"La Cura de Italia"
After the fun and endless sunshine of our Tallinn Adventure this past summer, Christine and I traveled to Italy and plopped ourselves down in a magical place that has enchanted us for over twenty years, Bolzano, Italy. Within minutes, we knew this beautiful city would be the perfect place for our next educational summer adventure. We spent the next month exploring, planning, experimenting, enjoying...captivated by the striking beauty and the wonderful culture.
The Renon-Ritten cable car, in 11 minutes directly connecting the pastoral mountain paradise of Soprabolzano where we will be living, with the lively, historic center of Bolzano.
We're calling it "La Cura di Italia" because the combination of thrilling scenery, delightful mouthwatering foods, pristine air, wonderful wines, fascinating history, incredible musical offerings and an overall approach to life that embodies the Italian phrase "la bella vita" will have us all returning home looking and feeling 10 years younger...
Okay, maybe not looking ten years younger, but definitely feeling it!
The extraordinary beauty of the "Dolomites" is complimented by the cosmopolitan city of Bolzano. Even after spending weeks here you can still discover new alluring little treasures around any corner. It's a fairytale land of continual smiles, spectacular scenery, small vineyards, hardworking, good natured people...and we get to live in the middle of it for nearly a month at the absolute best time of the year, mid-summer, July 18 - August 11.
Tirol, proud independent people, drenched in tradition, surrounded by stunning beauty...
Yes, although we will be living in the absolutely breathtaking beauty and tranquility of Oberbozen (or Soprabolzano) at 3968 feet, we will be spending our days 2,000 feet lower in the bustle and beauty of the city of Bolzano, for hundreds of years an essential key to conquering the Alps and a unique mixture of cultures and the subsequent beauty such a fusion of people, food and traditions creates.
Our mornings will be spent in a fast paced combination of classes and series of lectures exploring the history, geology, architecture and politics of this critical crossroads to the Alps. Afterwards for those of you are are fascinated by languages and the doors that they open, we head off to immerse ourselves in Italian classes. This is a land of tri-linguals, so the reality is that anywhere you go, the person you are talking to will easily slip from Italian to German to English. You will find they are great teachers, they can tell you all the little tricks that they used to learn the two languages they did not speak at home.
You will also be amazed at how much your Spanish experience has suddenly opened up the Italian language and culture to you. Italian will seem to be Spanish words with a few extra vowels put in (our friends here in Italy would be aghast to hear that we think Spanish and Italian are similar), but vita=vida, familia=famiglia, pan=pane, vino=vino, lago=lago. In fact if you already speak Spanish or French, picking up Italian is quick and easy. Phonologically, Spanish and Italian are very similar, so that a Spanish speaking person could effortlessly pronounce Italian. Spanish speakers are able to understand a lot of Italian mostly in the written form, but also in the spoken form. In terms of "lexical similarities" or how much two languages are alike (with .0 meaning no similarities and 1.00 means the exact same language)...Spanish and Italian are .82 making learning Italian a lot of fun. (I still hate conjugating "los verbos" but at least here they are "verbi")
An international city of 100,000 full of youth, culture and adventure, surrounded by some of the world's most spectacular scenery
Afternoons, after class, are for exploring. Maybe lunch together with your instructors at any one of the hundreds of alluring "ristoranti" in Bolzano, or at one of the mountain chalets or castles overlooking the city. Individually and in small groups there will be tours of the museums, stops at "cantinas" for wine tastings, even the chance to simply take a siesta on one of the sun chairs (maybe not a group activity) available at almost every inn or chalet you see along the trails and narrow pathways of "Alto Adige" or Süd Tirol.
Lots of students, shopping, sidewalk cafes, music, museums...life
Our home above Bolzano...La Famiglia Unterhofer, Wander Hotel Regina am Ritten
La Famiglia Unterhofer will be our hosts as we ensconce ourselves in their beautiful inn and transform our lives into a perfect combination of learning, feasting, relaxing, lingering and rejuvenation.
After getting up to a view that even a native Coloradan is jealous of, we will start our days with a breakfast that you've seen on the pages of magazines but possibly never enjoyed in person. Afterwards, a few minutes in the sunshine on the terrace with a steaming cup of perfectly prepared espresso, soaking in the view and the scents of summer. A last long look, and a promise to go wandering with one of the Unterhofer family members this afternoon, and it is time to cross the street, hop on the cable car and head down to class in the center of Bolzano.
Waking up to this view off your balcony in the morning makes getting up well worth the trouble!
Sunshine, views, and all the amenities of a good life, chocolate, coffee, vino...smiles
Our "commute" is like no other in your life. The newly built Renon-Ritten cable sends a car out every 4 minutes from 6 am until 11 pm for the tranquil and spectacular ride between Oberbozen and the historic downtown of Bolzano. Our passes allow us to go up and down all day long, or head out with any train or bus in the valley.
Days in the city with all Italy has to offer, nights on the "alm"
For those of you who love to walk there are 100's of miles of wonderfully marked trails, with quaint cafes and bodegas found along every one, and just as many spas! Those who don't love to walk...no worries, this is a great small city.
In recognition of the quality and variety of the food coming out of the amazing kitchen of the Unterhofer Family, for this program both breakfast and evening meals will be provided. We think you will discover as we did that the dinners will be some of the most enjoyable and tempting meals of your life (I am not exaggerating here...Christine agrees). The food is absolutely delectable! Each night a parade of dishes and options will feed your eyes, your mouth, your stomach and your soul. Add in a wine cellar of superb Italian wines (we are after all in the center of one of Italy's top wine producing areas) followed by a traditional night cap or latte in the cozy bar and you will head off to bed knowing why we call it heaven on earth.
The cheeses...
The meats, the fruits, the vegetables...and the talent of the chefs...with the perfect portions that ensure enjoyment.
In all a fascinating and relaxing month of stimulating educational opportunities, healthy active living, wonderful meals, pleasant summer weather and a beautiful place to stay.
Your schedule and what you will experience during your 24 days in Italy...
Saturday, July 18: We pick you up at the airport in Munich, Germany and get you settled in for the night, a light dinner, a chance to take a shower and recover a little from jet-lag. For the more adventurous and still wide awake, the train will take us directly into downtown Munich.
Sunday, July 19: After a pleasant breakfast, we head off on the 3 1/2 hour drive to Bolzano and get checked into our new home, the family owned Wander Hotel Regina am Ritten http://www.hotel-regina.it/en/hotel-regina/welcome.html giving us the best of both worlds, spectacular living in the alpine meadows, and just across the way easy access to Bolzano's historic and cosmopolitan center with the Renon-Ritten cable car. An orientation tour is followed by the Unterhofer Family's traditional welcome dinner.
Monday, July 20: Rise early or late, breakfast will still be waiting for you as it will be everyday of your stay, and the staff at the in-house spa is waiting as well. From 10:00 - 1:00 we will be meeting at our classrooms in central Bolzano. Afternoon are yours to enjoy. We have a class on Italian wines beginning at 6pm. Dinner begins each evening at 7pm...lots of vegetarian options in this health conscious country.
Tuesday, July 21: Class again at 10:00am in downtown Bolzano, our focus today is the history of the area and the basics of being good guests as we acquaint ourselves with Tirolean and Italian customs, courtesies and basic survival/gorilla Italian. After dinner tonight is a chance to see Bolzano at its mid-summer peak with music on the square.
Wednesday, July 22: Jet lag is over and after class today we head over to Völs and the Proesels castle, still time afterwards to enjoy the traditional "cafe y torte" served everyday on the deck at Hotel Regina. Class tonight on the flora and fauna of the area. Have you seen edelweiss? Dinner tonight features rabbit, how does it compare to cuy?
Thursday, July 23: After class today…time to catch your breath and explore on your own. Bolzano is a fascinating place. Tonight before dinner we visit Cantina Bolzano for a tour of their wine operations before the harvest begins.
Friday, July 24: More Italian, more history and today the South Tirol Museum of Archaeology. Friday afternoons in the city can't be beat, enjoy the activity in Bolzano
Saturday, July 25: Giorno libero, enjoy a day all to yourself
Sunday, July 26: We head over to the Seiser Alm for lunch on the mountain
Monday, July 27 - Friday, July 31: We continue to improve our Italian, learn more about the history of this critical area, sharpen our knowledge of the award winning local wines, enjoy the apples, pears, plums, grapes, and other fruits of this prolific agricultural center during harvest, wander Freud's favorite paths, savor the many classical music offerings, shop in some of the most unique and artistic stores in Europe, wonder how we can be eating so well and not gaining weight, delight in the long lingering evenings, the beautiful sunsets...and in short relish our time in Italy
July 31 - August 2: For those who love opera, an optional two night program will be made available to the world famous Verona Opera Festival: The Barber of Seville and Aida will be the featured operas.
Monday, August 3 - Friday August 7: . Our final week, as always there will be lots of interaction with locals, classes that will educate and entertain, plenty of people watching, more wonderful and healthy food, the chance to pamper yourself, or beat yourself up climbing the nearby peaks and glaciers and even the option of another pleasant night's sleep...
Sunday, August 9: We head back to Munich saying goodbye to the Unterhofer family and our new friends and acquaintances in Bolzano and Ritten. Dinner tonight is in the outdoor beer garden of the "Waldwirtshaft".
Monday, August 10: A late morning Munich city tour and then an open afternoon for you to pick up those last minute items and enjoy your last day in Europe with a big smile, healthy body and new knowledge of another fascinating place in the world. We finish the day at 8 pm with a 59 minute Happy Hour, big hugs and fond farewells
Tuesday, August 11: Flights from Munich back home.
As you have probably seen in the mail that comes to you each day, the cost of European programs has gone up dramatically, with many now in the $6,000 and $8,000 range. We have worked hard in Bolzano to bring you a truly unique destination, wonderful accommodations, great speakers and an authentic European experience.
The cost of the 24 day program is $4,925 per person/double occupancy.
Included in the program: 3 nights in Munich, 21 nights in Bolzano, wonderful made to order breakfasts every single morning, 21 memorable 5-course dinners, 45 hours of fascinating programming with our local experts, 11 special evening programs, transfers to/from the airport in Munich and travel to/from Munich to Bolzano, tours in Munich and Bolzano, three weeks of transportation passes in Italy, wifi, European cell-phones, 3 excursions, and of course Christine and I available to assist and support you in anyway during your stay.
We have also worked hard with the Unterhofer Family to provide accommodations for those who want to have their own rooms during the program, we have been able to keep the single-supplement at $480 for the entire program.
If you are interested in joining us on this program please call (303-807-7625) or email us by January 15.
Spectacular scenery, fascinating learning, fun camaraderie, lots of activity, wonderful food and the potential for the most relaxing and invigorating month you've had in a long time...might be just what the doctor ordered!
Best wishes and hope to see you soon somewhere in the world!
Kent and Christine
In Bariloche we don't guarantee you will lose 10 pounds...ohhh, but it is so worth it!
Lago Nahuel Huapi
For us life in Argentina is what life should be like everywhere...
Argentina, a land of real "personajes" characters...
One-on-one Spanish instruction with a gorgeous view...
¡Que bárbaro...espectacular!
Did we mention the spa at our "home away from home"
Spanish and Summertime in the Lake District of Southern Argentina will start on Saturday, February 6 in Buenos Aires where we will pick you up from the airport and take you to gather for a night before flying off the next day to Bariloche and the five-star Alma del Lago Hotel which will be our home in the lake district. Time in Bariloche will include daily one-on-one classes in español with a wonderful team of instructors, as well as, nightly classes on the best food and wine that Argentina has to offer from one of Argentina's top-ranked sommeliers. We end our month heading back for three final nights of tango, asado, mate and vino in Buenos Aires and the excitement of the San Telmo Sunday market. Plan your flight home from Buenos Aires for Sunday evening, February 28.
For more information, pictures and the itinerary on this program email us at [email protected]
March 26, 2016 - April 20, 2016...Our New "Graduate" Spanish Program in Sucre, Bolivia:
Still the most authentic and rough-at-the-edges of all South American countries, Bolivia is a place that we love going to each year because it is so different from anywhere else we have ever been. The beauty of the area and the Bolivian people need to be experienced to appreciate. Sucre, our home on this journey, was the richest and most modern city in the world for hundreds of years, now it is unusual to find someone who has even heard of it. Bolivia is changing fast, and much of what we are seeing and experiencing now will not exist in a few more years.
Our program in Bolivia this year focuses on intense immersion! Do you feel like your Spanish has plateaued? Are you ready to go to the next level of Spanish? Do you want to really sink into language learning? Spend the days totally engaged in Spanish, but not just in the classroom. Bolivia is one of our most successful cultural and language immersion programs. Past participants rate this as both the most challenging and most rewarding of our South American Adventures. In short, Bolivia is a magical land of dichotomies and jaw-dropping sites full of warm, helpful people...
Friendly, fun one-on-one Spanish instruction in the mornings will be followed by visits to Sucre's wonderful museums, architectural treasures and public spaces in the afternoons. You will be out with your instructors roaming this pretty university city as they continue to challenge your mind in an intense, yet entertaining program of Spanish, culture, music and food. Every evening "mesas de español" will have you and your co-participants with an equal number of native Spanish speakers for two more hours of conversation and fun at a different local restaurant each night followed by...movies...salsa dancing...and more adventures.
The program will finish with a trip through the vicuñas and vistas of the Andes to the stark beauty of the world's largest salt flats. We will be staying for two nights in Luna Salada, a hotel made of salt, adventuring out onto the flats by day and enjoying the vivid stars in one of the clearest skies on earth by night. We end the adventure flying to the huge modern city of La Paz where we will stay for three final nights in a city full of costumes and scenes that make Star Wars movies look tame.
A beautiful place to take your Spanish to a whole new level, seven hours of Spanish immersion everyday...
One-on-one mesas de español in a group setting, Spanish in the real world...
There are 36 recognized ethnic groups in Bolivia, each with their own way of dress, food, language and traditions...all connected by Spanish
Think Cuenca 20 years ago...
Sucre, la ciudad blanca, surprises you every morning, afternoon and evening with its history and elegance
Your home in Sucre...
"Graduate" Spanish Program in Sucre, Bolivia will start on Saturday, March 26 in Santa Cruz, where we will pick you up from the airport and take you to the Camino Real Hotel. Gathering before flying the next day to Sucre, which will be our home for the next three weeks. Time in Sucre will be packed with one-on-one Spanish courses, tours and conversation, all with a wonderful team of caring instructors. Your days will be spent in Spanish (even me) and you will be immersed in the language as much as you can handle...and a little more. We end our month heading through Potosi to Uyuni and the world's largest salt flats. After two nights in a hotel made of salt we fly out of Uyuni up to La Paz. Three nights in this world of unforgettable sights and it's time to head home. Book your flights into Santa Cruz on Saturday, March 26 and out of La Paz Wednesday, April 20. What an amazing month...¡y ahora tu puedes hablar como nunca!
Cost of the 26 day program is $4230 per person
(The single supplement is $960)
All of our international "soft-immersion" programs are designed for those who enjoy learning, challenging themselves and living in foreign countries. Bolivia especially, is for the more adventurous traveler who is comfortable in developing countries, enjoys walking, and likes to be on the cutting edge of discovering new destinations.
For more information, pictures and the itinerary on this program email us at [email protected]
That's not snow!
If you are interested in any of these programs for next winter send us an email and let us know...they can fill up fast. We will send you a detailed itinerary, booking information and hold the space until you decide.
SouthAmericanLife.com month-long educational programs with Kent and Christine are designed for individuals who are looking for something more in their travels and experiences. We strive to take you into the heart of new places and new cultures in a way that that makes you feel a part of them for the rest of your life. All of the programs focus on learning in fun, challenging ways...while making sure you are comfortable and thriving in your new environment. Our adventures are for those of you who love meeting the people of other cultures...as much as possible in their own language. Yes, you will have homework, sometimes your head will hurt because it is so full of new information, sometimes you will not believe what you are seeing (both for better and for worse) but you will never forget the experiences and they will enrich your life. Our daily one-on-one contact with locals provides you with a very unique and individual experience. We try hard to avoid buses, groups, guides with umbrellas and name tags...while embracing walking, one-on-one interaction and the Argentine concept of "sobremesa", the time spent, after a meal, sitting around and talking to others who shared the meal with you. It is the art of lingering, friendship, curiosity...and living fully.
Best wishes, and we hope to see you somewhere in this wonderful world soon!
Kent y Christine
P.S. If you know of a fellow adventurer who has expressed interest and you feel would thrive in the unique educational travel programs we provide, feel free to forward a copy of this email to them.
Back to Cuenca for the Holidays December 16, 2015 -January 3, 2016
Cartagena; Spanish, Music, Waves and the Coffees, Chocolates and Sunshine of Caribbean Colombia: January 6 -28, 2016
During the seemingly never to end cold and dark months up north...in March we take you to the beaches and warmth of Colombia. This adventure focuses on "one-on-one Spanish" and the tastes of Colombia through its coffees, chocolates and rums. Enhance your Spanish and your mood as we move to the sun-drenched beaches of Cartagena, Colombia, for individual Spanish instruction and the amazing palate and entertaining ways of Martín Mantegini who will take us on a never to be forgotten journey of the tastes and histories of chocolate, coffee and rum with nightly classes and afternoon forays. We will be studying the best that Colombia has to offer bringing you to a level of expertise regarding these very different products than you would think possible...all the while getting our four hours of one-on-one language classes in each day. Yes, you will have to work on your Spanish, refine your senses and stretch your memory, but what an experience it will be and in what a wonderful location...this beautiful walled city, once ravished by pirates, combines the modern and historic in an unknown corner of the Caribbean. As our fellow adventurer Roberto from Kentucky will tell you...Colombia is an undiscovered jewel!
For more information, pictures and details on this program email us at [email protected]
Bariloche: Spanish in the Lake District of Southern Argentina: February 6 - 28, 2016
This educational adventure takes us into the "Lake Tahoe" of South America; spectacular Bariloche during the peak of its summertime glory. We will focus on conversational Spanish and the pure enjoyment of summertime in the mountains. You can search the world over and never find another destination like this, brimming with beauty, sunshine, wonderful recreational opportunities, packed with talented chefs, overflowing with truly wonderful wines, supermarket-sized chocolate shops, and home to some of the friendliest, most gracious and hospitable people we have ever met. After a night to gather in Buenos Aires, we will fly to Bariloche and unpack for twenty days of one-on-one Spanish instruction, afternoons of your favorite activities (golfing, hiking, fishing, biking, more plaza people watching) and evenings with a great series of programs designed to educate, fascinate, and confirm you have truly discovered "la buena vida"! Though you are in the midst of stunning mountain vistas...at 2,930 feet (893 meters) altitude is not a problem and temperatures are "perfecto". For those of you who have experienced Argentina with us before, you will be pleased to know that Martín Mantegini, ranked as one of the best wine experts in Argentina (and most fun) will be joining us as we delve deeply into the Patagonian wine and chocolate industries. You will be challenged and enthralled by this experience in such a beautiful area. We end our month heading back for three final nights of tango and mate in Buenos Aires before flying back home.
For more information, pictures and details on this program email us at [email protected]
Sucre: Graduate Spanish and the Cultures of Bolivia: March 26 - April 20, 2016
Our program in Bolivia focuses on "one-on-one Spanish" and traditional Andean peoples". Past participants rate this as the most challenging and most rewarding adventure. We head into the spectacular Sedona-like mountain surroundings of Sucre, Bolivia in the most authentic of all South American countries and unpack for the month. This outpost of civilization, once more well known than Paris, is full of historic grandeur and culture all in the midst of rugged deserts, salt flats, red rock spires and 20,000 foot Andean peaks. It has to be seen to be believed. Walking through Sucre's narrow streets, elaborate parks, historic white-washed colonial buildings and its 400 year old university will take you into another era known throughout the world before the US and Canada had even established themselves as countries. The proud, but gentle Bolivian people are a throwback to an age long forgotten in North America, combining traditional dress, strong family ties and a respect for timeless customs with a culture and country scrambling for higher education degrees and sending its own satellites into the sky. Similar to Cuenca, Ecuador in altitude, amenities and design. Sucre is a treasure trove of museums and historic structures, the city adds to its list of charms big blue skies, forever views and has become a favorite South American destination.
For more information, pictures and details on this program email us at [email protected]
Tengo Tiempo...(I've Got Time...)
More time to enjoy our parents, friends and family, it's been a gift
More time to enjoy our parents, friends and family, it's been a gift
The luxury of having time (and maybe a little less money) is a consumer good nobody ever talks much about anymore. Sure, you'll see an advertisement for some product that is going to save you so many minutes a day, or "just $200 dollars more and you won't have to wait in line ever again".
This "Year of Wander" that we have gotten ourselves into, has opened up a whole new aspect of time that we had never thought about before, the time to simply linger. We have had a smorgasbord of chances to spend time with relatives and friends in truly unhurried and relaxed ways. Not three hour Thanksgiving dinners or stressful Christmas afternoons. Just weeks of unhurried day to day living with family and friends.
Sometimes it has been on the road, as with my parents who joined us in Scandinavia last summer and Ecuador this past January. When's the last time you had weeks of time with your parents? It was a privilege to simply enjoy a little of the life that I had grown-up in, but left thirty years ago. Other times it has been back home in Colorado, living with my in-laws in Boulder for a week or two between our different homes.
Having rented our house in Boulder fully furnished when we headed out, when we come back to the States, we joke that we are living in our parents basements at fifty, but the truth is that has been an unexpected bonus. How many times do you get a chance to sit and talk over a nice dinner and a bottle of wine night after night with people who are close to you. Do you know what your parents morning routine is like? When's the last time you had your Mother's famous potato-chip fried chicken? Remember that special chocolate-fudge dump-cake that you used to sneak into the kitchen for. The pleasure of experiencing these things again is priceless. At any time we could have headed up to our place in Crested Butte, but after all these years of packing too many things into too little time, we love the luxury of lingering. It even feels good to say it in all it's forms...we've got time...we're not in a hurry...tenemos tiempo...let's spend another day...what do you want to do now? Simple words, but by far the best feeling out there.
Whether at home in Colorado enjoying the day to day, or taking advantage of being able to show others new and exotic places because we had the time to discover them has been a gift. Last month Lars and Ashley came down to the beach in Ecuador to join us for some surfing and a chance to sit back in the hammocks and enjoy each others company, it was a treat! Like the old song "Cat's in the Cradle" however, before we all got settled in, they had to head back home. They don't have time in their lives yet, and neither did we for more years than we care to count. There are trade-offs for this life, but when you think many of our experiences have cost us less than staying at home...it puts it in perspective.
Spanish and the Wine Harvest Festivals of Northern Argentina: February 21 - March 17
Sorry this program is Sold Out
Considered by many of our past participants to be the most delicious and fun of all the South American programs we host, our second adventure is at the base of the Andes in Mendoza and Cafayate, Argentina. This program focuses on "one-on-one" conversational Spanish as well as a detailed study of the Argentine wine industry and culture during "Vendemia 2015". We celebrate the long evenings and warm days of the South American summer in the midst of reports of wintry weather back home. Improving our Spanish in the cosmopolitan atmosphere, beauty and warmth of the vivacious people of Mendoza. We will be in the middle of "Vendemia" ranked by National Geographic Magazine as the world's greatest wine harvest celebration. This unmatched "jubilation" of grape cultivation and wine production, climaxes with the jaw-dropping "espectaculo" called "Acto Central" brimming with the energy of 2000 dancers, singers and musicians. "Acto Central" is just a single highlight in this most fun of all our programs. Mornings are spent one-on-one with a fantastic cadre of "Mendocinos" who can't wait to show you their home while helping you conversationally with your ever-improving Spanish. Evening classes bring out the best that Argentina has to offer as Martin Mantegini our wonderful wine expert teaches in a combination of Spanish and English more about the culture, history and magic of wine, "especialmente de Argentina", than you ever thought possible. After two weeks of Spanish in Mendoza, we fly up to Cafayate for the tranquil side of Argentina's great wine growing regions. A week of Spanish classes and excursions here is followed by a trip through the moonscapes of Northern Argentina to Colomé and its vineyards at the end of the world. This is Argentina's most impressive countryside, the unique valleys and peaks of Cachi. A country of treasures, western Argentina will satisfy all your senses and is as different from Buenos Aires as the Bronx is to western Colorado.
For more information, pictures and details on this program email us at [email protected]
Sp
We are in Sucre, Bolivia where the red roofs, white-washed colonial buildings, spectacular skies and the sounds of the kids gathering in the schools with their excited shouts and yells drift up to remind us again how lucky we are to be able to experience new cultures from the inside out.
Our April Bolivia group arrived two weeks ago last Saturday and are now out with their instructors roaming this pretty university city as they continue to challenge their minds in another intense, but fun program of Spanish, culture, music, food and of course that all important "plaza people watching". Based on the smiles and nightly tales of adventure, everyone is thriving. Meanwhile, who knows maybe this time my Spanish will actually improve beyond the gorilla stage (these days the instructors at the school are telling me I'm a lost cause...the good news is the conversations are all in Spanish).
Christine enjoying the sights and sounds of the morning in Sucre, Bolivia...
The colorful costumes and traditions of Bolivia are a photographer's dream and a treasure to see and experience...
One-on-one instruction with coffee and summer sunshine makes improving your conversational Spanish a lot more fun...
Spanish in the Lake District of Southern Argentina: January 24 - February 16
This educational adventure takes us into the "Lake Tahoe" of South America; spectacular Bariloche during the peak of its summertime glory. We will focus on conversational Spanish and the pure enjoyment of summertime in the mountains. You can search the world over and never find another destination like this, brimming with beauty, sunshine, wonderful recreational opportunities, packed with talented chefs, overflowing with truly wonderful wines, supermarket-sized chocolate shops, and home to some of the friendliest, most gracious and hospitable people we have ever met. After a night to gather in Buenos Aires, we will fly to Bariloche and unpack for twenty days of one-on-one Spanish instruction, afternoons of your favorite activities (golfing, hiking, fishing, biking, more plaza people watching) and evenings with a great series of programs designed to educate, fascinate, and confirm you have truly discovered "la buena vida"! Though you are in the midst of stunning mountain vistas...at 2,930 feet (893 meters) altitude is not a problem and temperatures are "perfecto". For those of you who have experienced Argentina with us before, you will be pleased to know that Martín Mantegini, ranked as one of the best wine experts in Argentina (and most fun) will be joining us as we delve deeply into the Patagonian wine and chocolate industries. You will be challenged and enthralled by this experience in such a beautiful area. We end our month heading back for three final nights of tango and mate in Buenos Aires before flying back home.
For more information, pictures and details on this program email us at [email protected]
Southern Argentina in January and February...summertime in the mountains
Another long winter...or absorbing more Spanish and enjoying the warm Argentine culture while here in the sunshine?
Southern Argentina; a land of food, wine, Spanish, sunshine y "la buena vida!"
Spanish and the Wine Harvest Festivals of Northern Argentina: February 21 - March 17
Considered by many of our past participants to be the most delicious and fun of all the South American programs we host, our second adventure is at the base of the Andes in Mendoza and Cafayate, Argentina. This program focuses on "one-on-one" conversational Spanish as well as a detailed study of the Argentine wine industry and culture during "Vendemia 2015". We celebrate the long evenings and warm days of the South American summer in the midst of reports of wintry weather back home. Improving our Spanish in the cosmopolitan atmosphere, beauty and warmth of the vivacious people of Mendoza. We will be in the middle of "Vendemia" ranked by National Geographic Magazine as the world's greatest wine harvest celebration. This unmatched "jubilation" of grape cultivation and wine production, climaxes with the jaw-dropping "espectaculo" called "Acto Central" brimming with the energy of 2000 dancers, singers and musicians. "Acto Central" is just a single highlight in this most fun of all our programs. Mornings are spent one-on-one with a fantastic cadre of "Mendocinos" who can't wait to show you their home while helping you conversationally with your ever-improving Spanish. Evening classes bring out the best that Argentina has to offer as Martin Mantegini our wonderful wine expert teaches in a combination of Spanish and English more about the culture, history and magic of wine, "especialmente de Argentina", than you ever thought possible. After two weeks of Spanish in Mendoza, we fly up to Cafayate for the tranquil side of Argentina's great wine growing regions. A week of Spanish classes and excursions here is followed by a trip through the moonscapes of Northern Argentina to Colomé and its vineyards at the end of the world. This is Argentina's most impressive countryside, the unique valleys and peaks of Cachi. A country of treasures, western Argentina will satisfy all your senses and is as different from Buenos Aires as the Bronx is to western Colorado.
For more information, pictures and details on this program email us at [email protected]
"Acto Central" at the "Vendemia" celebrations in Mendoza...
Your home while in Cafayate...
"Sobremesa" with Martin Mantegini at La Posada in Mendoza...
Spectacular countryside, elegance, learning about world renowned wine...and the pageantry of the harvest festivals...
Spanish and the Coffees, Chocolates and Sunshine of Caribbean Colombia: March 21 - April 13
During the seemingly never to end cold and dark months up north...in March we take you to the beaches and warmth of Colombia. This adventure focuses on "one-on-one Spanish" and the tastes of Colombia through its coffees, chocolates and rums. Enhance your Spanish and your mood as we move to the sun-drenched beaches of Cartagena, Colombia, for individual Spanish instruction and the amazing palate and entertaining ways of Martín Mantegini who will take us on a never to be forgotten journey of the tastes and histories of chocolate, coffee and rum with nightly classes and afternoon forays. We will be studying the best that Colombia has to offer bringing you to a level of expertise regarding these very different products than you would think possible...all the while getting our four hours of one-on-one language classes in each day. Yes, you will have to work on your Spanish, refine your senses and stretch your memory, but what an experience it will be and in what a wonderful location...this beautiful walled city, once ravished by pirates, combines the modern and historic in an unknown corner of the Caribbean. As our fellow adventurer Roberto from Kentucky will tell you...Colombia is an undiscovered jewel!
For more information, pictures and details on this program email us at [email protected]
The beauty of the Caribbean...and the tastes of Colombia
The art, culture and history in Colombia will wow (guau) you...
Yum, yum...o ñum, ñum en español...
A warm, wonderful place to spend a month studying Spanish, Chocolate, Rum and Coffee...and more people watching...
Spanish and the Cultures of Bolivia: April 19 - May 13
Our program in Bolivia focuses on "one-on-one Spanish" and traditional Andean peoples". Past participants rate this as the most challenging and most rewarding adventure. We head into the spectacular Sedona-like mountain surroundings of Sucre, Bolivia in the most authentic of all South American countries and unpack for the month. This outpost of civilization, once more well known than Paris, is full of historic grandeur and culture all in the midst of rugged deserts, salt flats, red rock spires and 20,000 foot Andean peaks. It has to be seen to be believed. Walking through Sucre's narrow streets, elaborate parks, historic white-washed colonial buildings and its 400 year old university will take you into another era known throughout the world before the US and Canada had even established themselves as countries. The proud, but gentle Bolivian people are a throwback to an age long forgotten in North America, combining traditional dress, strong family ties and a respect for timeless customs with a culture and country scrambling for higher education degrees and sending its own satellites into the sky. Similar to Cuenca, Ecuador in altitude, amenities and design. Sucre is a treasure trove of museums and historic structures, the city adds to its list of charms big blue skies, forever views and has become a favorite South American destination.
For more information, pictures and details on this program email us at [email protected]
The colonial buildings, streets full of students and blue skies of Sucre...
Sucre is the center of breathtaking beauty and culture, undiscovered by all but a few young Europeans...
The Train Cemetery of Uyuni...
The most authentic and fascinating of all South American countries, Bolivia is an experience not to be missed...and is a favorite of photographers and people who enjoy the thrill of experiencing cultures still true to their traditions.
For detailed information on any of these programs, please email us at [email protected] or [email protected] We can't wait to see you again for a never to be forgotten adventure as we immerse ourselves in another "summer" and another culture in the southern hemisphere.
Winter 2015 offerings...
The Summer Beauty of Southern Argentina and Spanish: January 24 - February 16
The Wine Harvest Celebrations of Northwestern Argentina and Spanish: February 21 - March 17
The Coffees, Chocolates and Sunshine of Caribbean Colombia and Spanish: March 21 - April 13
The Timeless Cultures of Bolivia and Spanish: April 19 - May 13
SouthAmericanLife.com month-long educational programs with Kent and Christine are designed for individuals who are looking for something more in their travels and experiences. We strive to take you into the heart of new places and new cultures in a way that that makes you feel a part of them for the rest of your life. All of the programs focus on learning in fun, challenging ways...while making sure you are comfortable and thriving in your new environment. Our adventures are for those of you who love meeting the people of other cultures face to face, in their everyday lives, and as much as possible in their own language. Yes, you will have homework, sometimes your head will hurt because it is so full of new information, sometimes you will not believe what you are seeing (both for better and for worse) but you will never forget the experiences and they will enrich your life. Our daily one-on-one contact with locals ensures very unique, independent and individual experiences. We try hard to avoid buses, groups, guides with umbrellas and name tags...while embracing walking, one-on-one interaction and the concept of "sobremesa", the art of lingering, friendship, curiosity...and living fully.
Best wishes, and we hope to see you somewhere in this wonderful world soon!
Kent y Christine
If you know of a fellow adventurer who has expressed interest and you feel would thrive in the unique educational travel programs we provide and enhance the experience for others feel free to forward a copy of this email to them.
As our groups are small and limited by the number of "profesores" we use, they can fill up fast. If you are interested in a particular program let us know and we will hold a space for you.
We're sorry but this program is sold out this year, if you would like to be informed of next years program please let us know by emailing [email protected]
SOLD OUT
CRESTED BUTTE: Time Ain't For Saving, No Time Ain't For That...Jimmy Buffet
WE'VE BEEN A LITTLE BURIED LATELY...AN ALL TIME RECORD 34 FEET AND STILL SNOWING!
- What would you do with eight weeks off?
Its the stuff of dreams isn't it, tramp through Italy, tour the pubs of Ireland, putter your way around the US, finish that backyard project, organize your photos! Okay, maybe organizing your photos isn't on your list but I'm sure there is at least one mundane project that just keeps gnawing at you. What if you had time to work on it? How would it feel after all these years to finally get it done?
Christine and I have now been off fifty-six straight days (in case you're worried, I haven't been counting, I had to use a calendar). By far this is the single longest period of our adult lives, so far it feels like a long weekend.
When we first started planning this crazy adventure, I remember I would ask people who had taken sabbaticals about their experiences. At the time, I couldn't believe it when almost to a person they would say that six months hadn't been nearly enough. They were embarrassed to say that they had felt honored and cheated at the same time. Honored that they had had an opportunity to do something that most people never get a chance to do and cheated because they were pulled back in before they felt they were ready. Now, I can understand them completely. I can't imagine having the "Sunday evening jitters" just yet. Even after this wonderfully long gift of eight weeks time, it seems we are just starting to clear our heads of details that never should have been in them in the first place. It is not as if you can simply push a button and turn twenty years of professional life off, it is almost as if you have to ween yourself away. At first I would wake up every morning with a start as my over-active brain dragged me through some problem that it was sure I needed to be dealing with "right now"! Personnel issues, budget documents, new ideas for old problems, I was amazed with what it could drag up. My father-in-law Sam, who was a Pan Am pilot, tells me he still wakes up some mornings having flown the Berlin-Istanbul route and he's been retired for twenty years now. I've been lucky, already those urgent morning wake-ups instigated by a brain in overdrive have started to subside. Of course there are still those 4:30 am "What have I done!" mornings, especially after the latest news regarding the shrinking job market, tightening economy and issues in South America, but that is just to be expected when you decide to quit your jobs, move to a different country and shake up your life. I heard a line in a song yesterday (yes, of course it was country) "never been so scared, never felt so alive" that's us!
After years of training, I still haven't found my personal schedule. I started out sleeping late, enjoying the lack of structure. Naturally going to bed about one a.m. then drifting slowly back into the world around nine the next morning. It's was almost as if I had to make up sleep from years of alarms and hotel wake up calls.
Now I find myself rising with a daylight savings sun to watch the world unfold through the big window in the living room. I sip my coffee, write, think and just enjoy being in the moment. Christine and I have been luxuriating in the concept of uninterrupted time. Because it has been such an epic snow year, we put off moving to South America until April 20th and moved up to Crested Butte instead. This has been a perfect transition period, allowing us to slow down, deal with practical issues such as studying more Spanish, arranging to pay bills on line, change of address forms, setting up websites, figuring out what will fit in one carry-on (yes, we are going to Ecuador with one carry-on each) while still being away from our past everyday lives. It has also been incredibly fun and pretty up here, as I write this the sun is just touching the tips of Axtel and Gothic peak, they are covered in deep shadows and draped in bright pinks and oranges. Meanwhile the trees are frosted from the eighteen inches of new snow we had yesterday and the day before. The sky as always is deep, deep blue, in short it is gorgeous, it's the kind of Colorado day I'm sure I will miss while on my journeys.
The time to think has been one of the biggest surprises (some of you are probably not surprised that I never had time to think). I never realized how little time most of us have to "mull things over", not in a directed, forced or hyperactive brainstorming session kind of way, but a more organic and pleasurable, yet not unproductive drifting. That and the unfettered time with Christine has been the biggest joy and "hokey" as it sounds "joy" is the word (maybe accountants would call it irrational exuberance). I truly feel I am somehow buying my life back. Don't get me wrong, I loved working and had one of the best jobs in the world with wonderful people, but this is an adventure in the new and unknown and the pure pleasure of not knowing exactly what the day will bring is a true gift.
Hasta la semana que viene!
See the latest every Wednesday by clicking on "updates" above.
We'd love to hear from you during our crazy adventure, especially when it's been a really long day of culture shock, language overload, weird food and rainy weather..."contact us" delivers you to whatever corner of the world we are in. You can also email us at [email protected]
Best wishes! Kent and Christine
Back to Cuenca for the Holidays December 16, 2015 -January 3, 2016
Cartagena; Spanish, Music, Waves and the Coffees, Chocolates and Sunshine of Caribbean Colombia: January 6 -28, 2016
During the seemingly never to end cold and dark months up north...in March we take you to the beaches and warmth of Colombia. This adventure focuses on "one-on-one Spanish" and the tastes of Colombia through its coffees, chocolates and rums. Enhance your Spanish and your mood as we move to the sun-drenched beaches of Cartagena, Colombia, for individual Spanish instruction and the amazing palate and entertaining ways of Martín Mantegini who will take us on a never to be forgotten journey of the tastes and histories of chocolate, coffee and rum with nightly classes and afternoon forays. We will be studying the best that Colombia has to offer bringing you to a level of expertise regarding these very different products than you would think possible...all the while getting our four hours of one-on-one language classes in each day. Yes, you will have to work on your Spanish, refine your senses and stretch your memory, but what an experience it will be and in what a wonderful location...this beautiful walled city, once ravished by pirates, combines the modern and historic in an unknown corner of the Caribbean. As our fellow adventurer Roberto from Kentucky will tell you...Colombia is an undiscovered jewel!
For more information, pictures and details on this program email us at [email protected]
Bariloche: Spanish in the Lake District of Southern Argentina: February 6 - 28, 2016
This educational adventure takes us into the "Lake Tahoe" of South America; spectacular Bariloche during the peak of its summertime glory. We will focus on conversational Spanish and the pure enjoyment of summertime in the mountains. You can search the world over and never find another destination like this, brimming with beauty, sunshine, wonderful recreational opportunities, packed with talented chefs, overflowing with truly wonderful wines, supermarket-sized chocolate shops, and home to some of the friendliest, most gracious and hospitable people we have ever met. After a night to gather in Buenos Aires, we will fly to Bariloche and unpack for twenty days of one-on-one Spanish instruction, afternoons of your favorite activities (golfing, hiking, fishing, biking, more plaza people watching) and evenings with a great series of programs designed to educate, fascinate, and confirm you have truly discovered "la buena vida"! Though you are in the midst of stunning mountain vistas...at 2,930 feet (893 meters) altitude is not a problem and temperatures are "perfecto". For those of you who have experienced Argentina with us before, you will be pleased to know that Martín Mantegini, ranked as one of the best wine experts in Argentina (and most fun) will be joining us as we delve deeply into the Patagonian wine and chocolate industries. You will be challenged and enthralled by this experience in such a beautiful area. We end our month heading back for three final nights of tango and mate in Buenos Aires before flying back home.
For more information, pictures and details on this program email us at [email protected]
Tengo Tiempo...(I've Got Time...)
More time to enjoy our parents, friends and family, it's been a gift
More time to enjoy our parents, friends and family, it's been a gift
The luxury of having time (and maybe a little less money) is a consumer good nobody ever talks much about anymore. Sure, you'll see an advertisement for some product that is going to save you so many minutes a day, or "just $200 dollars more and you won't have to wait in line ever again".
This "Year of Wander" that we have gotten ourselves into, has opened up a whole new aspect of time that we had never thought about before, the time to simply linger. We have had a smorgasbord of chances to spend time with relatives and friends in truly unhurried and relaxed ways. Not three hour Thanksgiving dinners or stressful Christmas afternoons. Just weeks of unhurried day to day living with family and friends.
Sometimes it has been on the road, as with my parents who joined us in Scandinavia last summer and Ecuador this past January. When's the last time you had weeks of time with your parents? It was a privilege to simply enjoy a little of the life that I had grown-up in, but left thirty years ago. Other times it has been back home in Colorado, living with my in-laws in Boulder for a week or two between our different homes.
Having rented our house in Boulder fully furnished when we headed out, when we come back to the States, we joke that we are living in our parents basements at fifty, but the truth is that has been an unexpected bonus. How many times do you get a chance to sit and talk over a nice dinner and a bottle of wine night after night with people who are close to you. Do you know what your parents morning routine is like? When's the last time you had your Mother's famous potato-chip fried chicken? Remember that special chocolate-fudge dump-cake that you used to sneak into the kitchen for. The pleasure of experiencing these things again is priceless. At any time we could have headed up to our place in Crested Butte, but after all these years of packing too many things into too little time, we love the luxury of lingering. It even feels good to say it in all it's forms...we've got time...we're not in a hurry...tenemos tiempo...let's spend another day...what do you want to do now? Simple words, but by far the best feeling out there.
Whether at home in Colorado enjoying the day to day, or taking advantage of being able to show others new and exotic places because we had the time to discover them has been a gift. Last month Lars and Ashley came down to the beach in Ecuador to join us for some surfing and a chance to sit back in the hammocks and enjoy each others company, it was a treat! Like the old song "Cat's in the Cradle" however, before we all got settled in, they had to head back home. They don't have time in their lives yet, and neither did we for more years than we care to count. There are trade-offs for this life, but when you think many of our experiences have cost us less than staying at home...it puts it in perspective.
Spanish and the Wine Harvest Festivals of Northern Argentina: February 21 - March 17
Sorry this program is Sold Out
Considered by many of our past participants to be the most delicious and fun of all the South American programs we host, our second adventure is at the base of the Andes in Mendoza and Cafayate, Argentina. This program focuses on "one-on-one" conversational Spanish as well as a detailed study of the Argentine wine industry and culture during "Vendemia 2015". We celebrate the long evenings and warm days of the South American summer in the midst of reports of wintry weather back home. Improving our Spanish in the cosmopolitan atmosphere, beauty and warmth of the vivacious people of Mendoza. We will be in the middle of "Vendemia" ranked by National Geographic Magazine as the world's greatest wine harvest celebration. This unmatched "jubilation" of grape cultivation and wine production, climaxes with the jaw-dropping "espectaculo" called "Acto Central" brimming with the energy of 2000 dancers, singers and musicians. "Acto Central" is just a single highlight in this most fun of all our programs. Mornings are spent one-on-one with a fantastic cadre of "Mendocinos" who can't wait to show you their home while helping you conversationally with your ever-improving Spanish. Evening classes bring out the best that Argentina has to offer as Martin Mantegini our wonderful wine expert teaches in a combination of Spanish and English more about the culture, history and magic of wine, "especialmente de Argentina", than you ever thought possible. After two weeks of Spanish in Mendoza, we fly up to Cafayate for the tranquil side of Argentina's great wine growing regions. A week of Spanish classes and excursions here is followed by a trip through the moonscapes of Northern Argentina to Colomé and its vineyards at the end of the world. This is Argentina's most impressive countryside, the unique valleys and peaks of Cachi. A country of treasures, western Argentina will satisfy all your senses and is as different from Buenos Aires as the Bronx is to western Colorado.
For more information, pictures and details on this program email us at [email protected]
We are in Sucre, Bolivia where the red roofs, white-washed colonial buildings, spectacular skies and the sounds of the kids gathering in the schools with their excited shouts and yells drift up to remind us again how lucky we are to be able to experience new cultures from the inside out.
Our April Bolivia group arrived two weeks ago last Saturday and are now out with their instructors roaming this pretty university city as they continue to challenge their minds in another intense, but fun program of Spanish, culture, music, food and of course that all important "plaza people watching". Based on the smiles and nightly tales of adventure, everyone is thriving. Meanwhile, who knows maybe this time my Spanish will actually improve beyond the gorilla stage (these days the instructors at the school are telling me I'm a lost cause...the good news is the conversations are all in Spanish).
Christine enjoying the sights and sounds of the morning in Sucre, Bolivia...
The Summer Beauty of Southern Argentina and Spanish: January 24 - February 16
The Wine Harvest Celebrations of Northwestern Argentina and Spanish: February 21 - March 17
The Coffees, Chocolates and Sunshine of Caribbean Colombia and Spanish: March 21 - April 13
The Timeless Cultures of Bolivia and Spanish: April 19 - May 13
The colorful costumes and traditions of Bolivia are a photographer's dream and a treasure to see and experience...
One-on-one instruction with coffee and summer sunshine makes improving your conversational Spanish a lot more fun...
Spanish in the Lake District of Southern Argentina: January 24 - February 16
This educational adventure takes us into the "Lake Tahoe" of South America; spectacular Bariloche during the peak of its summertime glory. We will focus on conversational Spanish and the pure enjoyment of summertime in the mountains. You can search the world over and never find another destination like this, brimming with beauty, sunshine, wonderful recreational opportunities, packed with talented chefs, overflowing with truly wonderful wines, supermarket-sized chocolate shops, and home to some of the friendliest, most gracious and hospitable people we have ever met. After a night to gather in Buenos Aires, we will fly to Bariloche and unpack for twenty days of one-on-one Spanish instruction, afternoons of your favorite activities (golfing, hiking, fishing, biking, more plaza people watching) and evenings with a great series of programs designed to educate, fascinate, and confirm you have truly discovered "la buena vida"! Though you are in the midst of stunning mountain vistas...at 2,930 feet (893 meters) altitude is not a problem and temperatures are "perfecto". For those of you who have experienced Argentina with us before, you will be pleased to know that Martín Mantegini, ranked as one of the best wine experts in Argentina (and most fun) will be joining us as we delve deeply into the Patagonian wine and chocolate industries. You will be challenged and enthralled by this experience in such a beautiful area. We end our month heading back for three final nights of tango and mate in Buenos Aires before flying back home.
For more information, pictures and details on this program email us at [email protected]
Southern Argentina in January and February...summertime in the mountains
Another long winter...or absorbing more Spanish and enjoying the warm Argentine culture while here in the sunshine?
Southern Argentina; a land of food, wine, Spanish, sunshine y "la buena vida!"
Spanish and the Wine Harvest Festivals of Northern Argentina: February 21 - March 17
Considered by many of our past participants to be the most delicious and fun of all the South American programs we host, our second adventure is at the base of the Andes in Mendoza and Cafayate, Argentina. This program focuses on "one-on-one" conversational Spanish as well as a detailed study of the Argentine wine industry and culture during "Vendemia 2015". We celebrate the long evenings and warm days of the South American summer in the midst of reports of wintry weather back home. Improving our Spanish in the cosmopolitan atmosphere, beauty and warmth of the vivacious people of Mendoza. We will be in the middle of "Vendemia" ranked by National Geographic Magazine as the world's greatest wine harvest celebration. This unmatched "jubilation" of grape cultivation and wine production, climaxes with the jaw-dropping "espectaculo" called "Acto Central" brimming with the energy of 2000 dancers, singers and musicians. "Acto Central" is just a single highlight in this most fun of all our programs. Mornings are spent one-on-one with a fantastic cadre of "Mendocinos" who can't wait to show you their home while helping you conversationally with your ever-improving Spanish. Evening classes bring out the best that Argentina has to offer as Martin Mantegini our wonderful wine expert teaches in a combination of Spanish and English more about the culture, history and magic of wine, "especialmente de Argentina", than you ever thought possible. After two weeks of Spanish in Mendoza, we fly up to Cafayate for the tranquil side of Argentina's great wine growing regions. A week of Spanish classes and excursions here is followed by a trip through the moonscapes of Northern Argentina to Colomé and its vineyards at the end of the world. This is Argentina's most impressive countryside, the unique valleys and peaks of Cachi. A country of treasures, western Argentina will satisfy all your senses and is as different from Buenos Aires as the Bronx is to western Colorado.
For more information, pictures and details on this program email us at [email protected]
"Acto Central" at the "Vendemia" celebrations in Mendoza...
Your home while in Cafayate...
"Sobremesa" with Martin Mantegini at La Posada in Mendoza...
Spectacular countryside, elegance, learning about world renowned wine...and the pageantry of the harvest festivals...
Spanish and the Coffees, Chocolates and Sunshine of Caribbean Colombia: March 21 - April 13
During the seemingly never to end cold and dark months up north...in March we take you to the beaches and warmth of Colombia. This adventure focuses on "one-on-one Spanish" and the tastes of Colombia through its coffees, chocolates and rums. Enhance your Spanish and your mood as we move to the sun-drenched beaches of Cartagena, Colombia, for individual Spanish instruction and the amazing palate and entertaining ways of Martín Mantegini who will take us on a never to be forgotten journey of the tastes and histories of chocolate, coffee and rum with nightly classes and afternoon forays. We will be studying the best that Colombia has to offer bringing you to a level of expertise regarding these very different products than you would think possible...all the while getting our four hours of one-on-one language classes in each day. Yes, you will have to work on your Spanish, refine your senses and stretch your memory, but what an experience it will be and in what a wonderful location...this beautiful walled city, once ravished by pirates, combines the modern and historic in an unknown corner of the Caribbean. As our fellow adventurer Roberto from Kentucky will tell you...Colombia is an undiscovered jewel!
For more information, pictures and details on this program email us at [email protected]
The beauty of the Caribbean...and the tastes of Colombia
The art, culture and history in Colombia will wow (guau) you...
Yum, yum...o ñum, ñum en español...
A warm, wonderful place to spend a month studying Spanish, Chocolate, Rum and Coffee...and more people watching...
Spanish and the Cultures of Bolivia: April 19 - May 13
Our program in Bolivia focuses on "one-on-one Spanish" and traditional Andean peoples". Past participants rate this as the most challenging and most rewarding adventure. We head into the spectacular Sedona-like mountain surroundings of Sucre, Bolivia in the most authentic of all South American countries and unpack for the month. This outpost of civilization, once more well known than Paris, is full of historic grandeur and culture all in the midst of rugged deserts, salt flats, red rock spires and 20,000 foot Andean peaks. It has to be seen to be believed. Walking through Sucre's narrow streets, elaborate parks, historic white-washed colonial buildings and its 400 year old university will take you into another era known throughout the world before the US and Canada had even established themselves as countries. The proud, but gentle Bolivian people are a throwback to an age long forgotten in North America, combining traditional dress, strong family ties and a respect for timeless customs with a culture and country scrambling for higher education degrees and sending its own satellites into the sky. Similar to Cuenca, Ecuador in altitude, amenities and design. Sucre is a treasure trove of museums and historic structures, the city adds to its list of charms big blue skies, forever views and has become a favorite South American destination.
For more information, pictures and details on this program email us at [email protected]
The colonial buildings, streets full of students and blue skies of Sucre...
Sucre is the center of breathtaking beauty and culture, undiscovered by all but a few young Europeans...
The Train Cemetery of Uyuni...
The most authentic and fascinating of all South American countries, Bolivia is an experience not to be missed...and is a favorite of photographers and people who enjoy the thrill of experiencing cultures still true to their traditions.
For detailed information on any of these programs, please email us at [email protected] or [email protected] We can't wait to see you again for a never to be forgotten adventure as we immerse ourselves in another "summer" and another culture in the southern hemisphere.
Winter 2015 offerings...
The Summer Beauty of Southern Argentina and Spanish: January 24 - February 16
The Wine Harvest Celebrations of Northwestern Argentina and Spanish: February 21 - March 17
The Coffees, Chocolates and Sunshine of Caribbean Colombia and Spanish: March 21 - April 13
The Timeless Cultures of Bolivia and Spanish: April 19 - May 13
SouthAmericanLife.com month-long educational programs with Kent and Christine are designed for individuals who are looking for something more in their travels and experiences. We strive to take you into the heart of new places and new cultures in a way that that makes you feel a part of them for the rest of your life. All of the programs focus on learning in fun, challenging ways...while making sure you are comfortable and thriving in your new environment. Our adventures are for those of you who love meeting the people of other cultures face to face, in their everyday lives, and as much as possible in their own language. Yes, you will have homework, sometimes your head will hurt because it is so full of new information, sometimes you will not believe what you are seeing (both for better and for worse) but you will never forget the experiences and they will enrich your life. Our daily one-on-one contact with locals ensures very unique, independent and individual experiences. We try hard to avoid buses, groups, guides with umbrellas and name tags...while embracing walking, one-on-one interaction and the concept of "sobremesa", the art of lingering, friendship, curiosity...and living fully.
Best wishes, and we hope to see you somewhere in this wonderful world soon!
Kent y Christine
If you know of a fellow adventurer who has expressed interest and you feel would thrive in the unique educational travel programs we provide and enhance the experience for others feel free to forward a copy of this email to them.
As our groups are small and limited by the number of "profesores" we use, they can fill up fast. If you are interested in a particular program let us know and we will hold a space for you.
We're sorry but this program is sold out this year, if you would like to be informed of next years program please let us know by emailing [email protected]
SOLD OUT
CRESTED BUTTE: Time Ain't For Saving, No Time Ain't For That...Jimmy Buffet
WE'VE BEEN A LITTLE BURIED LATELY...AN ALL TIME RECORD 34 FEET AND STILL SNOWING!
- What would you do with eight weeks off?
Its the stuff of dreams isn't it, tramp through Italy, tour the pubs of Ireland, putter your way around the US, finish that backyard project, organize your photos! Okay, maybe organizing your photos isn't on your list but I'm sure there is at least one mundane project that just keeps gnawing at you. What if you had time to work on it? How would it feel after all these years to finally get it done?
Christine and I have now been off fifty-six straight days (in case you're worried, I haven't been counting, I had to use a calendar). By far this is the single longest period of our adult lives, so far it feels like a long weekend.
When we first started planning this crazy adventure, I remember I would ask people who had taken sabbaticals about their experiences. At the time, I couldn't believe it when almost to a person they would say that six months hadn't been nearly enough. They were embarrassed to say that they had felt honored and cheated at the same time. Honored that they had had an opportunity to do something that most people never get a chance to do and cheated because they were pulled back in before they felt they were ready. Now, I can understand them completely. I can't imagine having the "Sunday evening jitters" just yet. Even after this wonderfully long gift of eight weeks time, it seems we are just starting to clear our heads of details that never should have been in them in the first place. It is not as if you can simply push a button and turn twenty years of professional life off, it is almost as if you have to ween yourself away. At first I would wake up every morning with a start as my over-active brain dragged me through some problem that it was sure I needed to be dealing with "right now"! Personnel issues, budget documents, new ideas for old problems, I was amazed with what it could drag up. My father-in-law Sam, who was a Pan Am pilot, tells me he still wakes up some mornings having flown the Berlin-Istanbul route and he's been retired for twenty years now. I've been lucky, already those urgent morning wake-ups instigated by a brain in overdrive have started to subside. Of course there are still those 4:30 am "What have I done!" mornings, especially after the latest news regarding the shrinking job market, tightening economy and issues in South America, but that is just to be expected when you decide to quit your jobs, move to a different country and shake up your life. I heard a line in a song yesterday (yes, of course it was country) "never been so scared, never felt so alive" that's us!
After years of training, I still haven't found my personal schedule. I started out sleeping late, enjoying the lack of structure. Naturally going to bed about one a.m. then drifting slowly back into the world around nine the next morning. It's was almost as if I had to make up sleep from years of alarms and hotel wake up calls.
Now I find myself rising with a daylight savings sun to watch the world unfold through the big window in the living room. I sip my coffee, write, think and just enjoy being in the moment. Christine and I have been luxuriating in the concept of uninterrupted time. Because it has been such an epic snow year, we put off moving to South America until April 20th and moved up to Crested Butte instead. This has been a perfect transition period, allowing us to slow down, deal with practical issues such as studying more Spanish, arranging to pay bills on line, change of address forms, setting up websites, figuring out what will fit in one carry-on (yes, we are going to Ecuador with one carry-on each) while still being away from our past everyday lives. It has also been incredibly fun and pretty up here, as I write this the sun is just touching the tips of Axtel and Gothic peak, they are covered in deep shadows and draped in bright pinks and oranges. Meanwhile the trees are frosted from the eighteen inches of new snow we had yesterday and the day before. The sky as always is deep, deep blue, in short it is gorgeous, it's the kind of Colorado day I'm sure I will miss while on my journeys.
The time to think has been one of the biggest surprises (some of you are probably not surprised that I never had time to think). I never realized how little time most of us have to "mull things over", not in a directed, forced or hyperactive brainstorming session kind of way, but a more organic and pleasurable, yet not unproductive drifting. That and the unfettered time with Christine has been the biggest joy and "hokey" as it sounds "joy" is the word (maybe accountants would call it irrational exuberance). I truly feel I am somehow buying my life back. Don't get me wrong, I loved working and had one of the best jobs in the world with wonderful people, but this is an adventure in the new and unknown and the pure pleasure of not knowing exactly what the day will bring is a true gift.
Hasta la semana que viene!
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Best wishes! Kent and Christine
It's 6:12 am and I sit here with my fresh espresso listening to the booms of the fireworks as they echo off the mountainsides and announce the beginning of another day here in Cuenca. "El Jubileo de las 40 horas” is being celebrated in a parish nearby this morning and they are making sure everyone knows they have the honor.
I know if I were to wander outside, within a few blocks I would find the "Pase" or procession, everyone dressed in their Sunday best or in the colorful costumes of the "cholas" shuffling along, accompanied by a brass band as they celebrate the honor of having this most important of Cuencano religious icons in their midst .
I'm sitting here at my desk surrounded by fresh roses and gladiolus from the flower market and looking out the window towards the blue-domed Cathedral. I can see a string of at least 10 globos rising in the sky off towards Cajas and Christine and I know that we are back in Cuenca.
For so many of us Cuenca was our first real experience in South America and living "en español". There is a constant stream of stories of adventure and reunion as Cuenca "graduates" get back together and even more fascinating stories of individuals and couples who have since made the plunge and actually moved down into Cuenca.
It is a fascinating town and continues to be just a little mystical and magical...the aromatic smoke of the "palo santo" in the market, the clanging bells from all directions, at all hours of the day and night announcing not the time but the next mass. The city has become a little more polished over the last few years as a strong government and stable dollar based economy has provided the platform for prosperity... showing up in new construction, paint, repaired sidewalks, restored treasures.
There is no doubt though that Cuenca remains Cuenca, a truly beautiful city colonial city packed into the four rushing river valleys below the rocky ramparts and soggy green meadows of the Andes that rise to a height of 16,000 feet, providing a spectacular backdrop for the city just off to the west.
This year we are inviting you to come back, to compare and delight in what Cuenca has achieved as well as what has happened in your lives. To continue polishing your Spanish in the aulas and streets of Cuenca while simply enjoying a city known for its celebrations at the peak of its year. Thanks to the inspired efforts of Rebecca and Simon, she a native Cuencano and he from Denmark we will be living in spacious and well constructed apartments and studios in a colonial house renovated to modern standards and European flair that was the family home of Rebecca's grandparents. All of the apartments have full kitchens and are just around the corner from San Sebas park, so you can either start your mornings making your own coffee and frying up eggs and pancakes, or you can put your treasured Panama on and head over to Lindsey's San Sebas cafe to enjoy her creations and the buzz of a popular restaurant fronting this beautiful a park.
Mornings will be spent one-on-one polishing that Spanish. Those of you who have not been using your Spanish much lately will be amazed at how much comes back and how fast it returns, and how much more there is to learn. This time getting around town will seem a piece of cake.
Cuenca like us continues to evolve (although sometimes I think my evolving days are over and "dissolving days" may be the better word now). There are all kinds of new adventures and places to see, you won't believe what they have done with Parque de la Madre, it's beautiful, and the new planetarium is out of this world. The number and quality of new restaurants will keep you feasting for weeks. You'll still find the $3 lunch and the prices on just about everything will leave you wondering when things in the U.S. and Canada got so expensive.
A great chance to see the changes in Cuenca over the past few years and how your Spanish, South American savvy, and cultural adeptness will now make a return to this beautiful city even more rewarding.
We are returning to our friends in Cuenca once again to experience the holidays the way they were meant to be celebrated. No pressure, no commercialism, no freezing weather, the only expectation is that of celebrating a wonderful time of year in a wonderful city. After many holidays in many places, we can assure you that Cuenca can't be beat.
