Spanish Courses in Peru, South America - Learn Spanish in Peru

Join our Spanish courses in Peru, South America and you will be engaged in a country that pulsates with a rich cultural heritage, whirls under head-spinning political fluctuations, and dazzles the imagination with some of the world's most astounding geographical diversity. Take the frosty Andean slopes in the east that plummet into the humid Amazon Basin, and the same snow-crowned peaks that fall in the west to the driest desert on earth and you begin to realize that this is a region brimming with undeniable delights.

Once the land of gold and of the sun-worshipping Incas, Peru was a treasure trove for Europe, and was once the home of the largest empire in the world. While the riches of the Incas are there to fuel the imagination, the country's real appeal lies in the sheer beauty of its various landscapes, the abundance of its wildlife, and the strong and colorful character of the people. The world's highest navigable lake laps Peruvian shores while some of the world's longest and tallest waves crash onto Peru's beaches.

Peru offers a myriad of opportunities for the adventurous of heart and the inquisitive of mind-from sand surfing to jungle tripping, museum-hopping to llama-spotting- it is there to be sampled along with the immense desert coastline or the vast tracts of tropical rainforest. Dividing the contrasting environments are chain after chain of breathtaking peaks, the Andes, over seven thousand meters high and sometimes over four hundred kilometers wide.

One thing for sure is that should you choose to study and learn Spanish in Peru, you will create a unique opportunity to experience an incredibly wide range of spectacular scenery, a wealth of heritage, and a vibrant living culture.

Peru - History

Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by the Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces defeated in 1824. After a dozen years of military rule, Peru returned to democratic leadership in 1980, but experienced economic problems and the growth of a violent insurgency. The election of President Alberto FUJIMORI's 1990 brought in a decade that witnessed a dramatic turnaround in the economy and significant progress in restraining guerrilla activity. Unfortunately, the president's growing reliance on authoritarian methods and an economic fall in the late 1990s brought about increasing discontent with his regime. He was re-elected to a third term in the spring of 2000, but international force and corruption scandals led to his ousting by Congress in November of that year. A caretaker government oversaw new elections in the spring of 2001, which ushered in Alejandro Toledo as the new head of government; his presidency has been hampered by allegations of corruption.

Spanish Courses Peru - Geography

Peru is a complex amalgam of ancient and modern cultures, populations, conflicts, questions, and dilemmas. With 1,285,216 square kilometers, Peru is the eighteenth largest nation in area in the world and the fourth largest Latin American nation. Centered in the heart of the 8,900-kilometer-long Andean range, Peru's geography and climates, although similar to those of its Andean neighbours, form their own peculiar conditions, making the region one of the world's most heterogeneous and dynamic. Peru's main natural feature is its desert coast; the forty great snow-covered peaks over 6,000 meters in altitude, and the mountain ranges they anchor; Lake Titicaca, which is shared with Bolivia, and at 3,809 meters above sea level the world's highest navigable lake; and the vast web of tropical rivers like the Ucayali, Marañón, and Huallaga, which join to form the Amazon above Peru's "Atlantic" port of Iquitos.

Learn Spanish in Peru - Economy

Peru's economy reflects its varied geography - an arid coastal region, the Andes further inland, and tropical lands bordering Colombia and Brazil. An abundance of mineral resources are found in the mountainous areas, and Peru's coastal waters provide excellent fishing grounds. However, overdependence on minerals and metals subjects the economy to fluctuations in world prices, and a lack of infrastructure deters trade and investment. After several years of inconsistent economic performance, the Peruvian economy grew by more than 4 percent per year during the period 2002-2005, with a stable exchange rate and low inflation. Risk premiums on Peruvian bonds on secondary markets reached historically low levels in late 2004, reflecting investor optimism regarding the government's prudent fiscal policies and openness to trade and investment. Despite the strong macroeconomic performance, the TOLEDO administration remained unpopular in 2005, and unemployment and poverty have stayed persistently high. Economic growth will be driven by the Camisea natural gas mega project and by exports of minerals, textiles, and agricultural products. Peru is expected to sign a free-trade agreement with the United States in early 2006.

Spanish Schools Peru - Food

Peru is famous throughout South America for its food. As a major fishing nation, fish is abundant, and prepared with imagination.

The main ingredients found in almost every Peruvian dish are rice, potatoes, chicken, pork, lamb, and fish. Most of these meals include one of the different kinds of "aji", or Peruvian hot pepper, which mainly are: yellow aji pepper, red aji pepper, red rocoto pepper

Chicken, pork and lamb were introduced to Peru 500 years ago, when Spaniards came to America. Other ingredients, like potatoes, were already being grow in the Peruvian Andes and were taken by the Spaniards back to Europe.

Today more than 200 varieties of potato can be found in the Lake Titicaca area. They range in colour from purple to blue, from yellow to brown. The shapes, sizes, and textures vary as well.

Following are some of the dishes and foods that can found in Peru.

Pescado y Mariscos (Fish and Seafood) - Anything with fish is a great bet. Ceviche is the most popular. Peruvians sautee white cod in lemon juice, serve it in chunks with onions and spices. "Trucha,” the local fresh Andean trout, can be found in the mountains and is generally farm raised.

Comida Criolla - This is the term for the traditional Peruvian dishes. Aji de gallina (spicy chicken stew), lomo saltado (stir-fry beef), chupe (fish stew) anticuchos (marinated beef heart). Vegetables play a major role in these dishes.

Chifa - This is the term for Chinese restaurants in Peru. From very elegant to simple, all seem to serve excellent food in and around Lima.

Inca Cola - The colour of this soft drink is bright yellow and it smells like bubble gum.

Aji de Gallina: shredded chicken in a spiced milk sauce.

Arroz con Pollo: Boiled chicken seasoned with a green sauce. Served always with green rice (rice cooked with albahaca)

Anticuchos: marinated grilled beef heart.

Carapulca: It is made from dried and diced potatoes with pork, steak and rice.

CauCau: Consists of tripe and diced potatoes

Ceviche: Fish or mixed shrimp with lemon. The seafood is cut into small pieces and then mixed with lemon juice and left to sit for 1hr. Then it is mixed with onions, celery, cilantro, salt and black pepper. The dish is served cold.

Escabeche de pescado: Boiled fish seasoned with onions, aji and lemon juice

Ocopa: boiled potatoes in a seasoned sauce of cheese and nuts

Papa la Huancaina: Potatoes served with a special spicy sauce, olives, lettuce and egg.

Papa Rellena: meat-stuffed potato patties.

Rocoto Relleno: Typical dish with meat, onions, peanuts, milk and eggs, everything baked inside of the delicious rocoto (pepper), with potatoes and cheese.

Seco de frejoles: Boiled beans with a lamb stew in green sauce, always served with white rice and raw onions seasoned with lemon and aji.

Roast cuy, or guinea pig, is considered a delicacy, and is traditionally served for very special occasions.

Western culture has made its mark on Peru, and one of the signs of change is the popularity of pizza. The Peruvians make it their own way, though, in the old-style, wood-burning ovens that have been part of the Peruvian landscape long before pizza was ever heard of here.

Spanish Courses Peru - Climate

The climate of Peru is very diverse. The climate on the coast is generally subtropical and the region receives only small amounts of rainfall. The Andes mountains observe a cool climate with rainy summers (begins around December 21 and ends around March 21) and very dry winters (June, July, and August). The lowlands in the east are warm and rainy with a short dry season from June through August.

Peru - Interesting facts

The potato is originally from Peru. Peruvians produce over 3000 varieties.

The Tomato is also originally from Peru. It is a close relative of the Potato.

The variety of corn found in Peru has the biggest kernels in the world amongst 32 others produced.

Another original crop from Peru is the avocado. They produce the softest variety.

Peruvian food has a list of 468 different registered typical dishes.

Pima and Tanguis, the finest cottons in the world, are Peruvian.

The weeping willow, which produces the base for aspirin, is originally from Peru.

Tara is a Peruvian tree from which the tannin for the production of dyes is obtained.

Yacon, a tuber similar to the yucca (cassava,manioc), original from Peru is the base for insulin.

Maca, a Peruvian root, known as Huanarpo Macha what Viagra is made from - has been in use in Peru for hundreds of years.

The National University of San Marcos is the oldest in the Americas and was founded on the 12th of May of 155

The oldest newspaper in South America is El Peruano, founded by Simon Bolivar in Lima in 1825.

The highest train pass in the world can be found in Ticlio. It rests 4815 meters above sea level (15793 feet). This passenger train is now again departing from Lima once a week.

The deepest canyons in the world are Cotahuasi with 3600 meters (11,810 ft) and Colca with 3400 meters (11,150 ft). Both can be found in Arequipa. The Colorado Grand Canyon is only 1600 meters in depth (1 mile)

The Andes Mountains in Peru have:

50 peaks over 6000 meters (19,685 ft).

1769 Glaciers

12000 lakes and lagoons of different lengths and depths

In Peru, you can find 1701 species of birds, making it the most in any country in the world.

Peru is second in the world with 34 species of primates, third with 361 species of mammals, fifth with 297 species of reptiles and 251 amphibious.

Peru boasts 84 out of only 103 ecological zones in the world.

Entomologists in Madre de Dios found a Shihuahuaco (asterix) tree with 5000 insect species of which 80% were seen for the first time.

There are 28 different climates in Peru, making it one of the 5 largest biodiversities in the world.

The Amazon River, which starts in Peru, is the longest in the world, and one of the two cleanest (Congo River being the other).

Spanish Courses in Peru - Advice

At our Spanish schools and courses in Peru and throughout South America our advice can really be summed up with one simple word - practice! What kind of study materials you use is not quite as important as how or how often you use them. Your hard work and determination will be one of the biggest factors in successful language learning.

The Spanish school and course you choose in South America is going to be the core of your Spanish study, so make sure you choose a Spanish language course that gives you structured lessons and lots of opportunity to practice your new language skills. Our Spanish courses at our Spanish schools in Peru and throughout South America, will give you the perfect opportunity to study, learn, and practice Spanish in a supportive, well planned and friendly environments.

You must work at your new Spanish language skills every day. Ideally, you should study Spanish an extra hour or more every day. If you can get at least an extra half-hour of study time, that's pretty good too. Try to at least get a little review and study, learn and practice Spanish every single day.

If you attend one of our Spanish courses in Peru and you learn Spanish everyday, you will have a good basic knowledge of the Spanish language in a reasonable amount of time. Your knowledge and ability will increase and improve depending upon what other tools you use and what kind of experiences you have using the Spanish language.

Grammar book. A good old-fashioned grammar book may be boring but they are a great way to really get to grips with the details of the language.

Phrase Book

These are extremely helpful books that you can carry with you. They can be useful for practicing pronunciation, or for quickly finding a lot of more commonly used phrases, words and idioms. Phrase books are always a nice supplement to learn Spanish and they are convenient and cheap.

Dictionary. Absolutely necessary in the long run. You must have a dictionary if you wish to expand your vocabulary, and you will need one in order to take full advantage of many of the Spanish language learning tips set out here. Make sure you get one that translates both ways e.g. English to Spanish AND Spanish to English. It is also helpful to find a dictionary that contains idioms - the phrases particular to the language which you are studying - as well as phrases that are commonly used in the Spanish language, but may be difficult to translate. As an example in English - 'to give the cold shoulder' or 'it's a piece of cake!'

Flashcards

A simple Spanish language learning tip, but a very effective way to review, refresh your memory and expand your vocabulary. There are pre-made flashcards that can be purchased, or for extra help, you can create your own. Keep them with you at all times, in your pocket or in your car, and look at them for a quick review or language lesson at every opportunity. They are very convenient.

Talk to yourself

It may be obvious, but the best way to learn Spanish in South America is to speak Spanish in South America ! This convenient method can be use at all times, as you can even talk to yourself. Even if you are in public and don't feel comfortable talking to yourself out loud, you can make it your habit to practice Spanish by thinking Spanish. Throughout the day, think of the Spanish words for everything you pass - objects in your house, things you pass when you are traveling, things you use at work or school, etc. Learn basic Spanish phrases like - ‘it is cold today' or ‘it is sunny today' and use whichever is appropriate when you first look out the window. By putting this tip into use on a regular basis, the vocabulary and phrases will become more routine and automatic.

Practice with friends

Taking it even further than talking to yourself, you can practice with your friends. Even if they don't speak Spanish, talk to the people you know by using your new language. Warn them in advance that you are practicing your new knowledge and they'll know what's coming. Even a simple 'good morning' or 'see you later' in Spanish will make those phrases more natural to you. Your friends may even begin to learn a few words and join in the fun too!

Listen to music

Listen to Spanish music. You'll hear the Spanish language used in a real context and this will help you pick out the rhythm and pronunciation even better. This method will also give you a further understanding of, and appreciation for, the culture and customs of the people. Music in Spanish might be easier to find than others, but Amazon or eBay and many other global websites will enable you to find music in Spanish and many different languages.