Carol Schmidt
Oct 13, 2003, 6:03 PM
Post #2 of 3
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Re: [Nan] Living in San Miguel Allende
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Most gringos in SMA are older retired folks but there are still plenty of others of all ages, including in their 50s. Single women abound--it's a single available man's paradise--so if your main desire is to meet a man for a serious relationship, this is probably not the best place. I have no idea where such a place might be--Alaska, maybe. But single women here make lots of friends and have lots of fun and there is so much to do that you will never be sorry you chose SMA. Or so has been my experience.
I am glad you are coming to SMA for an extended stay in January because nothing can replace your ownpersonal experiences and impressions about a place in deciding if it is for you. I was a bit skeptical when my partner dragged me here for what was to be a three-month vacation last year. but in three days I told her I was willing to move here. Now I absolutely love it. Others can't get away fast enough! Totally a personal thing.
As for language schools, I went to Warren Hardy for the first two classes and was very impressed. There are five levels, each 2 1/2 weeks long, three days a week, three hours a day, three hours homework for each class, a tutor also recommended. With all the materials (CDs, flash cards, books, etc.) the first class is about $300! But it is worth it, IMO. The first class teaches you six "power verbs" (can, need, have/have to, am, like, go) and 100 of the most common verbs that can be used with each one, plus a lot of basic vocabulary and social interaction differences in Mexico. I loved it, and that class gave me what I need to survive in Mexico.
The second class was much harder, learning past tense and the 12 most common past tense verbs which are all irregular, requiring rote memorization--yuck. This level also brought in the word placement and pronouns like "se lo" and reflexive verbs and their word placements, etc. I never did quite get it all and Hardy recommends taking some time off after Level 2 and going off some place to intensively practice what you have learned. In SMA it is too easy to never speak any Spanish at all, though you still need it for police emergencies and such. Level 3 brings in four more tenses. I didn't look too closely at Levels 4 and 5.
Warren Hardy classes involve a lot of in-class partner work, learning to speak and be comfortable with what you are learning, which is excellent. I recommend them. Their web page is www.warrenhardy.com.
But there are lots of Spanish classes in town, plus the ones at the Instituto de Allende, which range from casual conversational a few hours a week to intensive. When you get here you can take a look around and see what suits you. Hope you enjoy your visit!
Carol Schmidt
(This post was edited by Carol Schmidt on Oct 13, 2003, 7:25 PM)
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