Outside-the-class-language-learning: Walk Spanish Program in Mexico City

Some people love to travel to enjoy different cuisines. Some love to see amazing monuments and museums around the world. A favorite activity of mine is to attend language schools around the world. I love the challenge of trying out a new language, meeting new people of different age groups and different cultures. Fortunately there are hundreds of excellent language schools around the world where you can join for just a week (or more) and get access to a new language and culture and meet other students. You can meet your classmates for coffee or a meal and enjoy instant fellowship that is rarely available in other travel experiences.

After having been to eight different language programs and attending classes from 2 weeks to several months, I came across a school in Mexico City called Walk Spanish Language School    https://www.walkspanish.com/ . Looking at the school’s website my initial reaction was that this school is similar to the ones I have attended in Torino for Italian, Madrid and Barcelona for Spanish, Shanghai for Mandarin, Tokyo for Japanese, Rabat for Arabic and Paris for French. However, after reading more about this school and going over the reviews from the students I realized that this school is very different. 

Walk Spanish Language School in Mexico City has no classrooms, no building, no computer labs. It works on a radically different approach. The students and teachers meet in local cafes or parks and tour museums and cultural activities together to practice and improve their Spanish. My wife Teresa and I signed up for a 4 week program and the school director Gerrard gave us an overview of the program as well as helped find a lovely apartment in the Condesa area of the city.

I was sent a Whatsapp message about the meeting location of the first class which was in a cafe walking distance from my apartment. The message also gave me the locations of meeting points for the coming week. The locations were at different locations around the city. Usually we would meet the teacher at 9 am in a cafe, get something to drink or eat and do a lesson for about two and a half hours. The lessons would cover some basic grammar and vocabulary and involve different role play games. After that we would head to a nearby park or museum to have a conversation and learn about the local culture. 

Having taken in-class group classes as well as private language classes in many schools I felt this mode of teaching allowed students to have a learning experience that was fun and interactive. I had two different teachers, Monica and Monse, both of whom were great. My classmates were all fantastic and we talked (in Spanish) about their local cultures in Australia, Netherlands, Germany, etc. It was a wonderful experience. The teachers were very gracious and gave us information on which types of activities to enjoy (Frida Kahlo Museum, Xochimilco, Lucha Libre, … ). Of course Mexico City is packed with museums, events and cultural gems and even after four weeks I felt I have not experienced a fraction of what the city has to offer.

As a language enthusiast I hope more schools can offer experiences like that offered by Walk Spanish. I see it as a future of not only language learning but of the travel industry. Language learning with respect for the local culture and traditions benefits everyone and new doors to new opportunities can open.

Author: Dr. Jasprit Singh, President Gurmentor, Inc.

A Learning Company https://gurmentor.com

Professor Emeritus, Electrical Engg. & Comp. Sci. and Applied Physics

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor