Language Development Programs
I started teaching Spanish at Northland College in 1986 (4 courses: Beginning I & II and Intermediate I & II in a two-year rotation).
These are the trips I have taken to Mexico and Central America with colleagues and students (3 spring trips), or by myself, as professional development to do research and to maintain my language skills.
SPRING PROGRAMS
Spring Session 1987 — Rainforest and Native Peoples — Chiapas, Mexico (with Dean Dr. Richard Ramsey (biologist) and Dr. David Damrell (sociologist) and about 15 students.) Visited with Gertrude Blom, lived at Na-Bolom in San Cristóbal de las Casas, and took day trips all over the area (Zinacantán, San Juan de Chamula, Amatenango del Valle, ruins of Chinkultic, Lagos de Montebello, etc.) May 1987
Spring Session 1988 — Mexico: Society, Environment and Culture, Mexico (with Dean Richard Ramsey, Dr. David Damrell, and students) In three vans we visited the South and South East of Mexico (Mexico City – Vera Cruz – Jalapa – San Andrés Tuxtla –Villa Hermosa – Palenque – San Cristóbal de las Casas (Na-Bolom, once again) – Tuxtla Gutierrez –Tehuantepec – Oaxaca (ruins of Monte Albán & Mitla) – Puebla – Mexico City). Once again it was a mix of anthropology, biology, language and culture. May 1988
Spring Session 1993 – Organizer of the spring program Parks in Costa Rica. For family reasons, I was unable to go and my staff colleague, David Parmentier, led the group of 8 students for 3 weeks of work with Costarican park staff.
Spring Session 2001 –Organizer and Leader (with David Oliver, Music Department) of the Northland College Spring Tour 2001: A Spanish Odyssey in Language and Culture. Barcelona (Montjuíc, gothic quarter & cathedral, Gaudí’s La Sagrada Familia & Parque Guëll); Montserrat; Valencia; Alicante; Granada (El Alhambra, El Albaycín; Flamenco Gitano); Sevilla (gothic quarter, Torre de Oro, Roman ruins of Italica); Córdoba (The Great Mosque & Judería); Toledo (cathedral, synagogues, old quarter); and Madrid (Palacio Nacional, Prado museum, Thyssen museum, Museo de la Reina Sofia, etc.). May 1-20, 2001
SUMMER PROGRAMS (Personal & Professional development)
University of Arizona Summer School in Guadalajara, Mexico
Intensive Spanish – SPA 202 (8 credits)
June 26 – Aug 10, 1986
Organized trips with the school: Tequila, Tlaquepaque, Puerto Vallarta, Chapala (Jocotepec & Ajijic)
University of Arizona Summer School in Guadalajara, Mexico
Advanced Grammar – SPA 470 (3 credits)
Survey of Mexican Literature – SPA 402 (3 credits)
June 29 – Aug 7, 1987
Organized trips with the school: Cuanajuato, San Miguel de Allende & Mexico City — Pyramids of Teotihuacán, Palacio Nacional, Shrine of Guadalupe, Castillo and Chapultepec, and the Museum of Anthropology)
University of Arizona Summer School in Guadalajara, Mexico
Intermediate Spanish and Oral Skills – SPA 330 (3 credits)
The Spanish American Short story – SPA 450 (3 credits)
July 3 – Aug 11, 1989
Organized trips with the school: Tlaquepaque and Puerto Vallarta. Return to Mexico City (Teotihuacán and the Museum of Anthropology)
International Career Development Program in San José, Costa Rica
Northern Illinois University. Advanced Program for Professionals with Internship (9 credits) June 1 – July 28, 1991
(I taught two weeks at the University of San José and 2 weeks at the University of Heredia)
I visited Alajuela, Heredia, Carará Biological Reserve, Park of Quepos/Manuel Antonio, Jacó, Poás region, The University for Peace, Guanacaste, Limón (Cahuita, Puerto Viejo, Playa Uva)
Centro de Idiomas Sureste in Mérida, Mexico
Yucatán Summer Spanish Institute for Teachers
Cultural Anthropology, Archeology and Advanced literature (9 credits)
July 6 – July 31, 1992
The archeology course, with two Mexican archeologists from INAH is what started my passion for the Mayan civilization. We studied – and visited – Dzibilchaltún, Uxmal, Labná, Sayil, Kabah, Chichen Itzá, Yaxcabá, Yaxuná (with David Freidel and Linda Schele), Grutas de Loltún. I went to Tulúm and Xel-Há on my own.
Instituto Antigüeño de Idiomas in Antigua, Guatemala
AmeriSpan Program — Advanced Conversation (one-on-one basis)
June 13 – July 26, 1994
I visited the ruins of Tikal (my birthday present), Mixco Viejo, Quiriguá, Copán (Honduras).
I also went to Flores, Chichicastenango, Panajachel, Lake Atitlán (Santiago de Atitlán & San Pedro de la Laguna); also Puerto Barrios, Livingston & Río Dulce (Belize)
Instituto de Lenguas Baden Powell in Morelia, Mexico
AmeriSpan Program — Advanced Conversation (one-on-one with four professors: Mexican politics since the Revolution; cultural anthropology (Purépechas); readings in literature; general conversation and cross- cultural comparisons.)
July 12 – Aug 24, 1996
With the school, visit of the colonial monasteries of Cuitzeo & Yuriria; villages of Tiripetío, Tupátaro, Santa Clara, Tzintzuntzán; Cuanajuato; villages of Santa Fé, Zamora, Camécuaro, Tócuaro, Jiquilpán and Saguayo (fiesta de Santiago). On my own, Pátzcuaro & Janitzio
Centro de Idiomas Sureste (CIS) in Mérida, Mexico — AmeriSpan Program — Advanced Conversation (one-on-one with two professors)
June 3 – July 15, 1998
I returned to my favorite spots: Dzibilchaltún, Uxmal, Chichen-Itzá, visited Izamal. Unfortunately, because of bad weather, I was unable to go back to Tulúm and discover Cobá at that time.
Selected as an Alternate Candidate for the NEH Summer Institute “The Maya World: Cultural Traditions in Continuity and Change”. June 18 – July 29, 2000
El Bosque del Caribe in Cancún, Mexico. May 31 – July 13, 2000
AmeriSpan Program – Advanced Grammar & Conversation (3 hours of one-on-one with one professor, 2 hours of conversation with advanced students.)
Finally visited Cobá, (my reason for choosing a program in Cancún ), returned to Tulúm and Chichen-Itzá, (cenotes de Dzitnup & Xkeken), visited the ecological park of Xcaret, Playa del Carmen, saw the Ballet Folklórico de Cancún.
Participant in the NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES SUMMER INSTITUTE: “The Maya World: Cultural Continuities and Change in Guatemala, Chiapas, and Yucatán.” June 23 to August 3, 2002
Guatemala – Antigua (seminars, local sites, and museums)
Archeological sites: Iximché, Quiriguá, Copán (Honduras)
Villages: Santiago Aguas Calientes, Tecpán, Chichicastenango, Panajachel, Santiago de Atitlán
Chiapas (Mexico) – Na-Bolom/San Cristóbal de Las Casas (seminars, local sites, and museums)
Archeological sites: Toniná, Palenque, Bonampak, Yaxchilán, Parque de la Venta
Villages: Zinacantán, San Juan de Chamula
Yucatán (Mexico) – Mérida (seminars, local sites, and museums)
Archeological sites: Izamal, Dzibilchaltún, Uxmal, Sayil, Labná, Kabah, Ek Balam, Chichen Itzá
Villages: Aké, Ticul, Muná, Oxcutzcab, Acanceh, Ikkil
Instituto Cultural de Oaxaca (Mexico). May 25 – July 6, 2003
AmeriSpan Program — Latin American Literature (4 weeks: the most advanced class with 4 students, and 2 weeks of Ceramics workshop)
Visit of archeological sites and villages (school organized excursions, and on my own)
Archeological sites: Monte Albán, Mitla, Yagul, Zaachila & Cuilapán
Villages: Atzompa, Arrazola, Teotitlán del Valle, San Bartoloto Coyotepec, Santo Tomás Jalietza, San Martín Tilcajete, Santa María del Tule, Tlacolula, Etla, Ocotlán
Centro de Idiomas Sureste (CIS), Mérida, Mexico – June 1 to June 30, 2005
Course in Advanced Literature and Literature (3 weeks: one-on-one with literature professor)
Visit of archeological sites (school excursions and on my own)
Archeological site: Dzilbilchaltún (and Dzitya), Mayapán
La Ruta de Los Conventos: Ticóh, Maní, Mayapán, Acanceh
La Ruta de los Cenotes: Eknakán, Bolonchojol, Chelentún, Sanacat
La Ruta de las Haciendas: Dzoyolá, Tahdzibichén, Hunxextamán, San Pedro Chimay, and Tepich de Carillo
Celestún (Cumán, Samahil, Kinchil)
Hispavoz: Instituto de Español y Cultura Latinoamericana , Oaxaca, Mexico – June 30 to July 28, 2005
Course in Culture, Literature and Cinematography (3 weeks: 1 week one-on-one with professor, two weeks with two other advanced students)
Archeological sites: Monte Albán, Mitla, Yagul, Zaatchila
Villages: Tlacolula, Ocotlán, San Martín Tilcajete, San Bartolo Coyotepec, Teotitlán del Valle, Santa María del Tule, Cuilapán, Zaatchila.
Centro de Estudios Internacionales, (ENFOREX), Marbella, Spain – June 4 to June 11, 2006
Advanced Grammar and Conversation (4 students)
Excursions: Puerto Banús, Fuengirola, Mijas
AND
Centro de Lenguas e Intercambio Cultural, (CLIC), Sevilla, Spain – June 11 to July 4, 2006
Advanced Grammar and Conversation (5 students — all trilingual)
Excursions: Ronda, Huelva (Christopher Columbus), Roman ruins of Itálica, and Cádiz
Instituto de Cultura y Lengua Costarricense – Alajuela, Costa Rica — June 1 to July 7, 2007
Advanced Grammar and Conversation (one-on-one for 5 weeks with different professors every week)
Excursions: Volcano Poás National Park, La Paz biological station, Sarapiquí river National Park, Braulio Carrillo National Park, San Lorenzo Canopy Zip-line, Tortuguero National Park, Arenal volcano and Tabacón, Los Chorros falls, Inbio Parque: Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad in Heredia.
Don Quijote Centro de Estudios – Granada, Spain — May 26–June 13, 2008
Advanced Grammar and Conversation: Nivel C2 “Perfeccionamiento” (small class with four European professionals (swedish, German, Norwegian, and Swiss) – 2 professors for 2 hours each every day.
Research on the second Hulings Project: “Al-Andalus: The Legacy of Muslim Spain in Córdoba, Sevilla, Toledo and Granada”.
Excursions: Marruecos (Tetouán, Chefchaouén, Tangier), Las Alpujarras, La Alhambra.
AND
Tandem: Centro de idiomas Donostia – Donostia/San Sebastián — June 16–July 4, 2008
Nivel C2 “Perfeccionamiento” (first two weeks: one-on-one with a grammar specialist). Third week: small class with 2 teachers of Spanish from Norway and Germany, and four Italian advanced students).
Instituto Baden-Powell B.P.I – Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico — May 2-June 6, 2009
Advanced level (the first four weeks of intensive one-on-one, for 3 hours every day, with three different professors: one for advanced grammar, another for literature, and another for advanced conversation).
The fifth week was “group” schedule: 4 daily hours with another student (a newly-retired professor from Santa Cruz, California).
Excursions (on my own): Morelia, San Miguel de Allende, Pátzcuaro, Quiroga, Tzintzuntzán (the center of the Purépecha culture) and Janitzio.
Málaga, Sí! – Málaga, Andalucía, Spain – May 15-May 29, 2010
4 hours every morning of Intensive Advanced Level with two other professionals: one from Austria and one from Brazil.
Excursions: Nerja, Los Pueblitos Blancos & Frigiliana
Estudio Sampere – Cuenca, Ecuador – May 23-June 24, 2011
Two classes: Theory of Grammar and Advanced Conversation with two Master’s level students from the United States.
Excursions: Ingapirca, Aguarongo, Chorteleg & Guanaceo
Soléxico – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – June 2 to July 1, 2012
Advanced Grammar, Advanced Conversation and Introduction to Literature
Excursions: San Sebastián, “Hacienda Jalisco”, Sierra Madre Sur, Tuito, tequila plantation, and pre-columbian petroglyphs
Centro de Estudios Internacionales (ENFOREX) – Alicante, Spain – June 1- June 22, 2013
Advanced Grammar and Conversation (with 2 future Spanish teachers: one Canadian and one German).
Excursions: Elche, Altea, Benidorm
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Centro de Estudios Internacionales (ENFOREX) –Valencia, Spain – June 23 to July 11, 2014
Level C2 -- Advanced Conversation – one-on-one with a professor.
Extensive visit of Valencia (monuments, churches, museums, etc.)
Centro de Idiomas Sureste (CIS), Mérida, Mexico—December 13 to January 3, 2015
The school contracted for me on a one-on-one basis a journalist/writer/editor for 3 hours of class daily. We handled my research interests (Nature in Latin American literature) through short stories and novellas and shared many references on the theme of “nature” and “women’s issues”.
Excursions: Mayan ruins: Dzibilchaltún and Uyamitún, Uxmal and Kabah, Chichen Itzá
Haciendas: San Pedro Chimay, Huayalque, Ochil, Sotuta de Peón
Cenotes: Yaal-Utzil, Sambulá, Sotuta de Peón,
Don Quijote Centro de Estudios, Granada, Spain – June 1, to June 20, 2015
Three different teachers for the 3 weeks of one-on-one classes. I have now attained the maximum level of “Maestria” with distinction (sobresaliente).
Excursions: Granada: La Alhambra, El Albaicín, Sacromonte, Feria de Corpus Christi, Parque de las Ciencias, many medieval churches and monasteries
- Sevilla: La Catedral, La Giralda, Los Reales Alcazares
- Northern Morocco: ChefChaouén, Tangiers, Tetouán
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Epá en Panamá, Panama City – Panama – May 29 to June 25, 2016
Since there was no one at my level (C2), I was put in the C1 section with three professionals: a Portuguese woman and a Polish couple, all of whom live in Panama City. I had 3 hours of class with them and one hour of intensive one-on-one (C2 level) with my teacher who put me through the paces of the famous national exam of Spain, DELE (DELE, formally the Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera): a lot of pressure but definitely a worthwhile experience! I received the results of my test and passed the DELE with flying colors!
Excursions: Panama City, Canal Zone, Valle de Antón, Causeway de Amador, BioMuseo and Smithsonian Research Center, Isla Contadora
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Nueva Lengua, Cartagena, Colombia – June 5 to July 7, 2017
Once more, with no one at my level (Advanced C2), I was put in the C1 section with three advanced students (1 Swiss, 1 Brazilian, and 1 social worker from San Francisco, California). I had the choice of staying with the group or – as was done in the past – trading the 4-hour group session for a 2-hour “one-on-one” with a professor in the afternoon. Since I enjoyed my small group and the class discussions which represented so many different points of view, I chose to remain with them and it is only at the end of June, when my classmates moved on, that I traded to the one-on-one afternoon session to talk about literature.
Centro de Estudios Internacionales (ENFOREX) – Alicante, Spain – June 23- July 7, 2019
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COVID 19 -- NO SUMMER TRAVEL for professional development in Spanish 2020 -- 2021 -- 2022
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