Shelley has studied Spanish in Argentina and Peru and has Chile planned for the future.

People choose to learn a new language for a myriad of reasons, some want to be better able to connect with their peers when they travel to foreign destinations, others simply find the learning process fun and exciting.

But for Shelley Flenniken, the pursuit of Spanish fluency related directly to her career goals, with Ecela Spanish being the vehicle to make her desire a reality.

This 30-year-old Baltimore native was working on a MBA in International Business, a degree in which speaking a second language is just about par for the course. Only, Shelley found it near impossible for her to learn Spanish in the traditional way.

Sitting in an American classroom one hour a day, a few days of week, while being lectured to on subjunctive moods and adjective clauses just left her more confused than enlightened.

Which is why she sought out the Ecela Spanish School difference.

Listen to Veronika Vilski, host of Planeta Ecela, 15-minute interview with Shelley.

She has a spunky approach to language learning, especially coming from learning Spanish in frustration, and Shelley will make you smile while you visualize Lima and all it has to offer.

Shelley initially jumped in with a six-week course in Ecela's Buenos Aires, Argentina program, and went from zero-comprehension to capable of having comfortable Spanish conversations by the program's end. Even she was impressed with herself and the program. In a recent interview, Shelley exclaimed, "It was incredible how quickly I picked up the language. I really surprised myself."

Ecela Buenos Aires, where Shelley's Spanish started to accelerate.

The program's ability to have such amazing success in such a short time relies on immersing the student completely within a new city and new language. This immersion doesn't just give students like Shelley a full throttle introduction to the Spanish language, but it also enables the individual to have a better understanding of the culture itself.

For Shelley, such lessons in not just being able to communicate but also opportunities for new perspectives on the culture itself helped her gain big insights valuable to her future career in international business. Concepts that would have be impossible to teach in a traditional American classroom setting.

Shortly after returning from the Buenos Aires program, Shelley found herself wanting to go further with the language. Excited about the Ecela School difference, she enrolled with the Lima, Peru program for four weeks.

The typical workday at the program begins with morning classes that're followed up with different afternoon activities geared towards getting students to interact with the community and language around them. Shelley initially found the morning grammar and conversation classes challenging as every lesson is completely in Spanish.

However, the small class size (maximum of eight students for fundamental lessons and maximum four students for conversational lessons) paired with the Spanish immersion quickens the learning pace and makes the process more enjoyable as a whole.

Ecela Lima, where Shelley continued mastering Spanish.

In the afternoon, Shelley enjoyed a myriad of activities such as tango classes, tours through ancient ruins, and learning traditional Peruvian crafts. She additionally took part in special extended and weekend trips outside of the city.

While in the Buenos Aires program, she visited Mendoza, the popular wine country, and explored the southern point of the country with activities like snowshoeing and sledding. In Lima, she and her fellow students explored the fantastic Incan ruins of Machu Picchu.

In addition to the structured classes and trips provided by the Ecela School, students are encouraged to go out and explore their surroundings with their classmates. For Shelley, two of her favorite past times while in the program were experiencing new restaurants and seeking out night life entertainment with her newfound compadres.

From ceviche to la moso pado, the country offers a ton of exciting palate options that are bursting with flavor. The Peruvian night life boasts everything from drinks at cozy bars to dancing to enjoying traditional and new rock live entertainment.