Learning Spanish

A combination of formal and informal methods might be the quickest.

Informally just go out and talk to people as much as you can.  Two phrases that can help you learn a lot are ¿Cómo se dice (point at object)? which means How do you say (point at object)? and ¿Que quiere decir (repeat word not understood)?  which means What does (word not understood) mean?

Have an informal program to learn a few words each day, in different venues.  One day go to a park.   Another day, a restaurant.  Then a market, then a flower stall.  Stop and talk to street vendors, go into shops, etc. etc.  Try to mimic their accent closely, repeating a word you don't understand or have trouble pronouncing - usually people catch on quickly and will correct you gladly, if they see you want to learn.  Make friends with a native, or several, who would like to learn some English, and who will teach you some Spanish in return.  Meet several times a week or whenever convenient.

There are many books you can buy before you get there, not just dictionaries but self-help and self-paced courses, many bilingual books of stories.  You can find these in the US on-line in places like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.  There are also many apps for any device you choose, from phone to tablet to PC.   There are many videos on-line for instance on YouTube (youtube learn spanish):
https://www.google.com/search?q=youtube … p;ie=UTF-8

Formally, you could enroll in a Spanish course in Bogotá.  See this search (bogota learn spanish):
https://www.google.com/search?q=bogota+ … p;ie=UTF-8

Approach from a different angle - volunteer, or maybe even earn some pay, teaching English to those who want to learn it, by being an instructor's helper in a formal setting (bogota escuela ingles):
https://www.google.com/search?q=bogota+ … p;ie=UTF-8

Expat.com has two Spanish-language-learning threads on the Ecuador forum -- español for Gringos .. and Shortcuts to español.

Google expat.com ecuador forum and select the Schools and Studies option from the topics list after you arrive at the forum.

  -- cccmedia

Thank you for the fast reply and great information.