Albert on the Chilean coast during an excursion to poet Pablo Neruda's house.

Dr. Albert Y. Leung, from Hong Kong, is an internationally respected expert and author in botanical medicine. At age 77 he travelled to learn Spanish in Santiago, the capital of Chile.

Albert had initially studied Spanish on his own when he was only 16. He developed good reading skills but conversational skills were undeveloped as he had nobody to practice with or to give necessary feedback.

Finally during his university years he found a conversational partner...the Spanish Jesuit Padre Marcelino Andreu for regular conversations throughout his undergraduate years in Taiwan.

Then, dedicating himself to botanical medicine, he took a pause of nearly 50 years before deciding to get back to his Spanish studies.

This time through an immersion course at Ecela Santiago.

During his first few days of classes, Albert felt limited progress and, on the recommendation of his instructor, switched to a private class. The vocabulary he'd learned during high school and university returned, and after only three days, Albert had significantly improved comprehension and even began thinking in Spanish.

So, how did Albert achieve such progress?

He and his instructor would choose an article of Albert's interest, reviewing it in a slowed-down pace for the first round. Then they would do it again at normal speed. Then they would have a conversation about the article.

In this way he not only practiced listening and speaking, but also focusing on the understanding and thinking necessary for proper discussion.

Santiago, Chile - home of Albert's immersion course.

Away from class Albert expanded his immersion experience by staying with one of our host families. Although it had been more than 50 years since he'd lodged in a family home, he quickly adapted and rated it a "4 star experience."

He thanks all of his teachers (Fernando, Andrés, Milena, Marianela y Carla) for their patience and dedication to teaching Spanish. Also Astrid for the school activities, Cynthia the receptionist, and, of course, Laura for customer service.

Without a doubt, Albert found his trip to South America just what he needed to get back into Spanish and to significantly improve his skills.

Besides working on Spanish, Albert is also writing a new book. Visit his site to learn more about his achievements in botanical medicine.

Through the site you may also contact him for his feedback about learning Spanish with us.

Felicidades a Albert, amigo de la familia Ecela.