ECELA Viña del Mar

I am a 66 year old from Quebec. In 2015, I went on my third language course abroad, this time to Chile with Yalea for 8 weeks (4 weeks in Santiago and 4 weeks in Viña del Mar). Learning a new language is a great activity for retirement that allows you to exercise your brain. A trip with a company like Yalea enables you to really get to know your destination. By talking to your teachers and host family, you get to understand the society, the economy, the culture and the demographic of the country. It’s very fulfilling. Finally, by mastering Spanish, you can easily travel around the many ‘Latino’ countries.

Thank you again for your support and see you soon,
Yvon

*Translated from French.

I was very satisfied with the school and their teaching methods. The teachers were great and very knowledgeable so they were able to explain everything well.

ECELA Viña del Mar’s small size enabled it to have a family-style atmosphere – overall there were 12 students.

The afternoon activities were varied and generally very well organized. However, if you stay at the school for a long time, you will find that the activities repeat regularly.

All in all, I would recommend the school to anyone who wants to learn Spanish in Chile.

Best wishes,
Marian

*Translated from German.

My name is Ulrike and I am a 44-year old from Germany. In February 2015 I spent two weeks at ECELA in Viña del Mar. I chose the Group Course 20 with 5 private lessons per week and stayed in a student apartment.

Booking online was very easy and the next day I received a very polite call from Yalea, which quickly resolved all my queries. They sent me all the documents by post before my trip.

In Viña del Mar, I had no problems finding the accommodation. The two people in the apartment were very nice, happy to answer any questions and always glad to have a conversation – as a result, all wonderful.

The school was a 25-minute leisurely walk away. There is also a bus, but it’s not really necessary.

In the school, I was made very welcome and then had to take a written test to determine my language level. Result: complete beginner.

The teaching was divided into two hours of conversation and two hours of grammar each day. In addition, I also had a private lesson at noon every day which was geared to my own personal needs – very good!

The lessons starts at 9am and are very well structured. The teachers only speak in Spanish and only if you really can’t understand, they use some English. Despite my rudimentary Spanish skills, I progressed wonderfully. The group lessons are pleasantly small, with 2 to 5 students in each class, and in one class I was even by myself.

There are afternoon excursions organized by the school, but they are not compulsory. I often went to the beach in Reñaca with school mates to do my homework in the sun.

After two weeks, I felt that I learnt a lot. In my subsequent trip to the South of the country, I could make myself understood well and often surprised myself with how much Spanish I could speak and understand after just two weeks in the language school.

CONCLUSION: I would wholeheartedly recommend a language course at ECELA in Viña del Mar with Yalea Languages.

I'm already thinking about my plans for next year, when I´ll maybe go to another South American country!

*Translated from German.

I enjoyed my language course! The apartment was very clean. The only thing was that the bed wasn't that new, as the slats fell out several times. This wasn't a big deal and was in fact rather funny and I was afterwards moved to a new bed.

In the first week I didn't have a roommate, but after that I met a lot of nice people from different countries. With some of them I got on very well and with others less so, but I think that’s normal when people from different cultures meet.

On the first day, I could not find the school as there were no signs. I was a bit worried but then a member of staff appeared. The school location is great because it is in a residential area with many restaurants! It is small, but that’s something I really liked. As a result, I got to know my classmates and teacher well and we did a lot together. The teachers are very young and competent, and are also interested in doing things outside of the classroom.

I was very, very comfortable at ECELA and will miss a lot of people! I never thought that friendships could develop so quickly. It was a great experience to be in another country but not to feel lonely.

*Translated from German.