Learning Spanish in Mexico City
Language Course with WalkSpanish
Ever since Charlie did the Portuguese Course in Rio de Janeiro, she tries to attend at least one week of class in other countries she travels to, as well. The exposure to the local culture, the connections to other students and the access to activities make it a worthy experience, even if you already know the language well. Plus, there’s always more to learn.
Spanish course in Mexico City
While the Spanish school she attended in Medellin had been a recommendation, for Mexico City, Charlie needed to do some research. There are multiple language schools for foreigners available, and the programme is quite similar. What sparked Charlie’s interest was the fact that WalkSpanish did not teach inside a traditional classroom. Instead, the teacher and the students meet in cafés, parks, museums or other places in the city to learn and indulge into the local culture.
During the week that Charlie spent with WalkSpanish, they went to cafés in Condesa, the historic centre, Coyoacan and Roma. They visited museums like the Museo de Arte Popular and the Casa Lazaro Cardenas and went to parks like the Parque México and the main square in Coyoacan. Charlie enjoyed that she also knew after just a few days in CDMX where she would find a coffee shop to get the laptop out and she combined the visits to different corners of the city with walking tours. The teacher had sent the information for the week after a group discussion on Monday which made it easy for Charlie to book free walking tours in the same areas where the class would be.
Learning Spanish in CDMX
There had been an online test before Charlie’s arrival in Mexico to evaluate her level of Spanish. In addition, the first day of class was filled with activities to get better insights into each student’s prior knowledge of Spanish and the teacher asked about personal interests as well. Based on the answers of the group, she made the plan for the week and decided where they would meet.
Every day, they worked on grammar while having breakfast in a café. The second part of the class was either in a park or a museum where they played games or did other activities to put the newly acquired knowledge into practice. And, what Charlie liked the most, to speak Spanish. That’s what she wanted mostly: speaking and fixing mistakes.
Charlie did not only improve her spoken Spanish and clarified some doubts, but she also got to know the city. She went to different areas, took the metro and the bus, found coffee shops to work from, tried local breakfast dishes and learned how the locals tip in Mexico.
Coffee shops to work from in Mexico City
All the coffee shops they studied at that week are suitable for laptop workers:
- Tierra Garat in Roma Sur (it’s a chain and you’ll easily find one at every corner in CDMX)
- Café Dondé near the historical centre of CDMX
- Café Jekemir in Coyocan
- Libertario Coffee Roasters in Roma Norte
- Cancino San Miguel near Bosque Chapultepec
