What we have been able to learn with Sumaq Marka is way beyond what I would have expected.  The classes have been very organized and flexible to meet our needs.  Our  teacher Ericka has an amazing background and solid training in teaching the language.
In addition to speaking Spanish, we were able to learn about the Peruvian and Arequipenean culture first hand.  The experience has been invaluable.

I would recommend to everyone visiting Peru, even if for a short time, to visit Arequipa and take lessons from  Ericka.  Not only she is the best Spanish teacher I have ever had, she has deep knowledge of her country’s history and culture.   She regularly integrated all of this into our Spanish lessons as learned.
We have also learn how to make good ceviche, the classic lomo saltado and pisco sours as well , including many secrets!
Ericka is a talented teacher, has been flexible with our complicated schedules, and a good friend above all.  I am very happy to have had this life-changing experience!

Scott Bilas (USA)
scottbilas@gmail.com

Ericka Loayza taught my husband and I Spanish for six months. She is a great teacher, she kept the lessons relevant and interesting . She is both professional and friendly making lessons a lot of fun. We went from speaking no Spanish at all to being able to happily converse in our daily lives. We enjoyed learning Spanish with you Ericka. Thank you!

Gemma and Ben Burger
(England & Australia)
benburger76@yahoo.com

Hello my name is James Grueneich and I received a week long Spanish Immersion course from Ericka. I was sceptical at the beginning because I had been in Peru for only a very short time and did not speak any Spanish. Ericka made us all feel comfortable and proceeded at a pace for all of us to learn and understand the basics of the language and culture. By the end of the week I was able to order at restaurants, give and ask for relevant information, make telephone calls, & do my shopping at the markets and stores without the help of other people. With the excellent course structure and patience of Ericka this course made my transition to Peru 100 times easier. Thank you.

JW Grueneich (USA)
james.grueneich@newmont.com

Ericka Loayza was my Spanish teacher, she was very professional and very helpful in my studies. She was always looking to customize our classes to help me with the areas that I needed to work on the most. I would not hesitate to recommend Ericka as a teacher.

Scott Smith  (Canada)
Scott.Smith@newmont.com

Ericka was my Spanish tutor. We had hourly classes once each week. Ericka is patient and supportive of her students. She is fun to study with. She brings interesting and enjoyable topics to the studies.
I would certainly recommend Ericka for any person needing personal instruction in Spanish.

George Hufford  (USA)
george_hufford@roadrunner.com.

This year in spring I have been to Peru for nearly six weeks! Four of them I have spent in Arequipa. I have had 4 weeks 4 hours a day and the lessons with Ericka were very interesting, funny and I learned a lot. She is a very patient, experienced and also an informative teacher.
The structure of the lessons and the exercises were very good, because two hours each day I had conversation and two hours each day I advanced my grammar and writing.
Ericka tried to find the best exercises for my level of Spanish.
But not only in the school but also in my free time she was very interested to help me to learn Spanish. For example she gave me the chance to talk a lot to native speakers, because it is very helpful if you try to understand different accents if you want to learn a foreign language very well.
The time with Ericka in class was a never ending barrel of good moments.
For me Ericka was not only a teacher, she is like a friend far away from my home.
Last but not least, I wanna say THANK YOU for everything she did for me while I have been to Arequipa!

Meike Pfeil (Germany)
meike_pfeil@gmx.de

I studied Spanish in Arequipa and I had 4 weeks of 1 to 1 tuition with Ericka. Ericka was always very patient with my attempts at learning Spanish and remained helpful and cheerful throughout the 4 weeks.
We covered a range of topics with a balance between conversational practice and the study of grammar and tenses. Ericka kept the lessons interesting and fun and introduced various activities such as games and music to give variety to the lessons.
With Ericka I also learned a lot more about Peru the country, its people and culture which made the lessons much rewarding than simply the progress made with my Spanish.

Paul Hoxey (England)
paul@hoxey.com

This is my first visit to Peru, and learning to make ceviche with Ericka and Pisco Sours with Fahed, was one of the highlights of our trip.
They are so hospitable, fun and a joy to be around. We learned not just how to cook, but also learned Peruvian rich history.
I highly recommend that you spend a day of your visit with Ericka and Fahed.
I promise you will have a great time!

Lisa Wicklund(USA)
lisa.wicklund@gmail.com

Ericka showed us an incredible cultural experience. Not only did we learn some Spanish, we learned tricks to making the perfect ceviche, an intoxicating Pisco Sour, and fascinating Peruvian facts not found in the history books.
A complete family experience accented by her son Fahed.
Thank you Ericka!

Mary Davis (USA)
darymavis@gmail.com

I have learned to dance Salsa and African-Peruvian dance at Sumaq Marka. I really enjojed it.
It gave me inspiration to dance in more different ways and for sure next time in a disco in South America I will be able to dance in couples much better.
Thank you!

Alida von Rijn
willekevanrijn@hotmail.com