Chad's Spanish Lessons & Penny Pinching

One of the big focuses of the trip for me (Chad) was to become more fluent in Spanish. I would know I’m doing better when I could carry on 30 minute or longer complex conversations with Kari and with native Spanish speakers.


So far my very basic Spanish at the dinner table with Kari hadn’t gotten past the equivalent of “The food tastes good … The napkin is white … Kari, you are pretty.” While these might be nice coming out of the mouth of a 4 year old, Kari was getting a little bored with it (and it wasn’t fun for me either). Needless to say I needed to improve fast.

To accomplish this goal we planned a long period of time in one place – Arequipa, Peru – where I could intensively study Spanish four hours daily, five days per week. (more details below on my Spanish lessons).

Penny Pinching: Aside from the Spanish class, being in Peru for a long time was beneficial for another reason that I love – prices are CHEAP. I’ll use this post to give you some ideas on comparative expenses during our trip. Of course prices change from town to town even within a country, but this will give you the general picture.

Taxi across town: US: $7.00 Spain: $10.00 Peru: $1.25



Regular Lunch: US: $7.50 Spain: $12.00 Peru: $2.00



Double Room at
a decent hostel: US: $50.00 Spain: $65.00 Peru: $20.00



Cost per hour for
One-One Spanish
class with a
qualified,native
speaker: US: $30.00 Spain: $25.00 Peru: $6.00



A big piece of rich,
mouth-watering,
chocolate cake
(what? this is
an imporant staple!) US: $6.00 Spain: $8.00 Peru: $1.00

The most stunning statistic for me was that we were able to stay in a wonderful home with an upper-middle class family in Arequipa, Peru, including breakfast, with a stunning panoramic view of the city and mountains for ... DRUM ROLL PLEASE:

just under $19.00 per night!

Examples like these will blow your mind and demonstrate the power of exchange rate and cost of living differences between countries. While I'm not ready to make a permanent move, the cost differences are compelling for more trips to developing countries like Peru.

On a negative note for Americans, because the dollar is so weak relative to the Euro, Europe is super-expensive now. Just consider that back in 2002 1 Euro was equal to 1 U.S. Dollar. Recently 1 Euro was equal to 1.50 dollars! This means that in only 7 years you've had to come up with a lot more dollars to buy something sold in Euros.

This issue was a big reason we decided to spend so much more time in South America than Europe. As we found out, South America had even more good things in store than just cheaper prices.

Spanish Class: My Spanish class experience in Peru has turned out to be the better than I could have imagined. The one-one class was perfect for me because I had to focus daily on my learning challenges and deficiences. In a big class, for example, you may spend a week going over things that are easy for you just because the other students need to cover it (and vice versa).

The classes were a bit uncomfortable and exhausting at times because you can't hide when you're the only student. It's just me talking and doing exercises with the teachers for hours. As is usually the case, when I'm stretched and challenged I'm forced to grow. My spanish improved immensely.



Here are some pictures from my school time:

(left to right: my teachers Pedro & Gain Carlo, Chad, director Lula)



Final lunch with other students and teachers

Class time with one of my teachers - Susan

Old colonial courtyard, peaceful setting for my daily classes

While I still do not consider myself fluent, I think I am proficient - meaning I can communicate all of the everyday functions like ordering food, taking a taxi, asking for help, etc. with confidence. I can also now carry on deeper conversations, ask locals about politics, and explain to an older gentleman on a park bench what my home is like and how it's different from here. (the harder part was understanding his Spanish when he only had 2 teeth, but I got by fine:))

Rotary Club Visit: With the confidence earned from these classes, I was able to have some other fun experiences in Arequipa - like visiting a local Rotary club (I'm a member back in Clemson). Here are some pictures of me with the very interesting and better dressed gentlemen from the Selva Verde Club. Gustavo, on the far right, sort of adopted me while there and we are now friends. He is a local engineer, and amazingly enough he has a daughter who is a doctor and is married to a native of Atlanta (my home area), where she now lives.

Next post - trip to the Colca Canyon - deeper than the Grand Canyon!