Today we’d like to introduce you to Bill Spirito and Lorena Calderón.
Bill, Lorena – please share your story with us.
Lorena, Colombian, and Bill, from the States, started a Native English Center and PEPE Colombia (Programa de Español para Extranjeros) in Bogotá in 1998. In exchange for Spanish learning, room and board, English teachers taught classes (and did chores) at our center/home, as well classes around the city.
Earning Colombian pesos it wasn’t feasible to pay off Bill’s college loans in dollars, and at the time there was a lot of demand for Spanish/English bilinguals throughout the marketplace in Bill’s home state of Massachusetts, so we decided to close up shop after five years and move to Boston.
Almost immediately we identified the need for high-quality small-group immersion-style Spanish language learning in the Boston area. We are aware of the inseparability of language and culture, so we wanted to be sure to not ignore the ample cultural opportunities that Boston afforded in our work, and Boston Area Spanish Exchange (BASE) was born.
Today BASE offers a wide variety of short-term Spanish courses (seven-weeks) at all levels in broad schedule availability, and we are currently running Portuguese and Arabic courses. We offer cultural workshops and additional conversation opportunities, and we exhaustively post the abundant events related to the Spanish-speaking world that take place in Boston’s numerous cultural centers, learning institutions, cinemas, restaurants, etc.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Boston is an extremely difficult city to negotiate space in. This has made it difficult to provide the quality in-person language-learning opportunities Boston is hungry for, but thanks to the collaborative spirit of Jewish Vocational Service, where we housed BASE for 10+ years we were able to get a foothold covering the bills by teaching in a number of middle and high schools and colleges, as well as immigration centers.
Since JVS moved a few years ago, we have experimented with a few co-working spaces, but we keep in close touch with our friends at JVS who continue to help refugees in the workforce. Please donate on jvs-boston.org if you can!
Our current home at 101 Arch St. is working out well. ¡Visítennos por favor!
Please tell us about Boston Area Spanish Exchange (BASE).
BASE is a teacher-founded and teacher-run Spanish school in Boston, MA. We are bilinguals, linguists and experienced Spanish teachers passionate about languages, teaching and learning. Boston is an exciting place, particularly culturally and linguistically, and we are pleased to present BASE to you in your search for Spanish language acquisition and skills with Spanish conversation in Boston, as well as in our effort to bridge cultural and linguistic gaps in the Boston area and beyond.
We have been able to uphold a unique opportunity in which registered students invite for a free course someone who has never taken a BASE course. The buddy-system tends to help learners succeed!
Whereas we encourage our students to dedicate as much time as possible to learning, we’ve succeeded in not excluding those who can barely squeeze in one 90-minute class per week after work. Those who can take three hours of class every day are welcome, but there are quite a few! We’re proud to see our students succeed regardless of the intensity, even if there’s the need for a break due to professional or personal demands.
We’re an oasis for those who had lived abroad and have become fluent only to see their skills lay dormant and get rusty. Others have taken courses for years almost like a gym membership! Some start learning with us, go abroad, then come back to keep up their chops.
Our support for culture as well as our own contributions are also something we at BASE are proud of.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Bill recalls learning his first Spanish words from Ernie on Sesame Street. Ernie one time was all bummed because Mr. Hooper’s store was locked, and he couldn’t get in. He noticed a sign on the door that said “Cerrado”, and as Ernie enunciated the word, starting out slowly, he realized the store was closed, and he jumped up and down with excitement knowing that Mr. Hooper would be back soon after lunch or something like that.
Pricing:
- $250 – $2,500 for seven-week courses depending on the intensity
- Weekly courses ($250) and Semi-intensive courses ($450) are the most popular
- Invite a friend for a free course when you sign up
Contact Info:
- Address: 101 Arch St. 8th floor, Boston, MA 02170
- Website: spanishclassesboston.com
- Phone: 617.773.1211
- Email: info@spanishclassesboston.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baseboston/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Boston-Area-Spanish-Exchange-186942194651705
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/baseboston
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/boston-area-spanish-exchange-boston
- Other: https://plus.google.com/u/0/104148265853787564011
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
