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taking a break
we bought a table runner from these ladiesDo you remember school at all? Do you remember enjoying it? Cause we do, but what we don’t remember it being so tiring….I suppose this was one thing we did not take into account when we decided to enroll to one of the Spanish schools in Antigua. You may think we were crazy to do it after all these months spent in Latin America, but we really though this through, we promise.
Entry to Guatemala was very swift and pleasant and we had no issues whatsoever. It only takes couple of hours from Copan and Antigua seems like a natural stop over when you there. Well, who would not want to stay in Antigua for a couple of nights anyway? We met many who consider this town one of the most enchanting, most beautiful or mesmerizing of all in Latin America. Its pastel facades, terracotta roofs and magnificent setting amid three volcanoes do the trick. Would we agree? Hmmm, to us it will always be hard to beat Cartagena in Colombia so I guess it all depends on what you have seen before. Nevertheless we knew we will enjoy this place the moment we arrived.
You have heard this
before from us: give us some colonial architecture, narrow cobbled streets, folklore and tradition and we are gobsmacked like children in Disneyland. But sights were not what we were looking for. We planned to stay in Antigua for a week to practice our ever so evolving Spanish. We thought that sights could be fit in around this busy studying plan. How wrong hahha
We went straight to the Dionisio Guest House and this is where we met the owner who advised us on other location and school program. As it happened the Guesthouse El Viaje Danes (corner of Calz de Santa Lucia Norte and Calle de la Recolleccion) was a very inexpensive alternative to Dionisio and only available to their students. We ended up paying 10$ per night only for a nice room at the rooftop with easy access to the kitchen and dining area. The course itself for 5 day/8h a day/1-to-1 classes cost us $100 each which was better than we had thought we could get. So why did we decide to do this then and there?
We did some research beforehand and it seems that the way of speaking Spanish in Guatemala, their accent and
striking arch
leading to the Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Merced grammar is one of the most correct ones. Not to mention that prices are the lowest in all of the countries. By the time we took these classes we were able to communicate on a very basic level as you simply learn on the road when you have no other choice. My teacher was amazed that I could easily understand her as she spoke no English. Of course I had to sometimes use google for help with translating or explaining but it was very rare.
After the first day we were exhausted….OMG but our heads were aching from all the focusing, listening and trying to understand….I think we went to bed at around 9 pm for the first time we left home haha The days went by and really it was also for the first time that we were apart for most of a day….which felt very strange. This is what is going to be like in a month or two when we get back home I am afraid…dreadful thought. Anyhow we were learning so much because we already knew so much. I almost forgot how nice it feels to say a full sentence in a language you are
learning with confidence and without a fear that a person on the other side will laugh or stare at you. Blissful ….
Evening were short but we still managed to get around the town, see some preparation for Semana Santa (see separate blog) and try local cuisine. To be fair we did not do a lot of the later as we just loved cooking in Antigua. I don’t remember it being so pleasurable anywhere else we have been to. Because our guesthouse was a short walk away from the Mercado we could pop out at any time to purchase some fresh produce for cooking. And we did that a lot!!! The best avocado and homemade guacamole we have ever made was just in that place. If I focus hard I can still taste this delicious creamy flavor. Tomek made me a super nice lunch for the International Womens’ Day which included just that and tortillas from a local bakery – yummy!!! We cooked every night, accompanied by other students, we laughed, we drank… it was fabulous. No strolls around the main square or visits to restaurants were necessary…not then and there at least.
We learnt so much about
Guatemala during that week as well. I have spent hours discussing healthcare issues, poverty, crime levels with Maria, my teacher. She has been very involved in children and women charities in Antigua so some of the stories I heard were heartbreaking. She was very curious about our life at home, our living standards and access to goods and services we take for granted every day. Sometimes I hesitated to tell her the truth because it did not seem fair at the time. I was once told that ignorance is a bless and even though she was far from being ignorant the unknown was better for her nevertheless.
It shocked me when she mentioned lack of such simple thing as sugar, which they all crave and hardly anybody can buy. Even though it is widely produced in Guatemala, it is being exported outside and locals have to pay horrendous amount for having a sweet tooth. I offered Maria a coffee once when she arrived in the morning (my classes were held in our dining room) and I watched with bewilderment how she put nearly half a cup of sugar in it, then stirred, tried and add some more. She told
me it was such a luxury she could not resist. I do remember times when in our Soviet occupied Poland we had to queue for sugar as well. But I don’t remember it being rare or inaccessible, just had to wait to get it. Little things make such difference for people around the world, really.
Anyhow week flew by and we could hardly bring ourselves to move on…we had some fabulous spots still to see so we were excited as ever….
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auspicious
Michelle Duer
Really fascinating anecdote about the sugar. It's sad how so many local communities that produce such goods cannot afford it themselves. Good luck with the classes -- they sound challenging and enlightening and you are really tempting me to just pick up our family and head out there. ;)