Guatemala - 4 weeks in November

[alanmalarkey]

Like Edith I am planning a significant opportunity for language learning in November. I am hoping to boost from Intermedieate / beginner level to a more solid intermediate. I will be attending a school on Lago de Atitlan which is described as very beautiful, set in the shadow of 3 volcanoes - the costs of this are very reasonable and as I had some Tesco air miles, the journey will be cheap as well - I am jut a tad guilty about adding to my carbon emission footprint.

Here is the school and so far its owner has been very helpful and responsive - Any thoughts or comments welcomed.

Alan

http://home.btclick.com/learnspanish/index.htm

[que]

Looks like you will have a great time there.

I see a few people on this forum have been/are going to a langauge school. It would be great to have a section on all the language schools that fellow members have been to with there reviews on it. I think that could be quite good.

Any thoughts on that Ben and Marina?

[ValenciaSon]

I was in Antigua in 2002 which is nestled somewhere between those same volcanoes you mention. My oldest son, wife and I went there to adopt our youngest son Simon from an orphanage.

[Ben]

Like Edith I am planning a significant opportunity for language learning in November. I am hoping to boost from Intermedieate / beginner level to a more solid intermediate. I will be attending a school on Lago de Atitlan which is described as very beautiful, set in the shadow of 3 volcanoes -

It is absolutely stunning, I went there about 12 years ago, and it really is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Try and explore the rest of the lake/area while you are there if you can. Lucky you!!

I see a few people on this forum have been/are going to a langauge school. It would be great to have a section on all the language schools that fellow members have been to with there reviews on it. I think that could be quite good.

Any thoughts on that Ben and Marina?

Good idea, I'll look at it later with Marina, a bit of general forum reshuffling may be required I think as things seem to be getting busier around here!

I was in Antigua in 2002 which is nestled somewhere between those same volcanoes you mention. My oldest son, wife and I went there to adopt our youngest son Simon from an orphanage.

Another great picture VS!

[Edith]

Lucky you, Alan! I agree 100% with the rest of the foreros here. Although the country has a troubled past, Guatemala is stunningly beautiful and the people are very friendly. I am sure you will have a great time there! November is a great time to go to Central America because the rainy season is over by then. I went on an organized one-month 'Ruta Maya' tour to southern Mexico and Guatemala, and looking back it's still one of my favorite travel memories. Guatemala's population is predominantly Indian, and Maya dialects are still spoken all over the country although most indígenas are bilingual. Many of these women still wear their characteristic traje, which also tells which village they are from. There are lots of interesting places to visit, but I would avoid Guatemala City if I were you. At that time, it wasn't even part of out travel itinerary because our tour guide said it was too dangerous. You'll be fine in the rest of the country though.

Rural family in a village near Lago de Atitlán, Mexico/Guatemala trip 1995

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g52/tetabiakti/Mexico/Guatemala/IndianfamilyGuatemala1995.jpg

[Edith]

I was in Antigua in 2002 which is nestled somewhere between those same volcanoes you mention. My oldest son, wife and I went there to adopt our youngest son Simon from an orphanage.'

Lovely kid! And he surely knows how to tackle a bull by the horns... :D

[Marina]

Greati pic ValenciaSon! You have a very brave child;-)

I've never been to Guatemala but I'd love to go!!

[ValenciaSon]

Greati pic ValenciaSon! You have a very brave child;-)

I've never been to Guatemala but I'd love to go!!

Thanks Marina and everyone else! Simon knows no fear for sure!

[alanmalarkey]

Many thanks for the positive encouragement and insights from your own experiences. I look forward to sharing some of this with you later this year.

Alan

[Patty]

Thank you for that link - I am also hoping to go and study and I am looking forward to hearing your reports on the quality. I'm thinking of going in February. I went on the site you listed and it looks quite good. I had thought about Antigua but it seems like it has become too commercial and expensive. Do you know anything about transportation from the airport to the school? Will they arrange transportation or is it necessary to take a bus?

[Tali]

Thank you for that link - I am also hoping to go and study and I am looking forward to hearing your reports on the quality. I'm thinking of going in February. I went on the site you listed and it looks quite good. I had thought about Antigua but it seems like it has become too commercial and expensive. Do you know anything about transportation from the airport to the school? Will they arrange transportation or is it necessary to take a bus?

Hi Patty, I was in Guatemala in February and it is absolutely amazing. Antigua is a little touristy, but so worth the visit! I can't help you with the transportation query, but you can check out the photos of our trek around Lago de Atitlan http://http://www.guatemalagirls.org/archives/events/index.html (http://http//www.guatemalagirls.org/archives/events/index.html) - scroll down to the blog entry titled The Best of Guatemala and you can down load some pictures by clicking the last few words of the entry.

I really hope you enjoy Guatemala - it is a truly amazing country!

[alanmalarkey]

Well, some weeks on and perhaps a little more accomplished in Spanish I have returned from my Guatemalan experience.

I think I chose my school well (Jabel Tinamit) Gregorio the owner was my teacher for 4 weeks x 25 hours 1:1 and I survived. Overall I would say the programme was good, structured but flexible. After 4 weeks I was the longest standing student as many would spent between 5 and 10 days. There were free local visits in the afternoon and guidance on what else to do. As I had hoped I hooked up with a cycling group and made some friends for the time I was there. See my cycling report elsewhere.

The stay with a family was fine - perhaps not a huge language opportunity but welcoming and friendly with good but plain local food. The change in diet, less alcohol and one or two stomach problems helped me loose 10 lbs which was no bad thing.

Although it was cold by their standards, days were usually 22 and sunny and nights 15 but we had a cool north wind for a couple of days.

On leaving I spent 2 full days in Antigua which is more cosmopolitan than Pana but less authentic in some ways. Both have their share of tourists but it seems easier to escape to the countryside in Pana.

I generally felt quite safe. There are reports of robberies and you need to be selective about journeys but this is true for London as well, and although I saw some drunkeness it was generally people that had passed out rather than up for a fight.

There is a lot of poverty in Gautemala but the people are very friendly and welcome talking to you if you are confident. I found the the Spanish easy to understand and for many it is their second language.

I am hapy to provide further information to others eaded off in that direction.

Enjoy

Alan

[Edith]

Hi Alan,

It seems your stay in Guatemala was really worthwile. I had a great time in Tenerife while you were there.

According to the article you provided, the language school you went to is run by Mayans. That must have been a very special experience. Did you learn things about their culture too?

[alanmalarkey]

Yes Edith, quite a bit, some about the local politics, beliefs and languages - visited various sites of worship to different gods and caves where they lit candles sprayed incense to achieve various ends like preventing women from gossiping! Mostly I learnt how poor people struggle to achieve education, feed and clothe themselves. There is a rich heritage of textiles but a lot of child labour. The Mayan food is also interesting and would be worth exploring further but the comida tipica is a generalised version of the real thing and very tasty - stay away from the cheaper version of sopa de pollo as the ingredients are feet, neck and heads.

Alan

[Edith]

Sounds like a very interesting experience to me. As you know, Guatemala has an extremely troubled past and many tourists do not even seem to be aware of this because they focus on the colorful scenery and the trajes (which are beautiful indeed). Reading some of the graphic details in Rigoberta Menchú's autobiography simply left me speechless. Thank goodness the human rights situation in Guatemala has improved to the point where indigenous people no longer have to hide themselves from view.

I guess I'll stick to my mother's traditional chicken soup recipe if you don't mind! :D

[alanmalarkey]

Yes Edith, I bought Rigoberto's autobiography for my daughter and will probably read it at some point. I kept reminding myself of the recent violent past history - the ex special forces are still around and seemingly quite proud of their part in various difficulties. There are a lot of guns in evidence among different types of police and bank guards and the machette is ubiquitous among the Mayan rural community and although it has obvious uses for cutting firewood etc. they do look a little intimidating. At the moment there is a tide of opinion against femicide which high here in common with some other central american countries. I think there are very different cultural norms for Mayan men and women which are bound to surface in the future. Generally men are more westernised and women more traditional in dress and there are high levels of alcoholism among some of the men. However if the newspapers are anything to go by the situation in Guatemala city is also very difficult with gangs, police corruption assassination etc. And, as a final comment, Chicken buses and picops are the ultimate in thrilling but dangerous rides!

[Edith]

Yes, I have heard about Guatemala City too. When I visited the country in 1995, the capital was not even part of our travel itinerary because of the dangerous situation there. Central America is being plagued by gangs called maras, such as the Mara Salvatrucha and M-18. The Spanish-language service of Radio Nederland devoted a four-part series to these gangs. The series explains the reasons behind the sudden increase in gang crime in Central America. Most of the youths who join these maras are from families which were broken up during the civil wars of the 1980s.

http://www.informarn.nl/especiales/lasmaras/

There was also an article in last week's El País Semanal about the maras, and especially about the symbolism behind their tattoos. According to the article, the maras may even be on the verge of crossing into Spain.

Right now, I wouldn't even consider traveling to Guatemala on my own even though I realize the situation in the countryside is quite different. I have fond memories of the village near Lake Atitlán where the local Mayans ran a small hotel. We didn't talk about politics but I showed them the postcards I had bought in Oaxaca and Chiapas, with indigenous trajes from peoples they had never seen before. They were so interested!

I wish I could have stayed there a little longer but we had to move on! I have seen much of Guatemala, including the little-known Petén, which is cattle country, and the Garifuna village of Livinston where everybody speaks English.

RE machismo: When I read that story about spraying incense to prevent women from gossiping, the first thought which crossed my mind was: perhaps the women have a wish list of their own... I wonder how much physical violence some of them have to endure at home. It wouldn't be the first time alcohol abuse created havoc in an indigenous community.

On the other hand, the people are so friendly! Everything appeared to be so relaxed in those villages around Lake Atitlán. At a first glance, you wouldn't suspect some of the problems we discussed.

I can only recommend reading Rigoberta Menchú's book. She is a very brave woman, strong, intelligent, forgiving and caring. She taught herself Spanish as a child and learned to read and write after reaching adulthood. When they awarded her the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992, I was really elated! Now, this daughter of a poor Quiché peasant is involved in all kinds of human rights issues and she talks to world leaders. Some people have tried to smear her reputation, but they haven't succeeded in doing so. Guatemala needs more women like her. BTW, it was her father who stimulated her to use her mind and to get ahead in life. :)

[Marina]

Hi Alan,

It's impressive that you had one-to-one classes for a month, your Spanish must have improved lots!!!!

Guatemala sounds very interesting, did you take any pics? Can you post some?

Regarding the chicken soup, which by the way is one of the few things that I simply can't eat, it is very common from poor countries to use all the bones for the broth and the meat of the chicken to preapere a separate dish, I belive that it was common in Spain to use the feet and neck (I don't really know about heads) as well. I've never seen it in my mothers kitchen but in some markets they still sell very cheaply the main bone of a chicken - the carcass (I don't really know if that would be the appropriate word) to prepare broths.

[alanmalarkey]

Hi Marina,

Yes you would think the Spanish would have come on leaps and bounds but it is so difficult to benchmark.

On listening to 2 recent intermediate podcasts I did find that I could understand more and I can certainly hold conversations of sorts, but the finer art of speaking in other than present tense, except for some trusted phrases, still eludes me although I think I have a much better understanding of structures than before. Object pronouns and past participles also tend to throw me - but it is a long term project and I have time and motivation so all will be well!

Yes carcass is the correct word- I will particularly miss the clap clapping of young women and girls making fresh tortillas at the side of the road and the sight beautifully woodstove baked tamales.

A food reference below gives some typical offers

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/ck_gc_guatemala/0,1971,FOOD_9806,00.html

[jomik746]

Here are a few of my pictures that were taken in Guatemala last August. The first picture was taken atop el Volcán Pacaya. It is a short drive outside of Guat City. The hike to the apex was a very tiring but yet very, very rewarding journey (well, almost the top...steam shooting out prevented us from going all the way)! If you ever get the chance, climb Pacaya. It definitely stands out as one of the most memorable things I have ever done. The mix of adventure, danger, and accomplishment fed my adrenaline addiction! lol. The second picture was taken outside of a small village called Teculután, near Zacapa. The stunning landscape and friendliness of the Guatemaltecos is something that definitely stands out in my mind.