Description:
Learn Spanish, Quechua and Aymara in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
RUNAWASI is a Quechua word meaning house of the people; it refers to our school as a meeting place between people and cultures. Learning Spanish, Quechua and Aymara in Bolivia, will enable you to develop a deeper understanding of the economic, political, social and cultural reality in Bolivia and Latin America. For more advanced students, we incorporate materials according to individuals interests and goals.
Classes for all ages and levels. Advanced students may specialize on Bolivian and Latinamerican literature or any subject of their choice. Courses for children with special didactic material, games and toys.
The program starts any day of the week, from Monday to Friday, Saturday classes are possible, too. The classes are one on one, one teacher works with one student. We teach utilizing a communicative method. Homestay near the school, optional. We give a certificate at the end of the program.
Highlights:
The Escuela Runawasi organizes a number of optional excursions to areas throughout Bolivia. You might want to take advantage of organized trips to the following locations, or go explore on your own!
Tunari
A one-day excursion to the Tunari mountain At 5,200 m, this is the highest mountain of the Tunari Cordillera, which surrounds the city of Cochabamba to the north. It provides a habitat for condors, vicuñas, llamas vizcachas, Andean geese and many others.
Incallajta
The biggest complex of Inca ruins found thus far in Bolivia (ca. 25 ha). The main building is a hall of 81 by 27 m. The construction method of Incallajta follows the classical Inca model: a strategically situated peninsula surrounded by three rivers and dominated by a fortified mountain. (Archeology in Cochabamba - UMSS).
Incachaca
The Quechua name means Inca bridge . Incachaca was part of the Inca trail to the tropical lowlands. It is located in the cloud forest, an exuberant subtropical jungle, at aprox. 2600 m, in the Yungas region of Cochabamba.
Tropical rainforest of Cochabamba
Three days in the tropical rainforest of Cochabamba. Bathing in rivers and creeks, hikes through the jungle and observing wild life.
Torotoro
A national park with an enchanted landscape. Torotoro has caves with stalactites and stalagmites, dinosaur footprints, giant turtle fossils, cave drawings and pre-Columbian fortresses. It is 4- 5 hrs by car and 20 min. by plane from Cochabamba.
Catavi
Three days in the mining center Catavi-Siglo XX, that, at one time, was one of the largest tin producers of the occidental world. This is a field trip with a guide, and with emphasis on Bolivian history and the history of this legendary mine and its region.
La Paz
La Paz is the highest de facto capital of the world, situated between 3,200 and 4,000 m above sea level, between immense plains and majestic mountains. It is a cosmopolitan city, full of contradictions. It has a large Aymara population as well as vast cultural and architectural diversity. The Illimani mountain, a symbol of La Paz, rises above this impressive city. La Paz is the center of commerce, finance and government.
Tiwanaku
Tiwanaku is considered the most important culture of the pre-Columbian period in Bolivia and in South America. In the course of two millennia, it achieved significant advances in science and art. Evidence of the cultivation and irrigation techniques is left by semi subterranean fields (camellones) and on terraces located on hillsides. Also impressive is their architecture, where they put on record astronomical knowledge molded delicately into different types of lithic materials. The capital, also called Tiwanaku, is situated 70 km west of La Paz at an altitude of 3,845 m above sea level. (Archaeological Guide Bolivia, Archaeologist. Javier Escalante M.)
Sucre
Known as the "White City of the Americas", Sucre is the historic and legal capital of Bolivia, which has maintained its colonial character. Its university attracts students from all over Bolivia and neighboring countries. Its museums, culture and handicrafts make a visit memorable. A mute witness, protagonist of the region's history and a deity for the native population, a 1,400 year old cedar tree can be visited in the garden of the Recoleta Museum. On Sundays, Tarabuco becomes a market and meeting place for the magnificently dressed Tarabuqueños, descendents of the Yamparaez warriors, who defeated the Spanish conquerors on several occasions.
Potosi
Founded in 1545, during the colonial period Potosí was the most important town on the continent, bigger than London or Paris at that time. The town is located at the base of the Cerro Rico, the Rich Mountain, where hundreds of thousands of men, native mitayos and black slaves imported from Africa, disappeared. The visitor to this town-museum will feel as if he/she were back in time. Nearby are the hot springs of Tarapaya, a volcanic lagoon, which distributes its water to several thermal resorts.
Salar of Uyuni
The salar of Uyuni is the biggest salt desert in the world, at 4,000 m above sea level. There are islands covered with giant cacti. To the south, incredible volcanic landscapes with geysers, fumaroles, and lagoons that change colors, fill the visitor with admiration and astonishment.
Languages:
Aymara,
Quechua
and Spanish
Languages Used As A Medium of Teaching:
Spanish
Cost in US$: 246.50
Cost Includes: 20 hours/week class time, one-on-one or 3 max. in class, class materials, included homestay; activities NOT included.
Experience Required: no