One of the cultural activities organized Nueva Lengua at its headquarters in Cartagena is an excursion to the mangroves of La Boquilla, which in recent years has become one of the most recognized ecotourism destinations in the city. This Afro-Colombian corregimiento is located 40 minutes from the urban area, and it is a community that lives mainly from fishing, tourism, and indigenous artistic and cultural activities, which is why they spend most of their time connected to water.

The approach to nature has been a fundamental part for the development of life: from an unknown universe to an environment that encourages reflection on reality or on themselves, to achieve a connection that allows knowledge to be developed.

Many people choose to explore it to discover its mysteries until they become science and there are those who find on beaches, deserts, islands, forests, hidden paradises, among other natural places, the peace to stop in time and reconcile with themselves, and thus, give a restart to their own lives.

In the midst of nature everything flows; It is as if a bubble was created that isolates the rest of the things, and in this way, the senses are sharpened, making it easier to feel the smells, hear the sounds, observe the colors and the varied shapes of each element of the ecosystem. This was the sensory experience that the students of the school lived when they visited the mangroves of La Boquilla.

During the visit, students from Brazil, Germany, Hong Kong, Switzerland, the United States, Finland, Canada, the Netherlands and other parts of the world, met the local people, learned about the species of birds and fish that inhabit it, They heard from the fishermen how the cycles of the moon work and their influence on the profession of fishing, and they also learned the different curious words with which they name plants and animals. It was an opportunity to test your knowledge of Spanish and your level of understanding of native speakers.

This ecotourism destination is a magical and incredible place. For the population that lives near the mangroves, the stories that the fishermen tell about the adventures they have experienced in their tasks are very important, some of which are full of fantasy. This creativity is also reflected in the richness of the metaphors with which they describe the landscape and in the difference in intonation or emphasis that they give to their expressions when they speak, demonstrating not only their passion for this trade, but also the relationship between the language , culture and reality. The students were able to realize that the natives use language in different ways, to the extent that they noticed that sometimes the fishermen used new or different words than the ones their teachers often use, and that made this trip even more special. the swamps.

Each of the students had the opportunity to discover from these stories even a little of the way of life of the inhabitants of La Boquilla, therefore, they got to know this other side of Cartagena, the fantastic city, of the many that has. They loved that, because ultimately, the students of the school are passionate about discovering the traditions, customs, food, work, parties, dances, the landscapes of the places they visit, their objective goes beyond mastering the language.

With this type of experience, which increases the lexicon of students, it is shown that learning by immersion in the culture of the place they choose to study a language is one of the most efficient and enriching mechanisms. This fusion between the ecotourism experience and the practice in the context of the language makes the process more interesting, fun and memorable, because students get to feel that they are actually using what they learn in the classroom when interacting with native people.

The tour ended at the Ecotour house, the agency led by local fishermen and guides. There the students drank coconut water to cool off after walking through the tunnels of the mangrove and dipping their feet in the water until they saw them sink into the sand, while looking for snails and crabs. Back, when the afternoon was falling and the sun was going down, the fishermen showed the students how the birds began to return from their days of flying to rest and wait for the next day. While the birds sang and called their own, the students talked among themselves, asked curiosities and laughed. In short, as well as being innovative, the field activities organized by Nueva Lengua For their students to improve their Spanish, they significantly affect how they will remember their time in Colombia and how they learned Spanish. This and many other experiences are possible at this Spanish school with a contextual approach.