SPANISH WINGS: INTERMEDIATE CONVERSATION
GENERAL INFORMATION

Come immerse yourself in the Spanish conversation in a town that is 82% Hispanic and a local church has a new Hispanic ministry. For a fraction of the cost (and no need to travel to Mexico or even further) you will: 

• Gain confidence in conversion with Spanish 
• 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 Sunnyside UMC as it is growing into one church with two languages and two cultures
• Join in short Bible studies, try out liturgies and learn to pray in Spanish

Who Should Attend the Spanish Intermediate Course?

• 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 sidebar 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 losing the ability to hold a good deep conversation in Spanish.

Program, Methodology, and Instructor:

Suzy Martinez, Founder of Expanded Connection (a company that focuses on language acquisition, cultural connections, and medical Spanish for over 20 years across the United States and Mexico), will facilitate this event. She is bilingual and bicultural; Spanish is her first language.

Expanded Connection offers you a key to learning in the 21st century. It is an innovative way to learn and is dynamic, 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.

SPANISH WINGS: INTERMEDIATE CONVERSATION
DETAILED INFORMATION

Dates and Schedule:

Monday, July 23, 2018 at 1pm to noon on Friday, July 27, 2018. Activities will start at 8:30 am and go into the evening until approximately 8:30 pm. The schedule will include arts, games, worship, meals, and lots of conversation within the class and with local Spanish speakers. 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 you absorb Spanish.

Cost:

$480 (or $575 from July 1) includes tuition, materials, a breakfast option, lunch each day and the possibility of staying free at the church. You will be responsible for buying one meal a day, snacks to share, your own notebook, and getting yourself to Sunnyside. Those who stay at the church will need to bring their own mat or cot, bedding, and towel.

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 get scholarships and no one will receive a full scholarship.  Please look carefully for all available sources and attempt to pay the full registration.

Location:

Sunnyside United Methodist Church is located near the center of town, where they have contributed to the good of the community for many decades. It has been a church with a primarily Euro-American white membership, but as the community is now about 82% Mexican-American and Tejanos it is now the home to a new Hispanic ministry. The building is air-conditioned with several different rooms available for varying activities and for sleeping. It is comfortable and accessible, making it a great place to practice Spanish.

Lodging Options:

Free: Stay at church.  Please bring your own bedding, cot or mat, and towel to stay at the New Harvest UMC. The church has showers and air-conditioning. The suggested sleeping space is the sanctuary where it will stay cool and there is the possibility of sleeping on a pew and having lots of space around you. However, there are other rooms available, though it is all shared space.

At your own expense: Stay at a local hotel.  Participant is responsible for his/her own lodging logistics and expenses.

No Additional Charge: Commute home or to a friend's. Please be mindful that the activities will be from approximately 8:30 am to 8:30 pm so as to provide you with more of 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 will be usually provided at the church, though this might be swapped for dinner depending on program and guest needs. We will do what we can to honor any special dietary needs, but cannot guarantee it. If you have special dietary needs, please be sure to include them in the registration and we suggest bringing some items as a plan B when your needs are not met. Also, there is a grocery store just a few blocks away.

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.

Questions? Please contact:

Lyda Pierce, lpierce@pnwumc.org, or lydapierce@earthlink.net, 509-778-3864

Register Now!