Learn Spanish in Salinas

Speaking Spanish in Ecuador

This is the view from the class room

If you are one of the lucky ones to have been able to move here and retire or come here to start a business, then I am sure that you will have noticed that there is one requirement that you need to meet for a successful transition.

It is the need to communicate, and communicate in a language that is not necessarily your first language.

Navigating your way around with pigeon Spanish is frustrating. You get in a taxi, you tell the driver where you want to go and start going in the wrong direction, or a simple question from the cashier in the store is met with  the jaw drop.

When you were back in the country you came from, you had no problem giving or taking directions, asking the time, reading a menu, calling a business for hours of operation and location.

There are many ways to learn a different language. One way is in the work place. Where I worked before coming here, the company employed many people from Latin America. I was able to communicate my needs in the work place. Now that is fine, but when we went out for lunch or dinner I was lost because I did not learn conversational Spanish. There were other languages that were used in the work place, such as Tagalog and Cantonese.

As I have said in past blogs, never say 'si' if you are not completely sure of what you are saying 'si' to.

It just so happens that there are good ways to learn Spanish. Some can learn from a book and some can learn from software packages. Some can learn from total immersion, or you can learn using some of all of the above ways.

Small class size

Here in Salinas, we have a young man and his wife that are well suited and able to help you

Mike and Raquel provide services that are complementary to your moving here and would help your transition.
Raquel provides translation of documents from Spanish to English and English to Spanish. This service is essential to a speedy title transfer or a document that is needed to obtain your cedula.
Raquel also can work with you in providing resettlement services. To name a few: telephone connection, continued service of electricity and water, property tax payments, opening a bank account, getting internet service and cell phone service, Visa and cedula requirements; whatever you need to help you settle into your new home and Spanish is required.







Mike is a teacher, but not just any teacher. With 10 years' experience in teaching and having studied at San Diego State University, this fellow possesses the credentials to not only teach Spanish but to immerse you in the language.



Mike provides a balanced approach to the learning of a language, in that he works with small groups, and the passion that he puts into his class is palpable.
We all can benefit from knowledge; but, if you are thinking of staying here in Ecuador and would like to improve or take it to the next step of learning Spanish, then you will not go wrong by picking up the phone and calling.

Mike at work teaching Spanish

Here is the contact information:

 Cell phone:  0999916483

Magic Jack:  # 858 2223028

Email:  mcandra@me.com

There is a web site, but it is under construction at the moment.  



This month

March 4, 1681 - King Charles II of England granted a huge tract of land in the New World to William Penn to settle an outstanding debt. The area later became Pennsylvania.

March 4, 1789 - The first meeting of the new Congress under the new U.S. Constitution took place in New York City.

March 4, 1830 - Former President John Quincy Adams returned to Congress as a representative from Massachusetts. He was the first ex-president ever to return to the House and served eight consecutive terms.

March 4, 1933 - Newly elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt took office and delivered his first inaugural address attempting to restore public confidence during the Great Depression, stating, "Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself..." His cabinet appointments included the first woman to a Cabinet post, Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins.

Birthday - Revolutionary war hero Casimir Pulaski (1747-1779) was born in Poland. Before aiding in the American Revolution, he was a military leader in Poland's struggle against Imperial Russia. He joined the Americans in 1777 and fought alongside General Washington at Brandywine, then served at Germantown and Valley Forge. He was mortally wounded during a heroic charge in the Siege of Savannah, Georgia.

Birthday - American football legend Knute Rockne (1888-1931) was born in Voss, Norway. He coached the Notre Dame Football team for 13 seasons, amassing an overall record of 105 wins, 12 losses and 5 ties. He became famous for his locker room pep talks and the saying, "Win one for the Gipper." He was killed in an airplane crash on March 31, 1931, in Kansas.

March 5 Return to Top of Page

March 5, 1770 - The Boston Massacre occurred as a group of rowdy Americans harassed British soldiers who then opened fire, killing five and injuring six. The first man killed was Crispus Attucks, an African American. British Captain Thomas Preston and eight of his men were arrested and charged with murder. Their trial took place in October, with colonial lawyer John Adams defending the British. Captain Preston and six of his men were acquitted. Two others were found guilty of manslaughter, branded, then released.

March 5, 1868 - The U.S. Senate convened as a court to hear charges against President Andrew Johnson during impeachment proceedings. The House of Representatives had already voted to impeach the President. The vote followed bitter opposition by the Radical Republicans in Congress to Johnson's reconstruction policies in the South. However, the effort to remove him failed in the Senate by just one vote and he remained in office.

March 5, 1933 - Amid a steadily worsening economic situation, newly elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed a four-day "Bank Holiday" to stop panic withdrawals by the public and the possible collapse of the American banking system.

March 5, 1946 - The "Iron Curtain" speech was delivered by Winston Churchill at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. Churchill used the term to describe the boundary in Europe between free countries of the West and nations of Eastern Europe under Soviet Russia's control.

March 6

March 6, 1836 - Fort Alamo fell to Mexican troops led by General Santa Anna. The Mexicans had begun the siege of the Texas fort on February 23rd, ending it with the killing of the last defender. "Remember the Alamo" became a rallying cry for Texans who went on to defeat Santa Anna in the Battle of San Jacinto in April.

Birthday - Renaissance genius Michelangelo (1475-1564) was born in Caprese, Italy. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, poet and visionary best known for his fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and his sculptures David and The Pieta.

March 7

Birthday - Stephen Hopkins (1707-1785) was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He was the state's colonial governor and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

March 8

March 8, 1863 - During the American Civil War, Confederate Colonel John Mosby, leader of Mosby's Rangers, captured Union General E.H. Stoughton at his headquarters in Fairfax County Courthouse, Virginia.