Hi-ho, Hi-ho, it’s back to school we go. . . .

We are back at school – Spanish language school, that is, along with about 16 other students from all over the world:  Germany, Switzerland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, Australia, and the USA -- at least for this week.  We are all attending EDEAQ (see website at http://www.edeaq.com/index2.htm ), right in downtown Arequipa, a half block from Plaza de Armas.

We are especially fortunate because we are currently staying at the home of the managing director and “head honchos” of this school, Juana Lourdes Díaz Oviedo de Seelhofer, a native Peruvian, and her husband, Max Seelhofer from Switzerland, who plays a major role in scheduling, maintaining finances, organizing home stays, etc.   Along with the school organization, they also run Lula’s B & B – our home for two weeks (see previous blog posting on "our" terrace).

Lula talking with one of the teachers.

Max talking with two of the new students.

The all-important weekly schedule bulletin board.

The school is the only one in Arequipa which is accredited by the Peruvian government, and it also has won kudos from German and Swiss governments.  These standards, their website indicates, are “difficult to be found elsewhere in Peru and the rest of South America.”   Their school currently has about 14 different teachers, all of whom are young and energetic, and there are also 14 different classrooms -- you got it, one classroom per teacher.    

The hallway leading to one wing of the classrooms.

One of the teachers getting his room ready for his next student.

While most of the teaching in this school in one-on-one, Harold and I form an “affinity” grouping (don’t laugh, friends), which means the two of us are together with one teacher.  Our teacher is Joaquín Barrientos, a young native Arequipeño who is quite knowledgeable about Peruvian politics, and about all those other things one needs to know about a location when one lives there for 3 months.  Beyond that, he also does quite a nice job summarizing grammar and pulling together various aspects for us, assuming we either know the background or will learn it before class the next day.

Our classroom which is all ready for us.

Joaquin expounding on a grammar point. 

Our board at the end of our class.  This day, it was half verbs and half Peruvian Presidential politics.

Most of the students have class for 4 hours a day, generally with 2 different teachers.  We have class for 2 hours a day, and that time period works well for us.  We spend the first half on Spanish language materials and the second half on cultural studies.  The other bit of good news is that halfway through the 4-hour sessions, there is a lunch break, and everyone gets together to chat, to talk in various languages about various trips students are taking, and to get to know each other a bit more.  Oh -- there's also coffee and tea and a few sweet goodies to provide energy for the last half of the session.

The lunch break table, all ready for teachers and students who will flock to the table momentarily.

The table with teachers and students sitting down and relaxing, probably also talking about a hike up El Misti, how long they will be at the school, where they are living, other trips, housing arrangements, etc.

So, if you are planning to learn Spanish, this school is a good place to do so.   We have thoroughly enjoyed our experience there.