Another day at Estacion Biologica Laguna de Apoyo

Every day brings something new to us at Estacion Biologica Laguna de Apoyo. Observations of flora and fauna, studies being conducted, scuba diving, cultural activities. People teaching, and others learning, Spanish, culture, biodiversity, the environment, volunteering.

New friends are made easily, because we are small and we share with people who visit. People come and go, from Nicaragua and beyond. Some to learn, others to give. Everyone ends up doing a little of both.

Bella, our faithful canine, hangs with the gang in front of Estacion Biologica Laguna de Apoyo. Foto Jeffrey McCrary.

Estacion Biologica is not at all pretentious or upscale. We have a simple place, and we are doing simple things: planting trees, studying the environment, birdwatching, sharing our knowledge of the language and culture, and collaborating with the neighbors and the government of Nicaragua to make Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve a great place for nature, for decades to come. Our visitors are welcome to pitch in. Our prices are very low, but we are comfortable, and we eat very well! Special food options can always be arranged: gluten- or dairy-free, vegetarian, or vegan.

This is how Spanish homework ends some evenings. Photo Andras Dorgai.

We are perhaps best known in some circles for the Spanish courses we offer, at Apoyo Spanish School. Each year, we impart at least one hundred fifty course units of a week each, custom-designed to fit the abilities and needs of each person. Our students are often travels who want to engage with locals better. Many, however, are learning Spanish for professional reasons, using their language skills in Nicaragua or other nearby countries in their jobs.

Early morning in Lake Apoyo, while clouds cover Pacaya, above the rim of the crater. Photo Andras Dorgai.

Undoubtedly, the best part of spending time at Estacion Biologica Laguna de Apoyo is the lake. Mornings, the lake can be calm and smooth as glass, without a soul to be seen near the water. As the day progresses, however, locals and tourists may come for a dip. There is no water body anywhere that is as comfortable and naturally clean as Laguna de Apoyo, for a great swim. Visibility underwater during a scuba dive may be as much as 10 meters on a calm day.

All ages get involved when monkeys are to be seen. Everyone becomes a kid again! Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Our property at Estacion Biologica is humble, but blessed with great trees and often with lovely wild animals. Golden-mantled howler monkeys, known locally as mono congo, are over our heads these days, perhaps two hundred days each year. We thank effective conservation policies enacted as part of the management plan that our director, Jeffrey McCrary, coordinated for the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources. Several years ago, there were fewer monkeys and they were found in more limited locations than currently.

Apoyo Spanish School students gather for some extra tutoring from Bela. Photo Andras Dorgai.

Volunteers come to Estacion Biologica to participate in specific projects, or in whatever is most needed. One example is the Murrieta family, who recently spent a couple of weeks engaged in all kinds of environmental conservation activities, including the planting of 56 new trees in a reforestation plot in the hillside behind Estacion Biologica. The evenings were filled with discussions ranging from poetry and literature, to politics and saving the environment, to our favorite places in the many cities each of us had lived or visited.

Visits to Estacion Biologica are often a family affair. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Each day at Estacion Biologica brings a new, unexpected blessing. The people in these photos are just a sampling of the blessings that have come our way in the most recent months. We are grateful for every hand lent and each voice raised. Please come by or write us!

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Learning Spanish in Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve

There are several aspects to learning Spanish that are all important. The first, and most vital, is to learn as much as possible, to become as fluent as one can be, to make understanding the magical world of Nicaragua more open and understandable. So many people, especially tourists, come to Nicaragua without understanding much of the language, bumbling their way through the country, dependent upon the translation skills of someone else.

Once a person can manage the most basic of the Spanish language skills necessary to survive as a backpacker, tourist, or worker without the aid of others, doors begin to open. Suddenly, Nicaragua consists of more than Granada, Leon, and a few beach towns. There are places to go, things to do, and increasingly, as one learns to speak the language, people with whom to share. As those who live in Nicaragua for long periods can attest, the best that Nicaragua has to offer is off the beaten path. It is at once the geography, the landscapes, and the people. The key to the most intimate levels of sharing culture is language.

Spanish classes at Apoyo Spanish School are held in the natural setting of Laguna de Apoyo. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Languages have many dimensions and interconnections. Thankfully for those who speak very little Spanish, Nicaragua is very open and friendly to visitors with little language capacity, but the "real Nicaragua" is awaiting the people who can communicate effectively. Furthermore, work requirements also demand excellent language skills. Basically, every level of accomplishment in a language opens the door to higher, richer and more complex levels.

Apoyo Spanish School is the oldest of the intensive Spanish schools in Nicaragua. It is the best place to learn, for the person who is serious about learning, regardless of the level. We have special courses for beginners, as well as tailor-made courses for the more advanced students. Advanced students can go deep into literature and technical discourse with teachers who are prepared for the most subtle issues of the language. We even teach the teachers-most of the long-lasting Spanish schools in Nicaragua have benefited from training given to their teachers by us.

The lake is just steps away from us at Apoyo Spanish School, permitting students to combine rigorous courses with relaxing swims, kayaking and scuba diving. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Often, people think they will go from "hola!" to giving public speeches and participating in debates in Spanish in merely a couple of weeks. First of all, learning rates differ among people dramatically. Young adults learn language more rapidly than older adults, although our experience has proven that even into the eighth decade of life, people can improve their Spanish school measurably in just a week of study. Secondly, the rates at which students learn may be limited by what the students do outside the class period. Those who insist on staying in Spanish all day, taking only brief breaks to converse or communicate in their native language during the day, learn much more than those who spend their evenings chatting with other non-Spanish speakers.

After classes, time at the lake, in the forest, visiting the nearby towns, or helping out with tasks at Estacion Biologica are all awaiting. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Sometimes, Spanish students in an intensive language program such as at Apoyo Spanish School may feel daunted by the concentration on verb conjugations in their Spanish class. It may be difficult for a beginner to appreciate that verbs in Spanish are much more loaded with meaning than in English. Our classes go beyond just pointing and grunting, to provide a solid foundation in the Spanish language so the student can make further progress effectively, after going on beyond a single round of Spanish classes.

Spanish classes with individual instruction may be exhausting, but a huge learning experience, which benefits the student greatly. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

The objectives for learning a language may vary considerably among people, as well as their learning rates and their levels of management of the Spanish language when entering in classes at Apoyo Spanish School. We offer group classes for absolute beginners, in an economical program that also includes lots of volunteering, which we call the "backpackers' Spanish program". This course, at a considerable discount from the one-on-one classes, incorporates dorm stay and lots of volunteering to make the program more economical for the traveler on a budget.

Why study Spanish in a stuffy room when you can have fresh air and nature around? Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

In contrast, one-on-one classes can be had for Spanish students at any level. Teachers make a study plan with the student after an initial evaluation and consideration of the ability and level of the student. Additionally, homework is assigned to give the student direction in after-hours practice. Furthermore, the activities and informal conversations with the staff and friends reinforce the language skills learned in the day.

Among the greatest attractions in Nicaragua is Laguna de Apoyo. Come, study, and enjoy! Photo Andras Dorgai.

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Workshop for Spanish Language Teachers

Learning Spanish requires a lot of effort over a long period on the part of the learner and accurate guidance from well-planned classes to keep the student out of grammatical pitfalls. Gaia has been training Spanish language teachers for decades, and the best school in Nicaragua use teachers that have been trained by us. We take seriously the goal of Spanish language learning and we invest in the training of our teachers to provide the best pedagogical tools for learning. Our Spanish courses in Estación Biológica Laguna de Apoyo are famous, having existed for longer than at any other Spanish school in Nicaragua.

Mayela explains Spanish class organization with workshop
participants looking on. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

January is always a busy month in Estación Biológica in Laguna de Apoyo, and this past January was no different. Among our many activities was a workshop for Spanish language teacher training, held in the shade of our marvelous trees 29 January. Mayela Blas, who herself began her career as a Spanish language teacher with us in Apoyo Spanish School, conducted the workshop with thirteen participants. Our teachers were exposed to some of the theoretical aspects of language transmission, as well as some of the practical elements of Spanish language instruction such as lesson planning techniques.

Participants in the workshop combined a power-point
presentation with the informality of our shaded patio for a
relaxing setting to learn. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Participants came from neighboring departments and Managua, and were given an excellent presentation by Mayela. More of these events will be programmed during the year 2016 at Apoyo Spanish School. We consider our job to teach our students and to make all the Spanish language teachers, throughout the country, as capable and responsive to the needs of the students as is possible. We have been the Spanish school that teaches the teachers for a long time, and as this workshop demonstrates, we continue to provide assistance to the entire community of Spanish teachers. In addition, we used the workshop as our moment to launch our newest project at Gaia: Managua Spanish School.

Now, Gaia provides two different options for learning Spanish, both in Laguna de Apoyo, and in the Managua area. Professionals who can't travel far from the capital may find Managua Spanish School just the right fit.

Some of the participants in the January workshop. Photo Jeffrey McCrary.

Would you like to be involved as a Spanish language teacher? Additional workshops will be conducted during the year 2016, including topics from the use of poetry and prose in teaching Spanish, how to evaluate student language progress, and teaching techniques for specific applications.

Or perhaps you would like to learn to speak Spanish. We are prepared to help you learn Spanish, from the most elementary levels to the finer points of fluency. We can provide Spanish instruction for you in Laguna de Apoyo or in Managua. Please contact us for more information.

Learning Spanish online via SKYPE

People live closer together today than ever before. We are living an age of communication beyond our dreams of not so long ago. Two people can be connected in real time, in voice and image, regardless of the geographical distance between them.

Learning to communicate in Spanish is a long process. Even the best students grow from one stage of language skills to another. No one just wakes up speaking Spanish. It takes practice, guidance and discipline Not just anyone can go to a country like Nicaragua to study the Spanish language.

On the other hand, those famous CD language sets almost never serve as more than a minor factor in real language acquisition. The very nature of learning a language requires engaging another person for substantial progress.

If you can't just spend a month or two in intensive Spanish training in foreign country, there are still options available. Face-to-face contact in real time via Skype has made our planet smaller than ever. Today, you can have online Spanish classes in the comfort of your home, sharing and learning accompanied by a teacher as far away as Nicaragua.

Of course, there are a lot of advantages to study of Spanish inside a Spanish-speaking country. There, you can accompany your hours of direct contact in the classroom with the "chatter" that keeps your brain operating in the local language. This advantage in particular accelerates the learning process, given of course that the Spanish student not seclude him/her self among other foreigners after class! 

A GAIA Spanish course to improve your language skills can be done without traveling. We can provide Spanish language classes via Skype for you, wherever you are. You can get some high-quality instruction to accelerate your rate of language acquisition, without the cost of travel. Extra hours of learning can complement a trip to Latin America without adding the greater cost of additional days of travel. 

Contact us if you would like to take some Spanish classes via Skype (TM). We would be happy to provide them for you! 

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More from The Mountain School

Matagalpa is still known as a remote area. The drive from Managua to the city of Matagalpa once took four hours over a road with lots of dangerous potholes. Today, a smooth ride lasting two hours over well-paved roads gets you to there. The city is bustling, an overgrown mini-metropolis overfilling a tight valley between ridges. And on all sides, there is coffee.

The Welcome Wagon is awaiting your visit to The Mountain School. 

A visit to The Mountain School can bring the rural areas surrounding Matagalpa to life for a visitor. Here, the landscape remains green year-round, and temperatures are never blasting as in Managua and most of the southern part of Nicaragua. The streams are always running with water, sometimes overflowing. The Mountain School is located about 12 kilometers outside Matagalpa, on the highway to La Dalia.

Happy birthday at The Mountain School.

In this idyllic setting, The Mountain School works with a coffee farm, its workers, and the local community. Groups are welcome to come and visit, tour the farm, and learn with us. Groups are welcome, and we can provide Spanish classes, seminars and volunteer programs for you. You can receive instruction from some of the best Nicaragua Spanish school teachers, while learning about coffee production and rural life in Nicaragua.

The rancho at The Mountain School is a great place to start the day.

We can host groups of up to thirty individuals at The Mountain School, in rustic, ecologically compatible accommodations, constructed from bamboo, wood and adobe, with simple, country meals prepared in the coffee farm kitchen, using coffee husks and bio-gas for fuel. The ecologically integrated structures are used by visitors and long-term employees of the coffee farm.

This group of volunteers decorated space and helped with tending students in the after-school library.

If you would like to bring a group to The Mountain School, we can arrange your stay and include activities as well. Please write us at apoyo@gaianicaragua.org for more information.

Coffee picking!

Any visit to the largest coffee producer in Matagalpa is not complete without an introduction to coffee tasting.

Please contact us and let us know what you think of our blog, or post a comment below! 

You can help us keep nature wild in Nicaragua, by volunteering your time with us or making a small donation to support our projects in wild nature conservation.

Click on the "escudo" to contact us. 

One-on-one Spanish language training at Apoyo Spanish School

Laguna de Apoyo Spanish School "Proyecto Ecologico" is operated by FUNDECI/GAIA and is the oldest continuously operating Spanish language school in Nicaragua. We provide Spanish language and culture instruction for groups both small and large, as well as for individuals. Individual classes allow for customized instruction so the student covers the topics that are most appropriate given his or her current level and interests.

We are located inside the Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve, so classes are held in a natural environment. Classes might be interrupted by a group of howler monkeys overhead, or a unique bird calling from nearby. We are along the shore of Lake Apoyo, a beautiful, clear lake, and among a handful of residences and small tourist enterprises with the jungle behind and overhead.

Aura and her student, Hester, are very animated during Spanish class at Proyecto Ecologico. Photo by Jeffrey McCrary. 

Fresh air and greenness all around make a special learning environment. Our students learn with local teachers who were trained by us. Our school has trained the teachers of most schools in the country, in workshops on one-on-one and small group intensive language pedagogy. Our teachers can convey the principles of grammar and conjugation in Spanish, and they also can discuss issues of local importance: politics, the environment, local wildlife and nature, and the life of ordinary, rural people in Nicaragua.

Something was funny during Spanish class today.  Photo by Jeffrey McCrary.

Our students develop a study plan with their teacher in one-week blocs. During the week, each student's progress will be monitored and the study plan will be altered accordingly. Given that every student learns at a different rate, we have found letting the student's learning pace drive the study plan makes for better progress. Our teachers have developed a multilevel skeletal study plan which can be adapted to a student's particular interests and needs. Our study guides have been "pirated" by several other schools in Nicaragua, a clear demonstration of the success of our methodology.

Leslie and a student hold class in the shade of large trees. Photo by Jeffrey McCrary.

Each program includes a set of after-class activities, and volunteer work. We believe that we should give back to the community and the earth, humbly and gratefully. One afternoon each week is dedicated to reforestation of the Reserve. Spanish students are welcome to participate in volunteer work on a greater scale as well, and we have needs of several kinds-there is something for everyone to do.

Leslie teaches Spanish with Dave in Laguna de Apoyo. Classes cover politics, cultural issues, and the environment. Photo by Stephan Beekhuis.

We teach Spanish language courses at all levels, from beginner to the advanced student. Our students are interns and volunteers, newly arrived residents, and vacationers, from throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. If you would like to know more about studying Spanish with us, please contact us!

Leslie and David pause to smile for the camera. Photo by Stephan Beekhuis. 

Click here to read one of the many blogs written by our Spanish students.

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