Antigua, Guatemala - Spanish Immersion School

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Happy New Year! 2023. I have been unable to post updates of our time spent in Guatemala so they will unfortunately all come in all at once. I hope you find time to read about it or at least enjoy the photos.

Don and I arrived in Guatemala New Year's eve night. A driver met us at the airport with a shuttle and he didn't speak ANY English. We decided to come to Guatemala for a Spanish Immersion program and it is starting immediately. A 1/2 hour later we were in Antiqua at our group house for students. Many questions went through our heads.. "Are we going to be the oldest students?", "Will anyone speak English?", "What have we gotten ourselves into?". The homeowners Anna (0% English) & Arturo (15% English) greeted us into their home and showed us our room. As we laid in our bed with tiny blankets, flat pillows, no windows, no heat, no air conditioning, no dinner, we fell asleep to large fireworks, music, and the laughter of people celebrating the new year. Here we go!

Our first day in Antiqua was a Sunday, no school yet, which allowed us time to tour our new surroundings. The group home provides breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday. On our first day, it was up to us to fend for ourselves. There were many restaurants nearby to fill our empty bellies and think straight. Since we couldn't obtain Quetzals (Guatemalan currency Q7.65=$1) from the bank until Monday, we got a few hundred at the airport to get by on. Our home was one block from the Don Pedro Spanish School, near a park at the "Iglesia de la Merced" and the iconic "Santa Catalina Arch" that led us to "El Parque Central". With our feet grounded and an understanding of our surrounding we were prepared for our first day of school.

Monday we were provided a beautiful hot breakfast with fresh juice and tortillas at 7:15 a.m. That gave us plenty of time to eat, pack our backpacks and walk to school by 8:00 a.m. We were greeting by Lety (45% English but refused to use it) the school administrator/secretary. She presented us with the bill, first things first, approximately Q5,920 or $775 for two people, one week of schooling (4hrs per day M-F) and housing which also included the meals and daily housekeeping. The program is a pay as you go, week by week, with many options. I was introduced to Lhena (80% English) and Don to Osbilda (2% English) our teachers, and the work began. There was no placement test, textbook, or classroom. We sat individually with our teacher at a small table in the beautiful outdoor garden. After engaging in some conversation, they could tell what level we were at. At 9:00 a.m. a cup of coffee was delivered to each person at their table, 10:00 a.m. was a 1/2 hour break time. Whew! So much information in such a short amount of time and there is still another 2 hours to go. My teacher spoke excellent English plus 4 other languages because she is a singer and learned most of the languages through music. Don's teacher is a Mayan native and spoke very little English.

On Tuesdays a salsa dance instructor comes to the school at 12:00 p.m. Once our class time is completed the staff mixed up Cobra Libra (rum, coke, lime drinks on ice), turns up the music and the dancing begins! The dance is very simple in steps, a person can elaborate by moving hips, arms, and shoulders. Very fun! At 1:00 p.m. lunch is served at the school. Typically meat, rice, vegetables, tortillas, and fruit juice. It was a great opportunity to visit with other students from around the world and compare notes. Other opportunities are offered each week to tour a museum, coffee farm, or hike to a location such as "Hill of the Cross" (mentioned in a later blog post).

After two weeks of class, we decided to change our plans and go to Lake Atitlan for two weeks. This allowed time for the new information to soak into our brains and rest up before we completed the last two weeks of school. Initially our plans were to complete 4 straight weeks of school, then visit the lake. The flexibility of the schooling program is great! When we returned for our last two weeks of school, Don requested a new teacher. There was nothing wrong with Osbilda, but he was feeling like he needed a change. I however was very comfortable with Lhena and decided to stay with her. Don's new teacher was Vicky (2% English) and looked very similar to Osbilda which confused him many times! We picked up right where we left off. The lessons became more and more intense. The amount of information is impossible to retain and become fluent in only a month. However we both notice the change in our vocabulary, fluency in our conversations on the streets with vendors and markets, so we are definitely better. We have been given the tools it is now up to us to keep studying, practicing, listening, speaking.

I highly recommend the programs offered in Antiqua for Spanish Immersion. Time and practice is what is needed to learn a new language but first you must have the grammar rules. That is what they offer here. If you have any questions or want more details that didn't cover, please feel free to reach out to me.

People forget years and remember moments.

Michelle

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Photos

Lhena & Michelle
Our last day together. She loaded me up with lots of tools to keep on my path of learning Spanish.

Osbilda & Don
Don with his 1st teacher at Don Pedro Spanish School. I very kind hearted, patient woman who he enjoyed working with very much.

Lhena & Michelle
My Spanish teacher at Don Pedro Spanish School, Antigua, Guatemala. Lhena is a mother of 4, speaks 5 different languages, is a local singer, and an overall amazing person! I felt so lucky to have been paired up with this incredible woman.

Vicky & Don
Don with his 2nd teacher at Don Pedro Spanish School. Vicky had a great since of humor, many radiant smiles and encouraging words.

Lhena & Michelle
Such a cool teacher. Always participating in dance classes and making me get out on the dance floor.

Michelle @ the park near Iglesia de le Merced
A lovely little park by day and at night the food venders bring out their carts to provide delicious, affordable, fresh foods! Nobody is going hungry here.