Llama Education - The School

About the School

Cultural Exchange Cusco & Manu

Accomodation

Why arequipa

Study Spanish in the center of Arequipa

Prices

Interaction with custums and culture

Language school lessons

In order to give optimal attention to each pupil, Llama Education teaches in small groups. Students can choose either one-to-one tuition or to learn with another student. The maximum number of students we will teach in a group is two as this allows for more rapid progress in learning Spanish. The main language for tuition of students is Spanish but, if necessary, explanations will be given in English. The books that Llama Education uses to help students explore the language are full of stories about Peruvian culture, history and customs.

The standard program consists of four hours lesson time from Monday to Friday. Two hours in the morning from 9am - 11am which include learning the theory of the language (e.g. tenses and grammar rules) with a specialist teacher, and a further two hours from 3pm - 5pm taken with practical study (e.g. using what you've learned during the morning session). The afternoon session is conducted by the school's founder, Maria, and students can apply their knowledge of Spanish to form conversations about their experiences during the day. Maria uses this time to assess her students and to feed this back to the specialist grammar teacher in order that they can tailor the course more closely to their students’ needs. This personal involvement by the owner of Llama Education is a unique feature of the school and allows for a much more personalized learning experience than in most other language schools.

If students prefer to study for a block of 4 hours either in the morning or the afternoon to allow more time for sightseeing this can also be arranged.

Cultural Exchange from Arequipa to Cuzco

In this package students can combine their studies in two Peruvian cities, Arequipa, and Cuzco -- the empire of the Incas.

Students study for 4 weeks (2 weeks in each city) and gain a certificate from the Ministry of Education. The Spanish Language Center in Cuzco is one of the city's best institutions with over 14 years experience in teaching Spanish.

This package includes:

Accommodation and meals with the founder family in Arequipa plus 4 hours of daily classes. Whilst in Cuzco students stay with a local family who provide accommodation (including private bathroom) plus 3 meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Students receive 4 hours of lessons a day. This offer is available to a group of up to 4 students at $806 per person.

Cultural Exchange from Arequipa to Manu

This intensive program lasts for 4 weeks and is the latest addition to our range of Spanish courses.

In this program students spend 3 weeks in Arequipa studying for a total of 70 hours, and then 8 days and 7 nights in Manu. Whilst in Manu students take 2 hours of Spanish lessons each day. In total there are 80 hours of classes.

A teacher from Llama Education, who is familiar with Manu, will travel with the student(s) and also act as a guide to the local area.

We work with one of the best Manu tour operators - Atalya Peru. Their operator, Magdalena Ruiz, will also be in contact with your chosen Spanish teacher during your stay there to ensure that you are happy with your experience.

Maria, the school’s owner, may also travel with the group to supervise arrangements and to ensure that you settle comfortably into your new environment.

The instructors

All 4 programs were developed by Llama Education's principal instructor, Lenia Mendoza. She is originally from Cuzco, Peru. She has a university degree in Business Administration from the Catholic University of Arequipa and a degree in Education as a second specialization from the Catholic University of Lima. She speaks English and French and has been teaching languages for more than 15 years.

She taught Spanish and English at the Excel Language Center in Cuzco for 4 years, then moved to Arequipa where she continued her teaching career at Elmer Faucet and the Language Center of the UNSA University. She has been a full time English teacher to students at the Peruvian North American Cultural Center of Arequipa since 1992 , where her work included development of courses for all levels and for special purposes.

She is a regular participant in language teacher training courses and is currently completing a Master's degree in teaching of foreign languages at the Iberoamericana University of Spain. We are sure that students will warm up to Lenia immediately. Like the school´s founder, Lenia is sensitive to the needs of each student, and possesses a gift for understanding personal differences in ability to assimilate complex information. After making an initial assessment, Lenia can tailor the material presented so as to enable each person to learn Spanish effectively in as little time as possible.

MEET THE INSTRUCTORS:

Lenia Mendoza University degree in Business Administration UCSM – Arequipa English teacher Years Teaching: 18 years Countries Taught: Peru, Spain

Chistabel Chavez Alvarez Lic. Educación - lawyer UCSM - Arequipa - TELF Teacher - Spanish Years Teaching: 3 years Countries Taught: England, Holland, France, and Germany

Miguel Villanueva Coahuila Educación UCSM - Arequipa - TELF Teacher Years Teaching: 5 years Countries Taught: Peru

Patricia Bellido Zamudio Enfermeria UCSM - Arequipa - TELF Teacher - English -Spanish Years Teaching: 10 years Countries Taught: England, Holland, France, Israel, and USA

Roy Zenteno Bouroncle Bachelor industrial Engineering UCSM - Arequipa Professor of Physics and English Years Teaching: 5 years Countries Taught: USA

The courses are interactive and personalized - tailored to suit the requirements of each student. Course material will be determined by the level, experience and interests of our students.

All of our teachers have a lot of experience in teaching Spanish to foreign students. We encourage students to practice the language to help build confidence and develop fluency, focusing upon grammar and writing skills.

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Accommodation in Arequipa

Llama Education understands that the decision to live on another continent and study another language and culture is a big step, even if just for a few weeks or a month. For this reason, we emphasize cultural interaction in terms of the accommodation in which students stay.

While learning Spanish in Peru, students can choose to live in hotels, hostels or furnished rooms. However, it is recommended that they choose a live-in package, staying with a local Peruvian family specially selected to match the students´ needs and interests. This arrangement helps students to adjust to a new culture and language in the comfort and safety of a home-like environment. It also gives students ample opportunity to talk with their family and to put into practise what they are learning in their lessons.

Staying with Llama Education´s founders

For students who wish to have a bit more privacy and comfort it is possible to stay for a period of time with the founder of Llama Education, Maria Huaman, who is Peruvian and who leads the school.

Students reside in comfortable bedrooms on the third floor of the Huaman’s home in a secure, gated neighborhood in Cerro Colorado, a 10 minute taxi drive from the main square. Students have their own student lounge offering all the modern conveniences such as internet access, a cable television and a library. Both student bedrooms have their own bathroom with hot water and a private balcony with their own hammock in which they can enjoy the sun. Meals feature traditional Peruvian cuisine, but Maria is also used to accommodating special diets such as vegetarian. While staying with the Huaman’s, many students improve their language skills by conversing with the Kuijt Huaman´s two daughters, Diana (6) and Sonja (4).

Staying with a local Peruvian family

For students who already speak some Spanish it is possible to stay with a Peruvian family. This option is a bit cheaper but the experience definitely isn’t lesser. You live with a friendly middle class family and are welcomed into their home as part of the family. You have your own bedroom, but the other rooms are shared with the family, the bathroom has hot water.

Our accommodations are located in the best urban areas of Arequipa, Umacollo, Yanahuara, Cayma and downtown. The types of accommodations available include:

• A student's residence, living with other university students
• A family house where you can learn more about costumes and traditions of the city
• A comfortable hotel or a 3 star-hostel

The Esparza-Castro Family

The Esparza-Castro family live in the pretty and urbanised Cayma district of Arequipa, just minutes from the city center by taxi. Supermarkets, restaurants, coffee shops, and banks are in close proximity to the family home. The parents are proffessors and they have three daughters.

Staying in Llama Education’s city centre apartments

In March 2006 we acquired a new residence in downtown Arequipa, just minutes away from the city center, and very close to the cathedral and the main square. This enables us to offer more individual and group courses for students. Students can choose to either have their lessons in the apartment if they wish or to go daily to the main school 10 minutes from the city centre – (it is easy and cheap to take either a bus or taxi to the school).

The apartment is very comfortable with 2 bedrooms, a large dining room, lounge, kitchen and bathroom with hot water. Meals can be taken in the apartment and students are also free to use the facilities to cater for themselves. The apartment is in a secure block and is very quiet – an ideal place for studying! The lounge is equipped with a television and a CD player for students to use whilst relaxing. The apartment is very centrally located, just a 5 minute walk from the main square and close to shops, museums, restaurants, internet cafes, tour agencies and the main city centre supermarket.

Your choice of accommodation

We accommodate all of our students in the type of accommodation they prefer, whether that is with a family, in a city centre apartment, hostel or hotel. Simply tell us which option you prefer and we will arrange this for you.

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Why Arequipa

Arequipa is located in the foothills of the Western Andes. It is surrounded by spectacular volcanoes, the most famous of which, Misti Volcano (5821m), is a symbol of the city that can be clearly seen from the Plaza de Armas, and is flanked by two other volcanoes: Chacani volcano (6075 m)and Pichupichu Volcano (5425 m ). Arequipa is known as the white city because the white colour of the sillar (a volcanic stone used in the colonial buildings). It is the capital of the present-day Department of Arequipa, founded by the Spaniard Garci Manuel de Carbajal on 15 August 1540. The originality and variety of the landscapes (impressive volcanoes, terraces, valleys and canyons), pre-Hispanic traditions and art, the mild climate, the great food and the impressive ecclesiastical as well as civil colonial heritage, make the city and its surrounding regions one of the most attractive touristic centres in Peru.

The urban layout of the city follows the traditional square pattern which the Spaniards introduced to America, organized around the Plaza de Armas from where the main roads begin. The colonial buildings in the city were initially made of adobe and straw which were destroyed by an earthquake which affected this region in the seventeenth century. The reconstruction of ancient buildings, as well as the construction of new ones, was performed with white volcanic rocks referred to as sillar (ashlar), which is very common in the area due to the eruptions of the enormous volcanoes surrounding Arequipa. The malleability of the volcanic material provided the builders in the region with dense, abundant decoration for the façades of the buildings.

The city preserves several monuments from its colonial past: convents, churches, monasteries and large private homes, all of which are a clear reflection of the Spanish presence. However, the city also reveals evidence of the its original mestizo influence and mestizo Baroque art.

The economic activity of Arequipa is based around industry, agriculture and tourism.

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Health and safety in Peru

Unfortunately, some parts of South America have gained a bad reputation in the media where safety is concerned. While it is true that there are some parts of cities in Peru that are as dangerous as the worst parts of New York, London or Amsterdam, crime is limited for the most part to minor robbery and pick pocketing and there is little threat of any violence. By taking sensible precautions, adverse situations can be avoided. Arequipa is generally a very safe city for students to walk around alone and none of our students have encountered any problems.

During the introductory "getting to know each other" day, Llama Education will provide a full briefing on how to avoid any safety issues. However, should an incident occur, there is always a 24-hour support service available from the Kuijt family. This support is also available for any health issues that may arise during your stay in Peru.

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Price Information

Note ** Only Spanish Lessons - Groups of 4 y 6

We will open group courses for Misti and Chachani level, two week duration in the following dates:

• May 05th to May 16th 2008 GROUP 1
• June 02th to June 13th 2008 GROUP 2
• June 16th to June 27th 2008 GROUP 3
• July 07 to July 18th 2008 GROUP 4
• July 21th to August 01th 2008 GROUP 5
• August 04 th to August 15ht 2008 GROUP 6

Extra costs

Students will incur additional costs if they choose to stay:

Please contact us for details about travelling between Lima and Arequipa.

Notes

• Prices per person
• Prices include pick up from Arequipa airport / Bus station
• Group discounts and other program details available on request
• Llama education prefers to receive payment before lessons commence
• Contact us for prices of the Arequipa to Manu Exchange program

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Opportunities for interaction with Peruvian culture

In order to progress in Spanish whilst learning its theory, Llama Education can arrange for students to have the opportunity to practice their language skills whilst taking part in activities with the local Peruvian people.

1. Free dance classes

Between 5 and 6pm each Tuesday and Thursday, students can take free salsa dance lessons in an authentic Peruvian dance school. Fellow dancers include not just other students, but local Peruvian people who require students to speak Spanish.

2. Free cooking lessons

Between 2 and 3pm each Monday, Wednesday and Friday , students can watch and even help your Peruvian cook (Maria) prepare a meal in a traditional kitchen. This Peruvian chef will share some very tasty Peruvian recipes, such as Lomo Saltado, Palta Rellena, Estofado de Pollo and the very typical Arequipenan dish, Recoto Relleno.

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