interactive curriculum: asking strangers for directions on the street, inquiring with shop clerks about their prices, and hunting for schedule information at the dizzying Retiro Station.During each three-hour class, students also are shown famous landmarks and neighborhoods intended to provoke conversations about Ché Guevara, Evita, the former footballer Diego Maradona, the literary behemoths Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar, and the intrigue of tango.The vibrant, 26-year-old creator of Español Andando, Paula Capodistrias, conceptualized the program while teaching Spanish in London.“I started thinking, wouldn’t it be cool if we were in Argentina and could teach using actual bus schedules, menus, price lists?” Within months of Ms. Capodistrias’s return to Argentina in 2005, thanks to the internet, Español Andando was thriving on the streets of Buenos Aires.“Students will learn, and they get so much more out of South America knowing Spanish,” said a quick-witted instructor, Julieta Linares, 26, who joined Español Andando and teaches all classes. She notes Español Andando’s flexibility: Each course caters to various Spanish levels and students’ personal interests, such as traveling to Patagonia, Buenos Aires’s nightlife; local sports, from polo to soccer, or Argentina’s political history.Early this year, Margaret Wyatt, a retired nurse from Scotland, met Ms. Linares at Español Andando’s starting point, the graffitied corner of San Lorenzo and Avenida Paseo Colon in the historic San Telmo neighborhood. At a nearby café, Ms. Wyatt, the lone student after a couple canceled at the last minute, paid Ms. Linares the $45.00 course fee. Ms. Wyatt, who is conversant in Spanish, perused the Español Andando 38-page booklet, a resource that includes vocabulary, class outlines, and practical city information. There is even an amor section, which lists popular sayings such as, “Te quiero comer la boca,” literally translating to, “I want to eat your mouth,” meaning, “I want to kiss you.”The instructor and her student boarded the bus, el collectivo, to Retiro Station, where the undeterred Ms. Wyatt, perhaps fortified by a glass of beer over lunch, completed her assignments in a few laps around the station. The next day she was assigned to ask a pet store clerk the cost of a doggie haircut and blow dry. Ms. Linares, who waits patiently outside each venue with notebook in hand, was met with giddy excitement as Ms. Wyatt reported she had not only found out the price, but had also fabricated a story about the dog belonging to a local Argentine friend.For more information, go to espanol-andando.com.ar.

Language Arts: A Class for Travelers

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