Word: quito
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...cast about in 1997 for a school to improve her Spanish, the Michigan nurse looked first to Ecuador, explaining, "I was fascinated by the indigenous cultures, and I wanted to see the Galapagos before they are destroyed." At the Academia Latinoamericana de Espanol in the capital city of Quito, she was not disappointed. After three intensive weeks of private classes and living with a family, she went off better prepared for her explorations. Says Amundson: "Going to school and getting quarters with local people is a great way to enjoy a country without being a 'tourist...
Most of the language schools are in the pre-Columbian city of Quito, although a score have opened in Cuenca, a mountain community 35 minutes by air to the south. Nearly half the language students are more than 40 years old, with as many from Europe as the U.S. They study Spanish to prepare for travel, to scout retirement sites--or just to learn something new. They are attracted by Ecuador's diverse cultures and spectacular topography. Off-hours, the adventuresome can trek in the nearby Andes...
Berlitz schools, they are not. Along Quito's busy Avenida Amazonas, schools operate out of makeshift storefronts and converted homes. "We don't assure fluency, only that you will learn enough to get around," says Francisco Pastor, director of Academia Equinoccial. The regimen of four or five hours of daily classes plus afternoon, Spanish-only outings with instructors brings special meaning to "total immersion," often leaving the student exhausted by dinnertime, just when his host family is eager to engage him in small talk. "Listening was the hardest thing for me," says John Hale, 43, who studied in Quito with...
...many visitors, Ecuador's bargain prices are as alluring as its scenery, especially following the September currency conversion. The going rate for private lessons is just $5 an hour. A first-rate dinner for two in Quito is $15; taxis are usually less than $2. Accommodations with local families average $12 to $15 a night. For a typical student, a month's expenses may never...
Mahuad, the Equadorian politician, served as Mayor of Quito for six years before his presidency. He will head a study group on "Latin American Politics, Leadership, and the Effects of a Global Economy...