Why Spain?

[Elaina]

STUPID QUESTION ALERT

Why do people who want to learn Spanish (as a second language) go to Spain? I've never heard of anyone going to South America, Mexico, Central America, or any other Latin American country for that matter!

Is it because it's in Europe/Great Britain? Is it more posh to go to Spain than it is to go someplace else? It certainly isn't cheaper!

Just wondering.....

[poli]

Spain used to be really inexpensive for Americans, but since the euro went into effect and the value of the dollar dropped to historical lows ,it is no longer the great bargain. Argentina is. Spain is still a good value compared to most other Western European countries like England and France, and you will find it less expensive to stay in a hotel Madrid than in New Yorkor Chicago even under the Bush dollar

I think a lot of Americans study Spanish in Guanajuato and Cuernavaca in Mexico, but if I were to spend a lot of time studying Spanish in another country I would choose Spain because I've seen the other places ( I think Mexico is gorgeous and the people are cordial, and Argentina is really cosmopolitan and Americans with ordinary means could live like millionaires there), and I think Spain offers a better learning experience.

Studying abroad has always been for priviledged people, and in the USA we can pick us Spanish pretty well without going far. Just spend a week in Miami. English is the second language there.

[Tomisimo]

I know many people who went to Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Bolivia etc., to study Spanish. I don't know that a majority want to go to Spain. If they do, it's also possible that they desire to learn one of the Iberian Spanish accents over one of the American ones. Of course some students want to go to, say, Barcelona to study Spanish, but they would be better of studying Catalán there.

[ElDanés]

Estoy aprendiendo español porque viajaré al América Central (Sur del México: Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Campeche and Chiapas; Guatemala; y Belice) después de gymnasium.


¡Correcciones, correcciones!

[sosia]

Perhaps they think Spain is somewhere in Central or South America.
I don't know. Is it more posh??

[poli]

I think Spain is fancier, but Buenos Aires is a pretty posh place. Well-spoken Peruvian Spanish sounds nice, and clearly spoken Mexican Spanish is good too and may be better for international Spanish communication than Spanish spoken in Spain.
You're right Sosia, a lot of people are geographically impaired.

[Marsopa]

Lots of colleges and universities have had programs in Spain and not in Latin America. I think that has been changing though. So, for a lot of students, they just go wherever the program for their school is.

Marsopa

[Jessica]

I haven't been to any of the Spanish-speaking countries, but I think some people go to Spain because it's fancier ??

[Planet hopper]

I would say that Spain is becoming more and more fragmented as a culture. Nowadays, life is very different depending on the region where you are. There is more feeling of 'common culture' for south and central americans in the south of Spain, in Andalusia. Most of the pioneers were from Andalusia, Extremadura, and Galice.

Fancier? mmmmm Not for me, I'm here temporarily and will be flying to China soon.

There are plenty of things I don't like about Spain. However, it is a country used to welcoming tourists.

[CrOtALiTo]

And, My questions is Why not Mexico.?

Only I have heard speak above Spain, but never above Mexico, if you want to go some place where speak Spanish, I believe and I'm 100% sure that in Mexico, you will learn to speak the Spanish.


I'm not mind. ok