DELE Course E

I studied at Centro de Enseñanza for only a week and the experience was good. The teachers (especially Maribel) are engaged and are always trying to promote speaking during classes. The school is in a central location and the building has all the facilities that a student may need.
The school should review the fee of the material used in class. I don't know if it is the same for everybody, but I paid about 30 dollars and just received some sheets of paper. Also, the assessment test should be done before the payment of the course. This way the school can recommend the best course and the students won't have problems with the values further.

When I arrived in Montevideo I was supposed to start my stay with a 2 week course, but on my first day in Uruguay, I got an email (from my supervisor of the project after my Spanish course) that I had to change all my plans because something changed. I was invited to the school to have some coffee, discuss this and just talk a bit. This really helped me to chill again and we rescheduled the course. Also, they showed me the nice school and good rooms they offered so I stayed there for the first week.

The course itself was great. I would really recommend to take not only group but also individual classes. For me this was really important because I was a bit scared of talking in Spanish and it really helped me a lot!

The school also organized a lot of activities. They also had a nice mate class with some history and explanation of how to prepare and drink mate. Thank for that! I am still enjoying the mate every day!

I decided to take classes with La Herradura because I needed a crash course in Spanish as I began my year abroad living in Montevideo, and I could not have made a better choice. La Herradura begins every week with a very friendly tea break in order for the new students to be introduced and to explain how the school works and the different activities available which really helped to ease new student anxiety. The classes were very helpful in making a mental change to thinking in Spanish because there is very little or no English used at all. Although having grammar lessons in Spanish was frustrating at first, it really helped me to change my way of thinking. Both the Spanish and grammar classes are not as boring as I thought they would be because we are constantly talking about our lives and doing activities that are actually interesting and often times fun. All the teachers at La Herradura are extremely kind and helpful and encourage students to stray outside the comfort zone, which has expanded my vocabulary a lot. The only complaint that I had is that during the winter the classrooms can be a bit cold; however, I understand that this is more of a characteristic of Montevideo in general, not just this school. I really enjoyed my month with La Herradura and feel that my Spanish has improved tremendously.

Probably have a biased opinion as Montevideo, for me, wasn't a lively city and the food is definitely bland with very little variety:
As stated above my classes were private although I wanted a group environment,and I found my teacher, although very knowledgeable, lacked enthusiasm. The accommodations were adequate, however the school is looking for a new location and was not into making maintenance a priority. Despite this the family was very gracious and helpful, the location was near the river with its long rambla which was a great treat for me. I understand the new location will be even closer.
The arranged activities were very good as well.

Conversation classes were very good , although repetitive if the grammar was bad, because when I arrived I walked into a group that has already started and did not get the handout , no one explained how the course would be administered . I just received a handout level A1 in the second week and have not had anyone review the previous classes. The grammar I learned in my first week was the same as the second, ie I was not given anything new. It really was a lot to like learning .
The location was excellent school for me, because I was very close to my house. The school organized a horseback ride and I paid $600.00. However the time we returned, we were left at a bus stop at night, around 8:00 pm and had to pay for the passage home at the end of the night, nothing was said about it, I was very upset.
I really enjoyed the reception at the airport, because I was afraid to come and find nobody waiting for me, but someone was there with my name in hand, and he took me home just right, I loved it .
I also enjoyed the hosts and my housing .
Overall it was a rewarding experience and I want to repeat it.

I did enjoy the classes, teachers, and classmates. The atmosphere of the school is light, amusing and friendly. It was great to have the chance to be in touch with people from different countries. Margo and her daughter are sweet and do their best to help us. As to the classrooms I suggest fans or a central air conditioned system should be installed. It was quite hot! What disappointed me was the housing. The bathroom is too small and far from the bedroom. Besides that I´m sorry to say that the hostess didn´t seem to be happy with my presence although I did my best to please her. I´m sorry I stayed only a week because I couldn´t take part in the activities that interested me most.

I think that was a wonderful course. The people and the school were very agreeable and helpful, as well the activities. I'm just sorry I couldn't stay for more time to appreciate them. I believe that now I could improve my understanding about Spanish and I am very happy. If possible, I will be back soon.

It was a great experience and I hope to return there someday... I managed to improve my Spanish and can now speak fluently. The teachers were crucial for my learning as well as the teaching material and structure offered. The people in Uruguay are very receptive and I made a lot of friends. I commend the Center of Teaching Herradura to all who wish to learn Spanish.