ACCE

Every weekday afternoon, we spend three and a half hours studying in Academia Centroamerica de Español (ACCE). Its proximity to the villas make it easily accessible from almost any location in the city by foot. The first level of the building is a restaurant open to the public, while the basement is a movie theater in which we watch movies in Spanish to improve comprehension, and the upper level holds classrooms. Although this does take up most of our afternoons, it is a very relaxed learning environment and adds a uniformity to our days.

Our first visit to the school began with a brief overview of the trip’s itinerary and a description of the diagnostic exam which was given to separate students into the small groups of two or four in which they would feel most comfortable. This exam consisted of a written test, which was a straightforward examination which determined the extent of students’ knowledge of grammar; this was followed by one on one “interviews” to test students’ speaking skills. The interviews were the larger portion of the test because the school’s objective is to improve students’ speaking skills more than to enhance students’ grammar.

The classes themselves move at a more relaxed pace than usual. Students first spend around one and a half hours conversing in Spanish with their teachers about various topics; the conversation flows naturally as students become more comfortable with the language, pausing only occasionally to discuss certain vocabulary. Next, teachers begin to review the little homework or class work that is given. On the first day of classes, students are given two thin notebooks, one filled with vocabulary and the other with an array of practices. After this, students all eat a generous plate of food prepared by the restaurant underneath the school. Each day, options vary from pancakes and French toast to nachos and taquitos. Once these thirty minutes pass, classes resume with a focus on grammar rather than speaking. Teachers finish correcting homework and move on to a new lesson, which for the first week has been review.
Written by Zeel Thakker