Spanish Wings Intermediate Conversation

Intermediate Conversation

Come immerse yourself in the Spanish conversation in a town that is 82% Hispanic and a bilingual local church. For a fraction of the overall cost of most immersions, you will:

• Gain confidence in conversion with Spanish speaking neighbors and church members
• Join in real conversation with people whose first language is Spanish
• Have fun learning with art, drama, games, music and conversation, conversation, conversation
• Grow in understanding of Hispanic-Latino cultures
• Get to know New Harvest UMC in Toppenish: one church with two languages and two cultures
• Participate in worship with New Harvest UMC

Who Should Attend?

• Church leaders who are called and committed to connecting with Spanish-speaking community members.
• Those who have some basic Spanish and can put sentences together but lack vocabulary, experience and confidence in holding conversations.
• If you cannot put together basic sentences and have little vocabulary, you might want to consider taking the Spanish Beginning Plus. Please see the side bar for the link to more information.
• People who may have grown up with Spanish being spoken all around them but they focused on English for school, friends and work, eventually loosing the ability to hold a good deep conversation in Spanish.

Program, Methodology and Instructor:

Our instructor, Suzy Martinez, is the Founder of Expanded Connection, a company that has been focusing on Language acquisition, Cultural Connections and Medical Spanish for over 20 years across the United States and Mexico. 

Expanded Connection offers you the key to learning in the 21st century. It is an innovative way to learn, and is dynamic and playful, stress-free and highly effective. Drawing on Dr. Georgi Lozanov’s research on the brain, mind, and learning, Suzy  believes that everyone has an incredible ability to learn and amazing potential for creativity. Her educational philosophy is based on the following:

• A true EXPANDED CONNECTION experience involves the whole brain, music and rhythm, relaxed concentration, learning through all the senses, games, humor, and imagination, and a supportive environment.
• Learning challenges can be overcome and our potentials expanded dramatically under ideal conditions.
• The EXPANDED CONNECTION teacher, crucially important for accelerative learning, is an artist who integrates all of the above to create a stimulating, joyful and relaxed environment.
• An accelerative experience contributes to greater overall confidence, creativity, relaxation, and general well-being.

The experience will focus on Arts and Latin-American Stories or ALAS meaning wings to give the participants the tools to fly into deeper relationships with Spanish-speaking neighbors when they return home.

Dates and Schedule:

11 am on Monday, August 21, 2017 through 1 pm on Friday, August 25, 2017. Activities will go into the evening until approximately 9 pm. The schedule will include arts, games, worship, meals, and especially lots of conversation within the class, with people of the community and the area, and with members of the New Harvest UMC. Leave your to-do lists at home, put your email on away, and your phone on silent and have fun in Spanish. This will be an intense, enjoyable and fascinating time to let yourself absorb Spanish.

Cost:

$450 (or $550 after July 1) includes tuition, materials, two meals a day and the option of staying free at the church. You will be responsible for buying one meal a day, a Spanish Bible, and your own travel.

Scholarships are available. Funds are limited. Please apply if you need assistance as we do not want anyone left out just because of finances. Priority will be given based on ministry and financial need. Decisions will be made by the scholarship committee. Not all applicants will scholarships and no one will receive a full scholarship.  Please look carefully for all available sources and attempt to pay the full registration.

Location:

New Harvest United Methodist Church, 201 North Beech Street, Toppenish, Washington 98948. New Harvest is one church with two languages and two cultures together in ministry. The building is air-conditioned and has an elevator, making it a comfortable and accessible. Toppenish is a community that is 82% Hispanic, making it a great place to practice Spanish.

Lodging Options:

1. Free: Stay at church.  Please bring your own bedding, cot or mat, and towel to stay at the New Harvest UMC. The church has two showers and air-conditioning. Sleeping will be several people in shared Sunday school or other rooms.
2. At your own expense: Stay at a local hotel.  Participant is responsible for his/her own lodging logistics and expenses.
3. No Additional Charge: Commute home or to a friend's. Please be mindful that the activities will be from approximately 9am to 9pm so as to provide you with an immersion in the language and culture.

Meals:

• Breakfast ingredients will be available at the church for people to make their own breakfasts before the day’s activities begin.
• Lunch or dinner will be provided at the church. We will do what we can to honor any special dietary needs.
• One meal a day, usually dinner, will be on your own. This will be an opportunity to explore the community and order your meal in Spanish from restaurants.

For further questions, please contact:

Lyda Pierce, lpierce@pnwumc.org, 509-778-3864

Register Now!