Sitting in a private classroom on the lower slope of the Pichincha volcano, more than 9,000 feet above sea level in the Ecuadorean Andes, I am unaffected by the thin air. But the conjugation is driving me insane.
Zayra Ibujes, one of several language instructors at the Amazonas Spanish School, has just asked me to conjugate the verb aullar, to howl.
"Yo aullo. Tu aullas. El aulla . . ." After correctly rattling off, "I howl, you howl, he howls," I mispronounce the "we howl" conjugation.
"No, no, no, seor," says Seorita Ibujes, correcting me in Spanish for the 15th time this morning. "Nosotros aullamos."
I stifle the urge to lean back in my chair and aullar!
Amazonas is one of more than 60 Spanish-language schools in Quito, Ecuador. A mild year-round climate, relatively safe surroundings, a clearly spoken Spanish dialect, and low prices make Ecuador's capital the place to be for Spanish-language learning.
Depending on which school you choose, you'll pay from $6 to $10 per hour for private, one-on-one classes with an instructor certified by the Ministry of Education. Most students remain in class four hours per day, but schools are willing to cater to all schedules.
As is the case with mi profesora, Seorita Ibujes, most teachers speak little or no English. This worried me initially. But after one week of Spanish-language immersion, I began understanding at an accelerated rate.
Since opening its doors in 1989, the Amazonas School has averaged about 500 foreign students a year. Most come from Europe (England, Germany and Holland are prime markets), although students pop in regularly from the United States, Canada, and as far away as South Africa, South Korea and the Czech Republic.
According to general manager Gustavo Guzman, the typical student is about 24 years old. "But we've had students as young as 8," he says, "and as old as 76."
The school provides three language learning options. The "Super Dynamic" curriculum is recommended for those with only one or two weeks to spare. Classes generally run four to five hours per day. Lessons deal with real-life situations such as ordering food at a restaurant or checking into a hotel. Eighty percent of the class involves conversation. The remaining time is devoted to reading, writing, grammar and punctuation.
