I wanted to write a testimonial because, in the past, I was the person with concerns about the validity and quality of an experience abroad. Now I am able to very enthusiastically endorse ECELA as a legitimate and enriching program that greatly added to my time here in Chile, and my individual feeling of fearlessness in facing unknown situations with a sense of calm ability to persevere. I spent one month in ECELA Viña del Mar and could not have been more pleased with my progress in Spanish, and happy with my experience in general. Both the excellent staff and instructors were professional, kind, and helpful. The feeling they were able to convey was that they not only wanted to help with the advancement of the language, but that students felt comfortable and confident navigating a new city, language and culture.
Carolina is an amazing coordinator, activities were fun and relevant. Even after I left the school we remained in contact and she helped me resolve some difficulties…for which I will be forever grateful. Victor, Gabriella, and Karen are AMAZING instructors who, on top of their overall outstanding abilities and organization of material, each brought something special to their position: Victor is able to quickly connect with students and empower them to fearlessly express themselves by conversing, playing games, and even singing songs. Gabriella is not only a lovely person, she is a concise professor of grammar, quickly making students comfortable with difficult concepts. Karen is soft-spoken, organized, and an absolute powerhouse of vocabulary and relevant information. All five learning modalities are present in an immersion experience, and the opportunity to capitalize on that is invaluable as it is almost impossible to mimic in my home country.
Dear Person Reading My Testimonial: you can do it! All the tools are here, and combined with a little support and a map of the city (which you can get here), you will explore and expand and live your life.Thank you again for this experience. Thank you for making me feel that I was more than just a language student, and for helping me acclimate into who I am able to become. Carolina, Victor, Gabriella, Karen and the rest of the people at ECELA Viña del Mar have been an indispensable part of my life here.