Where there’s a word there’s a way
Going to Mexico to study Spanish is a worthy goal, and to make your linguistic dreams a reality in San Miguel de Allende, one of the town’s many language schools might be just the boleto (ticket).
The city is the adopted home of several thousand expats; visitors found staring helplessly as they flip through pocket dictionaries are likely to find a translator on the spot. Mexicans working in hotels and restaurants can usually ease the frustration. That “out-of-my-element” feeling is thus minimized, but learning takes more determination than it would in a town not known for its tourist trade.
The Warren Hardy Spanish School is the answer for many. Hardy’s goal is to get students to a conversational level as quickly as possible. Since the school’s start in 1990, Hardy has built an industry out of his method. These materials are available online, but the best way to learn, many have found, is to enroll in his San Miguel school and practice their newly discovered language skills with Mexican-born tutors.
“Adults don’t have a hard time learning Spanish,” says Hardy. “In fact, they learn a lot faster than children. It takes a child three years and thousands of hours of exposure before he becomes fluent. Adults can learn a second language in several hundred hours.”
Another option is Instituto Allende, one of San Miguel de Allende’s oldest schools that offers year-round Spanish courses for conversational and business students. At the Instituto, speaking is key. Students discover the patterns and structure of Spanish through directed, planned conversation.
Most Instituto classes, which are small, meet on the grounds of a spacious former hacienda that houses the language school and a renowned art school. Total Impact Spanish involves one-on-one instruction and is geared toward rapid learning and can be tailored to suit special business or professional requirements.
Academia Hispana Americana, nearly 50 years old, is the only school of its kind to offer a diploma in Spanish as a Second Language in the state of Guanajuato. The Academia’s philosophy is that students need to use the four language skills from the start: listening, speaking, reading and writing. To achieve this, teachers create a lively and interactive atmosphere in which nuts and bolts of grammar are painlessly interwoven with conversation and activities. The Academia supplements its high-intensity classroom program with seminars on Mexican culture.
Centro Mexicano de Lengua y Cultura de San Miguel was established in 1990 by a group of language teachers to create a school that would serve as a multicultural and multilingual center for the community. The school offers classes such as Survival Spanish as well as weekly Spanish and English conversation clubs and children’s programs. Holiday celebrations help students understand Mexican culture and further the school’s goals “to bring together children and adults from different cultures.” In addition to Spanish, Centro Mexicano teaches English, French and Italian classes.
Centro Bilingue de San Miguel is a popular spot for visiting children and teens. The Summer Spanish Day Camp employs Mexican kids and adults to help American and Canadian kids learn about Mexico’s language, history, culture and traditions through games, crafts, music, drama, dance, sports, cooking and community visits. A special program for older kids includes challenges such as a treasure hunt that takes them all over the city, hunting items from clues in Spanish.
At Habla Hispana, all activities are in Spanish. The school offers terms of 80 classroom hours, 24 hours of cultural and fun activities and guided walking tours. Students are placed with Mexican families, one of the highlights of the program and an excellent opportunity to both tame or maim Spanish, eat new foods, and interact with locals.
Besides traditional programs, specialized schools such as MexArt combine language learning and art for teens with cooking and dance classes and tours.
A perusal of the classified ads in the weekly newspaper, Atención San Miguel, will also lead to individuals who tutor students in Spanish. Public bulletin boards are also sources for ads from teachers. Even more informally, visitors can find a seat in the Jardín, the main square that is the social nexus of the city, and strike up a conversation with a benchmate. Admittedly, this is not likely to lead to anything like fluency, but making a new friend can help ease the path. 
Academia Hispana Americana, www.ahaspeakspanish.com
Centro Bilingue de San Miguel, www.centrobilingue.com
Centro Mexicano de Lengua y Cultura de San Miguel, www.centro-mexicano.com
Habla Hispana Spanish School, www.mexicospanish.com
Warren Hardy, warrenhardy.com
