there are many ways to learn. all of those suggestions are good, but all of them have their limitations. especially at the beginning, it is helpful to have a personal tutor who can provide a comfortable learning environment, provide some structure, explain the basics of grammar, deal with individual questions.
there are many good internet sites, too, and many exercises a person could do on their own...but....when you know you have a tutor coming, someone who will check up on your progress, it usually provides some extra motivation to do more than you would otherwise.
learning a language as an adult is hard. to make good progress, it will require MANY HOURS every week, consistently, for months. the fact that you are living in a spanish speaking culture obviously helps a lot because you will get more exposure to the language, but you'll still need to study grammar, make vocabulary lists, practice simple conversations, etc....all the stuff a good tutor will encourage you to do. eventually you will outgrow the need for a tutor....that's a good thing.


