Spanish Immersion Program in Panama City, Panama

I was only at hablaya panamá city for one week and I feel like my spanish has gotten better already. I took clases from 2:00 – 6:00 pm from Monday – Friday and I enjoyed every momento of it. My profressor was very attentive to each students’ needs and used a pace that was very helpful. Every day of class was so much fun! I stayed with a very awesome host family where I got to practice my spanish even more. I can’t wait to return to hablaya and continue learning!

Translation:
I am a frequent student of Habla Ya Boquete. This year I took my group classes and private lessons with Leidys. The classes are a mixture of grammar, tasks, communication. Leidys prepares her classes buenissimo and adapts her teaching speed to the student levels. Besides, the classes are always fun too. In private classes it is possible to work more individually, so I recommend taking group classes and some additional private classes. Thanks for the experience!

Original:
Yo soy una estudiante frequente de Habla Ya Boquete. Este año tube mis clases de grupo y clases privadas con Leidys. Las clases son una mezcla de gramatica, tareas, communicacion. Leidys prepara sus clases buenissimo y adapta su velocidad de enseñar a los niveles de los estudiantes. Ademas las clases siempre son divertidos tambien. En las clases privadas es posible trabajar más individual, por eso recomiendo tomar clases de grupo y algunas clases privadas adicional. Gracias por la experiencia!

TRANSLATION:
Having been enthusiastic about the Habla Ya language school in Bocas, I also visited them in Panama City. Again, I had a competent and entertaining teacher who could teach me the Spanish language in a fun and understandable way without the boredom or learning stress even in the approach had a chance, which is not a matter of course with my difficulty learning languages. I made good progress and had fun ... what more could you want ?!

ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Nachdem ich in Bocas bereits von der Habla Ya Sprachschule begeistert war habe ich diese auch in Panama-City besucht. Auch hier hatte ich einen kompetenten und unterhaltsamen Lehrer, der mir die spanische Sprache auf spielerische und verständliche Weise vermitteln konnte ohne das Langeweile oder Lernstress auch nur im Ansatz eine Chance hatten, was bei meiner Schwierigkeit Sprachen zu lernen keine Selbstverständlichkeit ist. Ich habe gute Fortschritte gemacht und hatte Spaß dabei... was will man mehr?!

I maybe among the eldest students to occupy a class room at the Habla Ya Boquete Campus. The age range and nationalities of students varied. The sense of community and passion for learning remained constant.
Raised in the Canal Zone during the 1950s, I was familiar with the curative powers of Ceviche de Corvina and chicha. I had wandered some of the fern and waterfall lined hiking trails, but I was not prepared for the excellence of the teaching and administrative staff at Habla Ya. Professora Leidys, known for her patience and humor, served as a cultural attché with her knowlege of Panamanian history, customs, folklore and family life. Her command of Spanish grammer and linguistics presented in her entertaining and innovative teaching style, made each class an adventure.
The family living program reinforced our class work and privided a near- total inmersion experience. The abuelito my household enjoyed discussing politics and events forgotten by most. The host mother cooked with cariño. I was handed the house keys and accompanied by family to festivals and outings. What I found particularly remarkable about Habla Ya was the return rate. Class mates from Canada, Belgium, Germany and elsewhere talked of classes from years past. Folks keep coming back for refresher courses.
That says something!

I spent a week in Boquete and a week in Panama City taking classes at Habla Ya. All my teachers in both cities were excellent with clear diction. The teachers in Panama City were more formal while the teachers in Boquete were more relaxed - typical cultural difference. My teacher in Boquete, Leidys, was excellent and very fun to learn from. Our private lessons were like visiting with a friend. I had very wonderful homestay families in both locations. Personally I preferred the Boquete experience as it is a more manageable environment (the big city is hectic, and hot, and the campus in an older building, while the mountain town is charming and everyone is friendly) - if I could do it again I would just spend a couple days solely as a tourist in Panama City and more time as a student in Boquete.

I’ve tried taking Spanish at college night school, using online tools and listening to educational CDs. Nothing truly worked before immersing and attending three weeks at Habla Ya, and particularly working with my professor, Leidys Pitti. Leidys is not only extremely patient, but has the ability to recognize the level of each student’s ability and progress and meet them where they are. My first week of class was with three other students, and Leidys skillfully engaged each of us in asking questions, writing, and practicing new learning in fun ways in class. The second week, I was a solo with Leidys, and we had the opportunity to have real conversations every day. I’m amazed at how well we each understood each other and enjoyed the discussions and practice. The third week, there were two students. With Leidys teaching and a lot of practice, we had gained confidence in remembering not only many, many words, but in understanding how to put them into sentences and improve on grammar usage (verbs, adjectives, possessive, plural, etc.). I cannot recommend Habla Ya and Leidys enough. These three weeks have been game changing in building a solid platform for my ongoing use of the Spanish language. I’m thrilled to be going back to Los Angeles to practice with friends and look forward to returning to Habla Ya to continue building my skills to speak this beautiful language.

Translated Review

Beautiful experience at school Habla There's good tructurer.
Professor Leidys very professional with experience.
For the city of Boquete in temperature very charming.
One can cool with a bit of rain.
The very nice village.
I recommend Boquete Habla There's school for courses of Spanish.
For very good and affordable food, with lots of variety.
Easy transportation access to and low honnereux."

Original French Review

Belle expérience à l école Habla Y’a bien tructurer.
Professeure Leidys très professional avec expérience.
Pour la ville d’en Boquete très charmante température.
Un peut fraîche avec un peut de pluie.
Les villageois très gentils.
Je recommande Boquete école Habla Y’a pour cours d espagnol.
Pour la nourriture très bon et abordable, avec beaucoup de Variété.
Transport facile d accès et peu honnereux.

Over the last year I have had occasion to work with Habla Ya language schools of Panama, first during a one-month series of on-site individual and group lessons with a variety of teachers in Panama City and subsequently via the web with my teacher Leidys in Boquete. My initial goal had been to take my basic command of Spanish to a higher level in working with patients (I am a physician), and I can confidently say that this goal has been more than amply met. Though I continue to use interpreters in some situations, their role has generally been to confirm my understanding or to assist in particularly complex communications.

While advancing my capacity to use the Spanish language was my initial goal, what I have also experienced has been the delight of exposure to a culture and history of which I had been at best peripherally aware as well as rich literary and musical traditions, and I credit this awakening in no small part to the enthusiasm and professionalism of my teachers at Habla Ya. I have worked with tutors and teachers in a variety of contexts in recent years trying to improve my skills, and I have made far more progress working with Habla Ya than anywhere else. The school has developed a very effective approach to teaching, maintains a very high standard of pedagogy, and adapts very effectively to individual needs.

I continue with my studies at Habla Ya, confident that my understanding of the Spanish language and its iinterwoven culture will continue to improve. Thanks, Habla Ya!