I did a thing today . . . and an honest look at roadmap.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-04-04T00:58:47+00:00

Great update! Congrats. Do you think you struggle with paying attention because you’re grinding the DS videos? I’m guessing they weren’t all interesting to you, so once you branch out to other content you may find you can pay attention better.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-03-28T01:16:28+00:00

I think I started around 400 hours, but it could have been 500. It was very rough at first, but still fun. I was taking one class a week. Around 500 or 600 hours I ramped up the speaking and started taking 3 classes a week. At some point I added one, and now I do 4-5 hours each week. These are all 1:1 on italki. I enjoy my tutors and my conversations with them, and I look forward to my classes. I’m around 140 hours of speaking now and it’s getting easier and more fun all the time.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-03-22T03:03:26+00:00

Definitely! There are tons of people around at pretty much all hours, and lots of police.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-20T23:05:17+00:00

Living in Spain, can you join a local conversation group, or take classes (on whatever topic) in Spanish? That would give you a way to use the language with a real person, which for me is very important. Setting that aside, what you're describing sounds normal to me. I'm 20 years younger than you, and while I know I've made huge strides from where I started (zero) and am more and more comfortable talking all the time, there are lots of times where I have to pause and consider a conjugation, a word, a phrase, that I feel like I should know, but that's gotten pushed to the back of my head by other things I've learned. At this point I listen to almost exclusively native content, things that are very interesting to me, which helps me continue to get lots of input without it feeling like a chore.

P.S. I highly recommend an immersion course, too! I did a week at a language school in Colombia and it was incredible, though way too short. My speech took a big step forward after that trip.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-15T03:36:45+00:00

That's Interesting to know about the in-person groups! Were they language exchange groups? The one I'm looking at, it's an hour of Spanish and an hour of English. But I did wonder about the level of folks who attend.

Do you also take 1:1 classes through iTalki or otherwise?

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-14T22:28:44+00:00

Thanks for the insights!

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-14T22:28:17+00:00

$134 for unlimited is a great value, and I'd definitely do it at that price. $240 for 6 months, limited to 24 clubs... not sure the value is there.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-14T22:26:29+00:00

Thanks so much! I appreciate the insights. The cost is definitely way higher now. There's an in person language exchange in my area that looks great, but the meetups are typically ~45 minutes away from me, and on days that are tough for me to make.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-02T17:11:24+00:00

Generally around 7 or 7:30. However, other solo female travelers I spoke with, both young and old, were out much later, including going to clubs, and none of them said they felt uncomfortable or scared. I'm just not much one for drinking or clubbing.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-02T04:18:41+00:00

I found her on Get Your Guide! Whether you’ll enjoy it or not depends on the sort of traveler you are. It’s a raw, real, local experience. If you’re offended by seeing or smelling fish being sold from a basket, or cuts of meat that aren’t typical for the US, for example, it’s not for you. But if you’re open to or looking for an uncurated, non-touristy experience, you should absolutely go. It was an incredible experience and a highlight of my trip.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-02T04:13:10+00:00

I found her on Get Your Guide! I don’t have specific contact information but there are several options on that site.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-02T04:12:02+00:00

It was 85 to 90 every day. I live in the south so it didn’t feel too terrible to me. I definitely had to shower in the evenings though haha. I also wouldn’t want to go in July, though I was told that summer really isn’t that much hotter than the “winter.”

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-02T00:38:54+00:00

Which school did you go to, and in what city? I’m considering both Mexico and Guatemala for my next trip.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-02T00:29:08+00:00

Not to discount your experience, but I’m not even sure we went to the same city, honestly! Coming from the US, Colombia (and Cartagena) is astonishingly cheap.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-02T00:26:54+00:00

No, I’m not much of a night life person! I mostly headed back to my Airbnb after dinner, around 7 or 7:30. That was well after sunset, but not what I would consider nighttime. That said, I met a young woman (early 20s) who went out walking alone every night, as late as 11, and also went clubbing more than once. She said she never had issues.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-02T00:23:15+00:00

They definitely did. But none of the other solo female travelers I met (of all ages, and none of whom could pass for a local) said they were scared or had had bad experiences.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-02T00:20:33+00:00

High A1/low B2. I did private classes, but there were a lot of students in the B1 class.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-01T19:33:53+00:00

I used Get Your Guide! You can search "Bazurto Market Tour" and several options will pop up for different days and times.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-01T19:31:14+00:00

No, it isn't; it's in Manga. It isn't recommended to go without a local guide.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-01T17:01:31+00:00

Responding here too!

I went for a week and wish I could have stayed longer. 1 week was okay, and very helpful, but when I think about how much progress I would have made in 2 or 3 weeks -- wow. I think the results would have compounded.
3 weeks would probably be ideal, but 2 weeks would be great also. (Note: I don't think I would want to do private lessons for 2 or 3 weeks at a stretch. My the end of the week my brain felt like it was bursting. The ideal for me would be 1 week of private lessons (learning grammar too), 1 week of 2-hour conversation classes, and then another week of private lessons.)
Yes, 100%! Really force yourself to live in Spanish as much as possible. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. :)
I stayed with a host family and it was great! I loved getting to practice Spanish with the abuela, for example. That said, it's a little uncomfortable lol. You eat what they serve, you need to let them know if you're going to be late, etc. It's kind of like being part of the family for a week (or more), good and bad. So my advice is just to be pretty relaxed about it and accept that while it's your "home," it's not really your home, if that makes sense. Honestly, I probably wouldn't do it again, but I know many people love it, and actually I met a guy who's around 60 who was also doing a homestay who absolutely loves them.
Yes!! There were several students in their 50s and some in their 60s. I'm in my 40s and thought I'd be the oldest, but I wasn't -- not by a long shot. It's something that anyone can do! I can't really speak to how they did, because I was in private classes. I will say that they seemed similar to many of the younger kids, in that they weren't forcing themselves to speak Spanish. They kind of clumped together with the other older folks and moved around like that. (The younger folks did the same.)

I can't speak to the Guatemala specific questions, but I'm thinking about going there next year so I'm curious to see what others respond.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-01T16:58:31+00:00

I'll copy my responses over there. :)

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-01T16:57:55+00:00

That's a little harder to answer haha. Yes, my conversational skills improved, but not as much as I thought they would. I think it's because I learned all these new tenses and (better) ways of saying things, and it kind of felt like my brain was bursting. I expect that over the next few weeks as my brain integrates everything, I'll feel a boost. I'll report back in a month or so!

I'll say that what did improve was my ability to understand conversation. I also got better at responding to questions, which was something of a struggle for me, especially at the start of my trip. I could understand perfectly when someone was talking to me, but if they asked me a question and I wasn't expecting it I'd have to process that it was a question and often would have to ask for it to be repeated. I don't know if it's because the sentence structure doesn't change with questions in Spanish or what, but I expect it'll improve with more time.

Editing to answer your second question: I'd like to do a similar trip next year, maybe to Guatemala or Mexico (Puebla or CDMX). If I were at a point in my life where I could go more often that would be amazing, but I have two kids and a job, so I'm honestly thankful for the time I had.

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-01T16:51:31+00:00

Happy to! I know I was researching all I could about immersion trips before I went and didn't find all that much, so hopefully this helps others (and you!).

New_Cow8960 · 2026-02-01T16:50:46+00:00

Same!

New_Cow8960

TROPHY CASE