Things to Consider for Your Study Abroad Vacation

More and more retirees are choosing to learn Spanish and doing so by taking a Study in Mexico vacation. This is such a grand idea that I hardly know where to begin. I think many have finally seen the handwriting on the wall, so to speak, that learning a new language makes positive changes in the brain itself and increases mental agility. The science journal, Nature, reported a massive study by a neuroscientist at University College, London, in which he found that the physical brain, the grey matter, will increase in mass as the result of intensive language learning.

It is now known that the more languages you know, the less likely you will suffer the onset of dementia as you grow older. What higher motivation do you need to begin learning a second language? The benefits are not only an increase in your brain size, thus giving you better mental agility, but also an increase in non-verbal skills and improvement in other cognitive functions. The studies have shown than even a casual acquaintance with the language can have some brain benefits. However, intensive study reaps the greatest benefits for your aging brain.

So, if the two paragraphs above have convinced you to jump on the Study Abroad Vacation bandwagon and you want to learn a new language, here are some helpful suggestions regardless of what language you want to study or which country you plan to visit.

Don't Wait

Begin now familiarizing yourself with the language you wish to acquire. Don't wait until you arrive in the country where the target language is spoken. There are magnificent resources online and home-study courses that you should begin using long before going abroad for formal study. The more familiar you are with the target language before arriving in the host country, the better experience you will have in a formal class. Not all schools are curriculum-oriented and some will seem to be rather loose when it comes to a class format. Take advantage of the premier language courses such as The Pimsleur Language products, Learning Spanish Like Crazy, and Rocket Spanish as sound preparation before taking the class in the country where the language is spoken.

Be Patient

There is absolutely no magic-no shortcuts-about going to the land where your target language is spoken. In fact, you will end up wondering why, though you memorized language tapes and CD's, you cannot understand a word that is being spoken to you. In a word: ears. Your "ear" has to become accustomed to the "music" or euphony of the language. If you went through all of the Pimsleur Spanish products, Learning Spanish Like Crazy, and Rocket Spanish, you will be equipped to communicate pretty much anything you need to say in Spanish. However, your ear needs training and this takes time. Learning the rhythm and music of the language can take more time than you might think. But, the only way is to pursue the listening aspect of the language with a relentless obsession. Soon the machine-gun-sounding Spanish (or whatever language you pursue) will begin to slow down. Therein lies the magic.

Which School

This is tricky. In a paper entitled The Older Language Learner, Mary Schleppegrell, Ph.D., makes the following point:

"Recent research is providing increasingly positive answers to this question. The research shows that: there is no decline in the ability to learn as people get older; except for minor considerations such as hearing and vision loss, the age of the adult learner is not a major factor in language acquisition; the context in which adults learn is the major influence on their ability to acquire the new language. Contrary to popular stereotypes, older adults can be good foreign language learners. The difficulties older adults often experience in the language classroom can be overcome through adjustments in the learning environment, attention to affective factors, and use of effective teaching methods." (Used by permission in my book, THE PLAIN TRUTH ABOUT LIVING IN MEXICO.)

By "adjustments in learning environment" she means that certain second-language-acquisition teaching methods might not be appropriate for adult learners. A methodology that requires boring, repetitive oral drills and speedy responses is not good for the average adult learner. There is also an emotional factor in adult learners of a second language that can short-circuit the process. To overcome this, the home study courses I mentioned are perfect to get the ball rolling. This will deal with the contextual issues that affect the older adult's attempt to acquire second languages.

If Spanish is your goal, there are two schools I recommend. One is The Warren Hardy School in San Miguel de Allende. This school offers as stress-free an environment as possible and uses non-traditional methods that address the Affect Factor in the older adult's attempt at acquiring a second language. You will also likely be in a class with other older adults given the demographics of San Miguel de Allende's expatriate and tourist populations.

The second school, if you are more adventurous, is The Fenix Language Institute in the most beautiful of all Colonial Mexican cities, Zacatecas. The methodology used in this school is top-of-the-line and will engage you in a workable plan to acquire Spanish as your second language.

Limitations

We met a woman who was studying Spanish in the town where we live, Guanajuato. She was stranded in a callejon (alley) because her knees were too sore to continue her hike through this mountainous city. She had come for a Study Vacation to work on her Spanish but had not counted on the terrain and topography in this city-built-in-a-ravine. It turned out to be too much for her physically. You've got to consider your particular limitations when deciding where to go for your Study Abroad vacation.

If you can't tolerate humidity, then attending a school on one the coasts would not be for you. If you have major knee problems, or any locomotion issues, then a severely mountainous terrain would not be a good choice.

You can check out the online forums and email potential schools with questions about the weather and terrain. Most of the schools have a bilingual coordinator for the English-speaking students coming to study with them. Some will even have a trilingual person on hand. Don't neglect this aspect and end up in a callejon somewhere in too much pain to continue (This woman refused our help, by the way.).

It is not only possible to take a study vacation but is a sure deal if you are a retiree and want to acquire a second language. The only obstacles are you, you, and you. What you've heard about adults being too old to learn a new language is not true. Scientific study after scientific study have proven that the older adult can most certainly develop a very high degree of spoken fluency in a second language.

Overcome the doubt and you're more than halfway there!