Best Safe South American Country to learn Spanish (crime rates, high school)

[burgler09]

The speak a faster spanish, I'd say if you are smart you'd be safe, but you would also be at a higher risk for danger in Panama than in a larger South American city.

[DFWgal]

Originally Posted by 7035683216

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.

I'd say Chile. People say Uruguay is very cool too.

Originally Posted by Hasdrubal

On the other hand, it depends where you're planning to go. If you are wealthy enough, you'll be pretty safe in Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, etc.

Errr... Brazilians speak portuguese...

Originally Posted by Bily Lovec

Brasil is also the only latin country, I would not consider "3rd world"

need to travel a little bit more then.

Originally Posted by Full-Blooded American

Argentina is about 97% Caucasian, so I'd consider it for its low crime rate.

They have severe economical problems a few years ago, the unemployement really increased, so the criminal activity. Some friends are studying there and they say there are kind of "fabelas" with gang activity outside big cities.

My family went to Mendoza 6 months ago and my brother told me they needed lots of coins because they found people on every corner trying to "clean your car", outside restaurants, etc.

Originally Posted by jtur88

I once pointed out to a woman in Sanmtiago, Chile that I was having a hard time picking up Spanish, so she asked me where I lived. She then explained that in that village, they don't speak Spanish, the speak Pescador ("fisherman") and nobody undertands them.

Santiago doesn't have villages or beaches around... I really think the woman was joking.

Originally Posted by Geography Freak

there's not such a thing as a single standard Spanish.

When foreign movies are translated, they are usually in Spanish from Spain or Latinamerican spanish. That sounds a lot like chilean spanish.

Originally Posted by dheeruyadav

what about Brazil, its good country to live, the economy is growing fast.

A cousing and her husband (manager of Sodimac - like Home Depot-) lived in Campinas, Brazil for 4 years. They return to their country because the money wasn't as good and the favelas and the kidnapping of foreign people was increasing.

[DailyJournalist]

Miami, FL would be a good place to practice Spanish

[Ricardito]

There is only one Latin American country for me, that is Venezuela and Hugo Chavez, I want to see his socialist revolution up close, he is the greatest ruler in the world!

[jtur88]

Originally Posted by blew_udec

hahhaa, i'm from Chile and i've never heard that "pescador" terminology before. Maybe she means that in some parts outside the cities, the spanish language is different, 'cause people uses slang that you can understand only if u are a native-spanish speaker

It was in Quintero, about an hour north of Vina.

[burgler09]

Originally Posted by DailyJournalist

Miami, FL would be a good place to practice Spanish

Hey now, let's be fair... I speak english with 1/7 people

[burgler09]

Originally Posted by Ricardito

There is only one Latin American country for me, that is Venezuela and Hugo Chavez, I want to see his socialist revolution up close, he is the greatest ruler in the world!

Good riddance, people with your mindset shouldn't be in the USA anyways.

[ocean2026]

Ricardito I love Venezuela been all over it and its a great and beautiful place. Hugo Chavez is a total jerk and he violates his own constitution and then tries to change it to give himself more power. Only the very poor people like him - they need a dictator - most educated Venezuelans want him out.

The only reason Chavez has any world support is because he takes on Bush. People over look some of his obnoxious qualities because he can talk about Bush and Oil Bush and Iraq. I go to many Latin American countries and I'm fluent in Spanish and people feel the same.

Now that Bush is gone let me predict that Chavez's power will wane.

Burgler you have made several posts derogatory to Venezuela -have you been there?

[Neutre]

Originally Posted by DFWgal

When foreign movies are translated, they are usually in Spanish from Spain or Latinamerican spanish. That sounds a lot like chilean spanish.

Chilean Spanish is one of my favorite Spanish accents, yet I have to disagree that foreign movies are translated (you mean dubbed?) into a Spanish accent that sounds a lot like Chilean Spanish. I think the closest accents -and with this I refer merely to the pronunciation, apart from the slang- to a LA dubbing would be those of Costa Rica, Colombia, and Mexico.

[joelibyan]

The best place in South America to learn a cleanly pronounced Spanish would definitely be Colombia. I'm surprised no one has mentioned Ecuador though...? In Latin America as a whole, I would recommend Costa Rica or Mexico for language.
I've been to Panama, and there are parts of Panama City that are thoroughly modern, safe and cheap. It's a great place that seems to fly under a lot of people's radars. Chile I can't recommend highly enough. I love that country and it's people. The accent is a bit tricky, for sure, but it's a place everyone should see before they die.