Meet Carolina L. Mery: Founder of Pura Buena Onda – Conversational Spanish
We had the good fortune of connecting with Carolina L. Mery and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Carolina, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
When I started teaching Spanish I used traditional methods, such as flashcards and endless grammar exercises. I quickly realized that the time that I spent chatting with my students at the beginning or at the end of class is what they most enjoyed and what seemed to be the most effective. Then I thought back to my English learning journey when I was a kid. I studied English for years and when I got to this country I couldn’t have a conversation. I could point at things and tell you what they were called and I could conjugate verbs and recite grammar rules, but I couldn’t speak or understand English in conversation. When I put 2 and 2 together, I realized that I was going about teaching language in a completely unnatural, yet traditional way. It was in that moment that I decided that I would throw out the textbooks and start teaching Spanish the way that we learn languages as a child. Less than a year later Pura Buena Onda – Conversational Spanish, was born! I was no longer meeting Spanish students at coffee shops and was able to start an actual school! 13 years later many of our students can tell you that our organic approach to teaching Spanish is an incredibly fun, relaxed, and a very effective one!
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
If you decided that you wanted to learn to play tennis, I sincerely doubt that you would spend 3-4 years learning the rules, reading book after book about it and simulating tennis matches. You would probably get on the court and learn as you go. So why in the world are languages taught this way? It genuinely pains me when a student tells me they studied Spanish for 3-4 years and can only say things like “the library opens at 10am” or “I have a yellow pencil.” What you need to know is that Pura Buena Onda – Conversational Spanish is an unconventional school. We don’t use books because we believe that in order to learn to SPEAK a language you need to um, speak the language. Duh, right? No matter the level, from the very first class our students are speaking Spanish and engaging in conversation. This is what sets us apart from other language schools. Our classes are fun, relaxed and best of all, highly effective.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a friend visiting San Diego (not during a pandemic), I would take them to the different neighborhoods of San Diego, which are all so incredibly different. One of my favorite walks is from Balboa Park, through downtown, across the bay on the ferry and over to Coronado. You get to see Banker’s Hill, downtown, and once you get to Coronado, you can walk the whole island and have lunch.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This incredible journey could not have been possible without 4 people/groups of people: My parents, who forced me to speak Spanish after we moved to this country (biggest gift ever). My ex-husband, who was incredibly supportive when I decided to quit my job and open a school. Our ridiculously capable & talented team, who makes all of this possible and who make me look good every day and our students / our community, who support us through thick and thin and who honor us by allowing us to teach them our native language & culture.
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