We interrupt this blog to bring you... the news!

Two of our students, Eliza and Elina, produce an entire Spanish newscast, complete with weather, an interview with Kelly Clarkson, even their own commercial! Watch all the way to the end to see the "blooper reel".

Directed and edited by our own Karina Ruiz.

Here's another video of one of our class exercises:

Joel, a student from Germany, does a role-play with his teacher, Luis. Luis pretends to have a stomach ache and Doctor Joel gives him an examination.

These kinds of exercises are a great way to focus on specific vocabulary the student needs to use in real life. Watch and learn!

Oh dear, it's really been WAY too long since we updated this thing. I say that every time, don't I? Well, it's summer, the Guelaguetza's happening...

Here's a video of our teacher Fer with his star student, Samuel.

If you're not quite at Samuel's level, don't worry, we just wanted to give you a sense of our conversational, interactive approach.

Sorry it's taken us so long to update the blog. Spring is always busy for us and this year is no exception.

Students often want to know what Spanish-English dictionary we recommend. Well, first of all, we recommend you don't use a dictionary in class or, if you must, use it sparingly. What ends up happening is students spend valuable interactive time flipping through the dictionary for the "perfect" word when they probably could have expressed the same idea some other way.

But, we understand that one needs a good Spanish-English dictionary, especially outside of class when you have to rely on your own wits. For our money, the best choice is the University of Chicago Spanish-English English-Spanish Dictionary.

While this edition is small, its tiny typeface means it's jam-packed with handy vocabulary, including all-important Mexican slang. Many students use a "Mexican" or "Latin American" Spanish-English dictionary which, frankly, seems silly. After all, Spanish is Spanish, whether you're in Barcelona or Tijuana and this dictionary has a very helpful section explaining the differences in pronunciation throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

For our musically-inclined students, we've started offering marimba classes.

This is our student Dana, wowing us all with newly-learned marimba stylings on the school's patio:

If you're not familiar with the marimba, it's a large, wooden, xylophone-type instrument. In Oaxaca and Chiapas, it's especially popular, and marimba music can often be heard in public squares, restaurants, even during church services.

Class times are flexible but generally involve at least two lessons per week of two hours each. You'll go home with a truly Oaxacan skill!