Boost Your Language Skills With an Immersion Program

They were crunchy, and tart from the lemon… kind of like sunflower seeds, but with legs.

In the four years I’ve lived in Mexico, I’d managed to NOT try chapulines—dried crickets. But when you’re at a market with a Spanish-language teacher, and she buys a small bag of them for $1.50 and hands it to you with a giant grin on her face… you really have no choice.

I popped them into my mouth without looking at the particulars. And you know what? Chapulines would go well with a margarita or tequila!

When my husband Mike and I first moved abroad in 2008, we went to English-speaking Belize. While we had to adjust to a new culture, language wasn’t a problem.

Fast forward to May 2018, when we moved to San Miguel del Allende, Mexico. Here, it’s possible to get by with just a few words of Spanish. The large American expat community and that fact that this renovated, arts-rich colonial city attracts thousands of visitors each year means many of the locals speak English. But if I was to live here full time, I wanted to be able to speak more than just a few words.

So Mike and I enrolled in Warren Hardy’s Spanish School. It was convenient for us, and his approach to teaching Spanish suited us—one of Warren’s areas of expertise is teaching people in their "golden years").

After my final 10-week course with Warren ended, I was brimming with confidence and lots of Spanish words. The program provided me with a comprehensive grasp of all of the Spanish verb tenses, and I was ready to get out and use them.

But then COVID hit, and my fledgling Spanish fluency took a nose-dive during two years of isolation.

Plus, with so many English speakers here, it’s hard to get that immersion experience. In restaurants and stores, I always try out my Spanish with the employees—but as soon as my husband starts speaking English, they usually switch over, too. (I’m more committed to this Spanish-language acquisition than Mike is, which is one reason San Miguel works for us. I can dig into it as I like, but he isn’t forced to.)

I decided if I were really going to get the hang of this new language, I needed to go someplace else.

My first experience in a language-immersion program was more than 10 years ago, at a Language Link Spanish school in Antigua, Guatemala, where I’d enjoyed my private Spanish classes, a homestay, and the tours Language Link offered, which provided fun activities, side trips, and cultural insights. It made for a nice balance of classroom and vacation.

So I went back to Language Link to find a program a little closer to home in Mexico. Language Link maintains partnerships with schools in Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. And I’m told they’ll bring more options back later this year—in Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, and Peru.

I chose the city of Cuernavaca—about 250 miles south of San Miguel—six hours in a comfortable, high-end bus that cost about $45 each way.

For me, living with a local family is an integral part of an immersion experience. I did this in Antigua, and I wanted to do it again. (Homestays are not for everyone. They require that you be flexible and willing to interact with the family solely in Spanish. But the more Spanish you speak during an immersion program, the faster you’ll learn.)

And so began my week of intense Spanish studies. At the Spanish Language Institute of Cuernavaca, the program I chose included three hours of private classes in the morning and two hours of group conversation in the afternoon (there was only one other student in that group class—so that worked out well!). The number of students at a school varies significantly with the seasons (October is the low season at the Cuernavaca school).

I chose a private class because I felt it would allow me to focus on my areas of weakness. During the first class, the teacher and I discussed my goals. She was very accommodating, and this one-on-one approach allowed me to make significant progress during my single week there.

After class, I’d return to the house for comida—the main meal of the day. (The school strongly encourages students to eat with their host family, it provides time for active discussions in Spanish.) It was served at 2:30 p.m., and on many afternoons, I had the option of taking an excursion after that.

I’d go into town for a guided walking tour or to visit one of the city’s museums. One of my favorite excursions was to the Robert Brady Museum. The museum is a treasure trove of art filled with the works of artists like Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Brady himself. I paid $15 for a private guided tour, which can be done in English or Spanish (I chose to do it in Spanish).

And of course—there was that memorable trip to Tepoztlan, a gorgeous Pueblo Magico (a special designation from the Mexican government bestowed on places unique for their natural beauty, cultural richness, historical relevance, cuisine, and art) tucked into the mountains, where we started our tour at the Sunday market stalls—and eating chapulines.

The cost of Spanish-language immersion programs varies, depending on the country and city you choose. In Cuernavaca, I paid $550 for three hours a day of private lessons, plus two hours a day of group conversation. (The price drops if you stay on for a second week.) If I had done five hours of group classes, and no private lessons, the weekly price would have been $325. The cost for the homestay was $30 per night. That included breakfast and the main meal, a private room and bathroom.

My homestay experience in Cuernavaca was outstanding. The house was large, modern and comfortable—no hotel could have compared for that price. The family—Lorena and Enrique, and Lorena’s 82-year-old mother, Tona—was warm, helpful, and accommodating.

The whole family made my week easy. They picked me up at the bus station, walked me to school, and dropped me off in town for tours. One day, on my walk back to the house, Google Maps led me astray and after wandering for a while, I called Lorena. She jumped in her car and came to find me. It really felt like I was a part of their family.

There were a few times when being in full immersion mode was a bit overwhelming, I’ll admit. Tona always joined us for meals, but one day other relatives dropped by for dinner. The conversation was lively but with several people speaking rapidly, in different styles and accents, much of the conversation went over my head. But that’s all part of the process. The family was always patient with me, they never got annoyed by my Spanish blunders, and I could always ask them how to say something correctly.

The teachers at the school speak very clearly and deliberately. After a day or two, I found it fairly easy to converse with my teacher. That was true of the tour guides as well. Of course, in the real world, people most don’t speak with such care. So, the time spent with the family helped me adapt to different styles of speaking.

It takes time to learn a second language. That’s especially true for those of us who do so as seniors. But it’s immensely gratifying. And many studies have concluded that learning a new language can protect our brains against Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

My personal experience has convinced me that the fastest way to improve in a new language is to take an immersion program. Longer immersion periods will produce faster results—but for me, a week-long program proved ideal. My plan is to continue to enroll in immersion programs, one week at a time. That will allow me to explore new locations while improving my Spanish fluency. It will also provide me with a safe way to discover a new city, with support from the local school and family.

I had such a positive experience in Cuernavaca, I’m going back—taking Mike with me this time. We’ll stay with the same family, too. Their house is just beautiful, and I feel like we’ve become friends, so I wanted them all to meet each other.

Next up? Maybe an immersion program in Oaxaca… or in San Sebastian, Spain. I’m finding this to be a good-value, rewarding way to learn a new language, experience the authentic culture in a place, and see a bit of the world, too.

Tips on Finding a Spanish Immersion Program to Suit You

If you’re considering enrolling in an immersion program to learn a language from scratch or to improve language skills you already have, consider several things, first:

The style of Spanish differs from one country to another. Consider where you will be speaking Spanish. For me, it made sense to master the style of Spanish spoken in Mexico first. Castilian Spanish is quite different.

Consider how many students are allowed per class. Ask how the class size changes by season. When I was looking into booking a second immersion week in Cuernavaca, I’d originally planned to do it in January. But I was told that many young students attend classes in January as they’re on school break, so I rebooked for February.

Some schools can recommend local homestay options. Ask whether they monitor the homestay families (Language Link does). If you book a homestay through a school, make sure you have the option to change your homestay location if you encounter problems.

Most schools offer local tours to complement immersion studies. These tours provide golden opportunities to practice Spanish in a real-world environment, with your teachers’ support, while seeing interesting local sites.

One of the easiest ways to start your search for an immersion program is on the internet. Decide where you want to learn the language and how long of a program you want to enroll in. Read reviews of the schools and find out what past pupils thought of the courses, facilities, and learning environment.

Bear in mind that program prices will differ considerably between countries and schools and if you’re considering a homestay option (like I did) the margin of comfort available at those homestays can vary from country to country.

Another approach is to use a reputable language immersion service company who will book everything for you. As I’ve explained, I’ve used Language Link more than once, with excellent results. They check out the schools they work with, as well as the homestays. And they don’t charge a finder’s fee when you book through them. In addition, they provide additional services that schools often don’t offer. Language Link sent me a 20-page book about Cuernavaca, with information and recommendations, before my stay. They also provided a long list of transportation options. They also can advise you on the pros and cons between schools in various countries they operate in.