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Hello,
I am interesting in practicing my Spanish for two or three months and want to live with a host family.
Which country would you recommend? I also love to Salsa dance as well.
I don't care if other U.S. Americans are in the country since I want to hang out with locals.
I am a black U.S. citizen that can greet people in Spanish.
Instead of the previous suggestions, I recommend you consider Panama, Barranquilla (Colombia) or Caracas (Venezuela). Salsa and tropical music rules the streets and is in the spirit of the people. If you like Salsa dancing, you probably won't be getting to sleep early at night. Also, as a black person you will not feel like an "outsider" in those places. I can't promise you that these 3 nations are the safest places around, but the good thing is that you won't be viewed as an "outsider" just by walking down the street, you will blend in. That alone adds a lot to your level of safety. In contrast, very few black or mixed race black-hispanic people live in Chile or Argentina, so you will be seen as an "outsider" and hence attracting perhaps a little more attention from potential criminals. Good luck.
De nada!
I was actually a bit reluctant to suggest Colombia. . . Given its bad rep, I wasn't sure it'd be taken seriously. But rest assured, I've been to Colombia several times, and places like Bogota, Barranquilla, and Cartagena are pretty safe these days (Just as a comparison, Bogota's murder rate is no higher than that of many American cities), and I HIGLY recommend it. The culture is definitely friendlier and more fun than that of southern South America. I hadn't even though of Panama. . . Definitely something to look into.
Location: Originally from Cali relocated to Inman Park/Old 4th Ward/Westside Atlanta
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I definately recommend Colombia! Friendly people, beautiful women and cheap and not as explored as other study-abroad countries such as Costa Rica, Mexico, Chile, Peru. It's very safe and since your a Black-American you would blend in fine throughout the country (Colombia is about 25%-35% of African-Descent). You should look into the cities of Cartagena or Cali which are coastal cities which have a heavier African-influence with regards to music, culture, history and way of life. Bogota (Capital of Colombia) would be ideal as well and would offer plenty of travel oppurtunities to other cities and more studying programs than other cities during your stay. You can't go wrong with Medellin either . Colombian spanish is considered top-notch so that helps as well.
I absolutely love Colombia and If more people visited they would have my same feeling about that wonderful country. Don't believe the rumors that it's not safe...Medellin, Cartagena, Bogota and Cali are all much safer and on par with any major metropolitan city. Take the normal pre-cautions like you would in any other place and you will be fine. If you decide to go PM me and I can give you some more insight and contacts in the country.
Hmm, Buenos Aires has a distinct dialect, but I don't think it'll pose much (if any) of a problem. Just as a side note, I've heard that Colombian Spanish is the "purest" form of Spanish, comparable to the Midwestern form of English. Hmm, I wish you the best of luck.
Well, every Hispanoamerican region has a distinct dialect. Voseo is not exclusive to Argentina, as most people think. The only countries which don't have voseo are Cuba, Dominican Rep. and Peru.
Colombians generally have a clear pronunciation, but if you learn Spanish in Bogotá you might never get used to vos or tú because everybody uses usted.
I guess the coastal areas of Colombia would be good.
Anyway, your plan of Santiago-Buenos Aires-Mexico sounds great!
I would stick to that if I were you.
what about Brazil, its good country to live, the economy is growing fast.
The original poster is seeking to learn Spanish. However, Brazil would be a wonderful place to learn Portugese.
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. Colombian spanish is considered top-notch so that helps as well.
Aprender castellano
