If you are an absolute beginner, we recommend that you have a Spanish native speaker
record some of the most common Spanish phrases and try to learn them by listening to the recording and repeating them (you may request a list of these phrases e-mailing the Spanish Institute of Puebla. Master a short list of phrases like this, and you will be surprised how many simple situations you can deal with. Spanish expressions of this sort will not solve all your communication problems, but they will facilitate basic conversation of Spanish abroad.
If you are a more advanced Spanish learner, you need more complex advice because you are not learning the language from scratch it's more often a case of building on a weak foundation that you have already attained. Our advice in this case is to learn as many common words as you can before you leave for your study Spanish abroad trip. When you learn a foreign language in your own country you lack a great deal of "everyday" vocabulary. This can cause a real shock when you go abroad and attempt to talk to native speakers.
You cannot really be functional the Spanish language until you know 2,000 to 3,000 words well. That's roughly the same number of words that a four or fiveyearold child knows enough to cope with most everyday situations. Like anything else, a good start is half the job. Please help yourself by being well prepared before you start an immersion program like the one offered at the Spanish Institute of Puebla.