I feel a thrill of satisfaction every time I enter the Edificio San Pedro. Each morning, Mondays to Fridays at 8.30, Spanish classes begin in the Hispaniola Spanish Language School here. There really could not be a better atmosphere to facilitate the learning of the Spanish language than within the ancient walls of this colonial gem. The current student group is truly international. There is Andre from Germany, Ana from Belgium, Danielle from Quebec, Jennifer from the U.S.A, Jenni from Sweden, Astrid from Switzerland, and myself from Australia.
Classes cover all levels and usually only contain two or three students per teacher.
I find the two hours of grammar class with my profesora Alexandra followed by two hours of conversational class with Yaniras both challenging and stimulating, and always fun. I am not only learning a new language, but also learning first-hand about the Dominican culture through my interaction with my Dominican professors, who over the weeks have become my great friends. In the recess between classes, the balcony tables on the second floor overlooking the courtyard make an excellent spot to study or contemplate. Today Luca Pellegrini, the academy's director joins me to chat. My office was once a prison, and I suppose that some of the ghosts of this building were prisoners who died there.