Lake Tahoe Intensive Spanish Summer Institute
Don’t have time to go to Cuernavaca or Guatemala to immerse yourself in Spanish? At Lake Tahoe Community College there is a five day Spanish immersion program called ISSI (Intensive Spanish Summer Institute) usually the last week of July or the first week of August. This was the 25th year of the program. It’s grown from 165 students the first year (they were expecting 35) to almost six hundred students. Below are the top ten reasons why ISSI is a rare find, along with a few recommendations.
Update: I attended this summer from July 29-August 2 and I I definitely got the Spanish boost I was looking for. See Lisa’s comment to learn about her experience.
Visit this webpage for more information.
Top Reasons to Attend
16 Levels
Amazingly there are 16 levels to choose from: Low Beginning to High Superior. I know Spanish teachers who have attended as well as complete beginners.
A tip, the coordinator told me that most students choose too low. A test will be added next year for students to be able to better determine their levels. Also once you’re there, you can change levels if you decide you’re placed too low or too high. It turns out 40% of the students are repeat students, and they cannot sign up for the same level thus the numerous levels. There were even a handful of students who had been attending for more than 20 years. Yes, it’s that good!
Balanced: Conversation, Grammar and Culture.
This is a really balanced program. I signed up for Advanced. In my level the first hour is a conversation class, followed by a breakout session, followed by two hours of grammar. There is a break for lunch. Then there are two more breakout sessions. I only felt sleepy once when I took a class on the art of Medieval Spain after lunch–maybe not the best choice for a full stomach
Variety, Variety, Variety
The breakout sessions vary from very intellectual like “El Cine de Pedro Almodôvar to All About Peppers.
Other breakouts (too numerous to list here) included environmental series on Baja California, the theater of Federico Garcia Lorca, the ancient ruins of Mexico, travel vocabulary, sing-a-long in Spanish, Spanish cooking classes, nature walks,etc. etc. etc. They also geared breakouts more in English for the very beginning levels.
Extra-curricular Evening Activities
My personal favorites were a showing of the Academy Award winner for best foreign film Una Mujer Fantastica from Chile with English subtitles. I also loved the Spanish Wine Walk where there were three wine and cheese stations at different forest locations. The first station were Spanish wines, the second Chilean wines, and the third Argentinian wines.
$70 Tuition for California Residents
No, that’s not a typo. Remarkably, if you are a California resident, the tuition is only $70 plus materials. You also receive 2.5 credits. If you are out of state, you will pay more, but it is still reasonable.
Mini-Courses
If you’re really gung ho, you can sign up for mini-courses during lunch and after the regular schedule that ends at 3:20 and earn even more credits.
Why South Lake Tahoe?
Wining and Dining
There are many choice restaurants. My favorite two restaurants in South Lake Tahoe were The Cork and More for gourmet sandwiches for lunch and Artemis, a Mediterranean restaurant with killer dishes and reasonable prices. I ordered Feta and Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast and Raphael ordered Roast Duck Pita, both phenomenal. And the prices won’t break the bank. For more elegant dining, I recommend the Edgewood Restaurant right on the sands of Lake Tahoe, a charming alpine chateau. We ate on the patio to take advantage of the sunset over the lake, If this is too much of a splurge, there is also a less expensive Bistro.
Outdoor Adventures
There are tons of outdoor activities too. Unfortunately I was there during the Ferguson Yosemite fire which meant the skies were somewhat smokey, so we avoided too much hiking. But recommendations from locals were Kiva Beach to spot eagles, Mt. Tallac, an easy trail passing numerous lakes, Emerald Lake, paddle boarding at Lakeview Commons, and Angora Lake.
Mark Twain Loved Tahoe Too!
Roughing It is a semi-autobiographical book recounting Twain’s stagecoach journey through the Wild West from 1861-1867. One of the chapters recounts his first view of Lake Tahoe. “At last the Lake burst upon us–a noble sheet of blue water lifted six thousand three hundred feet above the level of the sea, and walled in by a rim of snow-clad mountain peaks that towered aloft a full three thousand feet higher still! It was a vast oval, and one would have to use up eighty or a hundred good miles in traveling around it. As it lay there with the shadows of the mountains brilliantly photographed upon its still surface I thought it must surely be the fairest picture the whole earth affords.”
One of my favorite Mark Twain books, but if you can’t read it all at least read the chapter on Lake Tahoe. If you’re intrigued, the chapter on San Francisco and Mono Lake are also worth checking out.
Gambling
Not my cup of tea–but the border between California and Nevada dissects South Lake Tahoe. Lots of casinos for those so inclined.
Only one warning–you might want to stay away from the cafeteria food. After all, it’s cafeteria food.The Cork and More is very close for lunch…
More information on Lake Tahoe Spanish Summer Institute!
I loved this write-up! You are definitely eloquent with your travel tales! It was a privilege to sit next to you in our conversation group. Such memorable stories were told at that round table!
¡Hasta la próxima vez!
Thanks, Kristie! I really enjoyed that round table. I’ll never forget your story about the bombing you witnessed at Harvey’s Casino in Lake Tahoe when you were a little girl.
Great post, Penny! I liked the top ten format and, like Lake Tahoe itself, your photo is gorgeous!
Thanks, Catherine! It’s a great program especially for California residents!
Peny, I love your blog, and this post!! And, I’m so happy you enjoyed the institute! Maybe next year, if you’re going, I can join you!!Hope you see you soon for book club!
This Institute is unique! No wonder the students keep coming back each year. Lake Tahoe, 2019!
Penny, you should work for the Lake Tahoe tourism board. I want to sign up immediately! I liked the idea of wine stations in the forrest and I even hate wine. Maybe something classy, like Kool Aid stations in the forrest with Ritz crackers.
I want to plan on going next August. Maybe add to the blog when the sign up is….
I will definitely post when the sign ups are. It is a little tricky. They open up registration in May and it gets full quickly, so you have to be prepared.
Penny you ought to work for the tourism board of Lake Tahoe! What a wonderful vacation with the added benefit of becoming more smarter-er. I liked the idea of the wine stations in the forrest. And I even hate wine. Perhaps for me something less sophisticated–Kool Aid and Ritz crackers? Yo quiero visitar este escuela, gracias por la recomendacion!
De Nada
Based on the recommendation from this blog, my husband and I attended the Spanish Immersion program this summer at Lake Tahoe Community College. It was fantastic! I learned so much and am eager to keep practicing every day to bring my language skills further. We are excited to return next summer. I was in the low beginner classes, and my husband was in the intermediate classes. We only saw each other at lunch. Our professors made learning fun! There were plenty of opportunities to practice speaking Spanish with my classmates. At days end, I did feel like my head was going to explode and was mentally exhausted but, in a good way.
The break out sessions were really interesting. They offered cooking, dancing, more language, nature walks, movies, travel talks, etc. Such variety! I was happy that I could pick what I felt like learning about that day rather than pre-choosing.
All in all, I felt like it was such a bargain and such a little gem of a secret. Thank you for sharing Penny! Fantastico!
That is so awesome that you and your husband had a great experience. I love hearing that the beginning and intermediate levels are also worthwhile. Thanks for your positive comments!