Regular English Conversation Meeting with UG Students?

[WriterinExile]

I have heard about an informal weekly conversation meeting with UG students to help them practice their English speaking skills. But I cannot track it down. Does anyone have any information about or experience with this? Thanks!

[jesm]

Yes, the program is CAADI. It is offered free to UG students and uses " volunteers" to aid in foreign language development. At one time there were some 20+ languages available.
Here is a web page description.

http://www.lenguas.ugto.mx/index.php/caadi

I have forgotten the ladies name that is Director but if you go to main office or library and ask for CAADI office you should be good.
Hope this helps.

[WriterinExile]

Perfect! Many thanks. I will check this out. :)

[smithchuck]

I signed up for CAADI a couple of weeks ago. If you volunteer to help (e.g., with English conversation) for 3 hours per week, you can use the CAADI resources for as many hours as you like. You register and then tell them when you want to "work." So far, my sessions speaking English with locals has been very enjoyable. I haven't gotten up the courage to inflict my poor Spanish on them yet, but I intend to soon.

Easiest way to get there: walk uphill on Calle del Sol (to the east side of the Templo de la Compañía de Jesús) until the road dead-ends. The building to the right of the red one at the dead end is pale blue (see attached photo--it's to the right of the red building, hiding behind the tree). Walk in that door and up a flight or two of stairs and you'll see a big sign on the wall that says CAADI. Turn left and check in at the welcome desk, & tell them you'd like to volunteer. I spoke to a very pleasant guy who wears glasses named Jasiel, who sits farther back in the room. (If you leave CAADI after 5pm, the now-downstairs door will be closed, and you'll have to go further upstairs and then down some callejones to get back to Calle del Sol, but it's marked and not hard to find the way.)

[WriterinExile]

Fantastic! Super helpful. Thanks!

[smithchuck]

I got my colors wrong (or they repainted the building since the Google Maps photo). The building with the entrance to CAADI is not pale blue, it's now kind of ivory. But it's still the building hiding behind the tree in the photo. I just got back from there and had another enjoyable conversation with a middle-aged civil engineer who is studying for an English test that he needs to apply for a scholarship that would enable him to do some continuing education in the UK.

[WriterinExile]

Thanks. Yes, with your instructions I found it and signed up to volunteer today :)